Another letter about women in ministry ... and this letter illustrates a very important point we all need to be aware of in "applying" the Bible: each culture summons us to live in ways appropriate to that culture. But, and this is important too, the Christian will work for kingdom conditions to work like yeast in each culture so that God's ways of justice and peace and love will become living realities. But, it means beginning in different places in different locations. Here's a letter from one of our former students, now in Burkina Faso. How would you advise Ben?
Dr. McKnight,
Dr. McKnight,
I know I have
written you a while ago on this same issue, but now my plight doesn't
come so much from a disagreement as much as my own thoughts. I know
that God is calling us to an ultimate ethic of equality between
sexes/races/classes and the like. I also know that that is more of a
reality in some churches in America and not nearly as close here.
My struggle or my question is along this line: If Moses/Jesus/Paul and many others in the Bible advanced woman's status in their own culture, yet not necessarily going for the ultimate ethic of equality, how do I in a culture that is closer to theirs than ours treat this situation?
Back home it seems reasonable enough in most if not all circumstances to call for and work for the ultimate ethic back home, but here is clearly not the case. Woman do ALL the house work, cook ALL the food, wear headdresses in church, not just the Bible says so, but because women generally just wear headscarves anyways.
So since I have to assume that while the Biblical characters did not usually treat women the way they will be treated in the Kingdom of God after the resurrection, can I still assume they weren't sinning?
Likewise, I know I should be encouraging movement towards equality here, but if I had those same expectations just 6,000 miles West of me, that might be an unacceptable way of treating a woman and a sin. I'm not so caught up with me personally sinning over the whole ordeal, just more I guess would/could you presume that this type of issue is something that Burkinabe or Africans as a whole will be judged for just as Americans may be judged for not taking up the plight of unborn babies or a continuing destruction of the planet?
It is weird that although we can't travel through time, sometimes a long flight from America to Western Africa feels like jumping in a time machine.
My struggle or my question is along this line: If Moses/Jesus/Paul and many others in the Bible advanced woman's status in their own culture, yet not necessarily going for the ultimate ethic of equality, how do I in a culture that is closer to theirs than ours treat this situation?
Back home it seems reasonable enough in most if not all circumstances to call for and work for the ultimate ethic back home, but here is clearly not the case. Woman do ALL the house work, cook ALL the food, wear headdresses in church, not just the Bible says so, but because women generally just wear headscarves anyways.
So since I have to assume that while the Biblical characters did not usually treat women the way they will be treated in the Kingdom of God after the resurrection, can I still assume they weren't sinning?
Likewise, I know I should be encouraging movement towards equality here, but if I had those same expectations just 6,000 miles West of me, that might be an unacceptable way of treating a woman and a sin. I'm not so caught up with me personally sinning over the whole ordeal, just more I guess would/could you presume that this type of issue is something that Burkinabe or Africans as a whole will be judged for just as Americans may be judged for not taking up the plight of unborn babies or a continuing destruction of the planet?
It is weird that although we can't travel through time, sometimes a long flight from America to Western Africa feels like jumping in a time machine.
Ben
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I just have to comment on the irony of discussing freedom for women as a flash ad asking us to vote which version of Britney Spears we like best plays at the top of the page. No of course women aren't objectified in our culture...
OK - there is work to do in our own culture as well.
I think that what Paul did in scripture was interesting. He set forth the vision for equality in Galatians 3:26-29. However History tells us that Romans were somewhat suspicious of Christians because of the way they were in community with slaves and women. I think Paul, in the interest of quieting the suspicions invited Husbands to radically love their wives and wives to submit themselves... of their own free will that the church would be less vulnerable to the charges leveled at them by society. The household codes were foundational to the Roman system of order and the Christians could have been suspected of promoting disorder. They had to walk a fine line between fully living the vision in the new community and navigating within the world system as it was.
If we think in terms of the new community in Christ, the church, and the world systems it is easier to see that in the community they lived out the gospel more fully creating a vision and esteem for women and what they could become in Christ. It could not be a complete reality in the social world.
amen Julie. Just that fact that we are till having these discussions shows the inequality of women still today.
That being said, Jesus' example of bringing the culture around to God's way of thinking was done much more by action than by word. Ben, I think your actions in the treatment of women would be a far greater example than preaching or teaching it.
And will the people of any culture be judged for their treatment of others? Ours included.
I'm all for living the Word, not just preaching the Word, but I fear that good actions without good teaching may go unnoticed. It's the good teaching that gives us the framework for seeing, understanding, and ultimately integrating good action into our very being, and ultimately living out kingdom values in every part of our lives. So I cast my vote for both/and, NOT either/or.
When attempting to live counter-culturally (in a biblical way), whether in Africa or good ole Britney-saturated US of A, we need to remember that Jesus called ALL to himself who were invisible, for whatever reason. Women, children, lepers, Samaritans, tax collectors, thieves hanging from an adjacent cross... We don't have a feminist gospel, but rather a gospel of love that extends to every single being. I think when we remember the big picture and not focus on any one group, then it's a tiny bit easier to position the gospel into every culture.
Julie, many thanks for pointing out that bit of irony. Yep, cultural issues abound, even here, but I really didn't expect to encounter the Britney issue on Beliefnet. Maybe it's an "opportunity" for Beliefnet to take a closer look at what is popping up in those ads;-)
OMG, I hit the refresh captcha and it did NOT lose my text. !Gracias a Dios!
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