The Intelligent Christian
Gender and Charismatics
Although Christian theology mostly speaks of the fall in terms of its main consequence of disrupting our fellowship with our Creator, the disruption of male/female roles and relationships was also a major consequence and needs to be taken very seriously. In this section we provide some background that informs 'the gender passages' and challenges the traditional male dominance view inherent in most of our Bible translations and in our church structures.
In the last few decades much significant work has been done on the text and theology of 'gender passages' in our bible. Cathie and Dick Clark Kroeger have been at the forefront of this work and this remarkable team also founded Christians for Biblical Equality, a link to which is on the Links page. Following their lead many women have attained professional academic qualifications and are working to turn back the tide of traditional male domination in the church. There are also male academics who are convinced the bible has long been misunderstood and mistranslated with respect to male/female roles and relationships.
The male dominators have not been idle. However, perhaps the most telling argument against the male dominators in theological circles is the virtual absence of women with professional credentials to support them. There are, sadly, women who still parrot the old line and these women are given prominence in male dominated media. Below is one example, written by Christy Shipe on Crosswalk.com's 'Ask the Expert for Girls' page. I came across it in 2002.
Please note: The answer given below to the question is not correct! It is, in fact, desperately harmful. Please read the following with care.
Q. I'm almost 15 and have been thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life. I've been praying about it, and I feel like I want to start some sort of ministry at school or with a small group. Today, I was talking about it with my Mom and she told me something very interesting. I found the verse 1 Timothy 2:12-14. It says that women are supposed to stay quiet in church and not teach. Does this mean that girls aren't supposed to be youth leaders or ministers or anything else like that? I'm just really confused.
-Missy
A. God allows women to be youth leaders and spiritual teachers within certain limits. One of those limits was pointed out by your mom, but 1 Timothy 2: 12 never prohibits you from the ministry altogether.
What the Bible says: In that passage, Paul says, 'I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent'. The key phrase here is authority over a man. God has given men the role of spiritual leader within the church and the family. Therefore, a woman cannot have a position of spiritual authority over a man. That is why Paul said what he said about women being quiet in church. '
I quote this because it perfectly illustrates the powerful influence religious practitioners have over Christians who do not realise they are trapped in a religion. The male dominant structure in which the young enquirer is being pressed will no doubt influence her for a long time and the damage will be great.
However, one day this young woman may join the ranks of those who have properly investigated the subject and the 1 Timothy passage and then experience the release when she learns that the bible actually teaches what the Holy Spirit is clearly teaching her heart.
The editor's understanding of gender and the bible begins in a separate section: Gender Passages
Richard and Catherine Clark Kroeger look at 1 Corinthians 14 as it relates to Christians bringing into the church some of the practices of non-Christian religions of the day. In Pandemonium and Silence at Corinth, Cathie and Dick help us understand the background to Paul's letter. It is a principle of Bible study that we learn how the text would have been received and understood by its original recipients and then use this to inform our own understanding.
Cathie and Dick discuss the importance of Christians clearly demonstrating male and female roles and relationships in an environment of gender confusion. Sexual Identity in Corinth - Paul faces a crisis is particularly useful for our understanding of 1 Corinthians 11 against the background of gender confusion in the Greco-Roman world. For anyone who has been even slightly awake for the last few decades this article has great importance.
Jesus is Lord
'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.'