The G Word

Depending where you sit, gender and dealing with gender issues regarding church leadership and even membership expectations can be a touchy issue. When a potential new member of a congregation inquired about the role of women in leadership in that particular church, the pastor responded with a statement about how the Bible is being attacked by radical feminists. Needless to say his loss was Trinity's gain. I am always amazed that the Apostle Paul is regularly called a male chauvinist pig, when it is the Apostle Paul who gets quoted by those so called radical feminists. In Galatians 3:28 Paul says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." If anything this is the great leveling passage and highlights the egalitarian nature of the church. A position Paul fights to maintain throughout all of his letters as he tries to express the faith in a variety of cultures.

At times it seems he elevates men and places them in the positions of authority, at other times he takes it away by either redefining authority or headship as servanthood. In Corinthians 11:2-17, Paul spends a great deal of time on who came from whom, who was created for whom and then at the end reminds everyone that even though woman was made from man and for man- man now originates from a a woman. Paul giveth and Paul taketh away.

What I do think is important is that Paul does not want to see gender distinctiveness disappear. He is not looking at Pat the androgynous character from Saturday Night Live, as the goal or role model for Christians. Ultimately Paul sees gender as a gift, and the perspectives gender brings to the church as necessary for the church to be the church.

The best thing a man and a woman can be is a man and a woman- however way they want to understand their gender.In a nut shell the best thing any of us can be to help the church grow deep and wide, is ourselves.