Diane Brummel Bloem. Trowel & Sword. August 1975.
From: The Banner.
Preamble: As you can tell by the date of this article, this debate has been going on for a long time and would seem to be no closer to being resolved. For the most part there seems to be an uneasy truce between the opposing view points, but still the debate continues. While it often seems to be a male versus female issue (these days also complicated by the “trans” debate), there are men and women on both sides of the divide. The following article gives one woman’s view on the ordination of women. Let it be said that there will be those that agree and those that disagree with her arguments. To us the sad fact is that most people in the Reformed churches are so entrenched in their own opinions that they will never accept the viewpoint of the other side. Also scripture itself would seem to be sufficiently ambiguous to allow a case to be made both for and against. And so, the debate goes on.
A Woman’s View On Ordination
I am a woman speaking out against the current trend in the church to ordain women to the ministry.
If you are a man, before you say, “Aha, the women are finally getting some sense,” let me ask you to take a few minutes to consider some ideas with understanding and Christian love.
If you are a woman, do not think that I am betraying you. I believe that I have been given some answers and some challenges. Please consider them with me.
Already as a little girl considering career opportunities I wondered why the ministry of the gospel was stressed as an option for boys and not for girls.
After all, I loved to study the Bible, to analyse church doctrines and church history. I had an intense love for people, joy and confidence in my own salvation – all these plus a gift for public speaking. Why, I wondered, would God give talents and a desire to use them to one of His children and then say, “No, I don’t need or want your service because I made you a woman?”
These questions did not shadow my life with sadness. I had loving parents, teachers, friends who encouraged me to serve the Lord in every aspect of life. I was happy. The Lord gave me a wonderful Christian husband, precious children, a home filled with love. I felt a little sorry for men that they could not know the joys a happy Christian homemaker revels in. My family encouraged me to continue my education and God called me to a thrilling ministry in the church. I began studying and serving as Bible leader for women’s societies in several of our churches.
Then came the Women’s Liberation Movement. Magazine articles insistently and insidiously
asked me if I was really fulfilled. I began to wonder. My glow of happiness was tarnished. I began wondering why the institutional church used so few of women’s talents. Was it because the chauvinistic consistory felt that women were inferior to men? I began to bristle. When a few ministers were reportedly hurt because the women’s group in their congregations wanted women leaders I was bit indignant.
I needed answers from God, so I turned to His Word and with women’ groups in four churches began to study the role of the Christian woman. What beautiful answers we were given!
First of all we saw that men and women are equal before God – equally sinners and equally saved. Then we began to explore the unique purposes and tasks God had for men and for women. We saw the beauty of order He established in delegating authority to the man as the head and to the woman as his co-worker.
We looked at the criticisms the women’s libbers were firing at the Bible, blaming it for our so-called inferior state. We found that, rather than illustrating the suppression of women, Bible history demonstrates the opposite. The daughters of Zelophehad pleaded for the right to own property and God Himself granted it. Miriam was one of the highest leaders of Israel; Deborah was a judge; Huldah was a prophetess – chosen to reveal the word of the Lord. The picture of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 is of a fulfilled woman, a homemaker and a career woman.
In the New Testament we were thrilled to see how Jesus ignored the social customs of His day and taught women as well as men. He encouraged Mary in her desire to learn spiritual things; He revealed Himself as Messiah to the woman at the well. Paul stressed equal rights for women in the marriage relationship (I Cor. 7:5) and time and again showed his warm appreciation for the work of women in the church. We learned that Peter shared his ministry with his wife (I Cor. 9:5) and Paul seems a bit envious. We learned that the gifts of the Spirit were given to women as well as to men.
And although we found numerous instances in both Testaments in which the gift of prophecy was given to women, we did not find that God called them to the office of bishop or elder. Their calling was directed more to working as the complement of their office-bearing husbands or as a leader of their fellow-women. More important than all of this to me was I Corinthians 11:3, “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” Why are Christian women chafing at the idea of subjection when Christ, our Saviour and example, though claiming equality with God (John 5:18) was willing to put all His glory aside for the privilege of serving?
Philippians 2:5 and 6 says it all, ‘Have this mind among yourselves, which you have in Christ Jesus, who, though he in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men’. I asked myself, “Am I better than my Lord?” If there is this beautiful order of subjection in the Trinity, reflected in the order of authority and subjection on earth, why should this grain of discontentment be harboured in my mind? Can it be that the Women’s Liberation Movement is blinding the eyes of Christian women to the calling to serve? Is the devil using this in the same way he used the piece of fruit with Eve?
Why is it that one denomination after another is bowing under pressure to ordain women? Is the Lord calling these women to serve as ministers because men have failed, or are women grasping for this calling to honour themselves and their sex? Jesus’ warning comes to us as it did to His disciples (Matt. 23:11,12), “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
If you are a woman, consider the many fulfilling ministries to which God may have called you. You may be called to be an understanding Bible leader, a sharing student in a study class, a loving Christian neighbour or co-worker, a church-school teacher, a missionary, a Calvinette leader, a minister of mercy, a minister of encouragement, a prayer warrior, an understanding listener, a missionary union leader or supporter, a Christian writer or editor, a complement and support to your husband. The unique calling to the ministry of Christian motherhood cannot be lumped with all other womanly callings. It is too special and too necessary and too endangered. It is a woman’s crowning calling.
All of these callings and the hundred more you can think of are callings to serve the Lord with all of your talents, education, intelligence, insight, understanding, and love. Each is a worthy challenge and in no way inferior to the unique tasks given to men. Do not disparage your calling. God made you a woman because He had special service in mind for you.
If you are a man, please ask yourself if you are in any way responsible for the discontent brought about by the Women’s Liberation Movement. Are Christian women dissatisfied with their calling and looking enviously at yours because you really consider them to be inferior? Do you realise and appreciate the special faithful work women do to keep our Christian lives growing spiritually as well as physically? Do Christian women know that you honour and appreciate their gifts and callings? Are you encouraging them to use their talents? Or do you suppress them because you are more interested in exalting yourself than in being a servant to your Master?
Perhaps all of us, men and women, must experience a renewed calling to serve one another. After giving advice to husbands and wives Peter concluded, “Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love of the brethren, a tender heart and a humble mind” (I Peter. 3:8,9).
DIANE BRUMMEL BLOEM
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