Women in the Church

Christianity has always been dominated by men. It was a man who started it, twelve men who spread it, men who have shaped it and men who are remembered for it. Women are a minority in the history of the Church. The great theologians, philosophers, thinkers, saints and clergy have largely been men, with feminists usually attacking the church for its masculine outlook on life. Whilst the Roman Catholic tradition still bars female participation in leading the church, Protestant denominations are now becoming more accepting of women in positions of authority and gravitas within the religious community. However, now that we allow a small number of women to contribute, do we pretend the problem has gone away of under representation? Does the Church still have a 'misodginistic' way of operating? Should this be changed? A friend asked me if I would take a look at this subject area, and so in this article I shall be asking are women given less opportunities than men in the Church and what should be done about it.

Being the product of ancient Judaism, a patriarchal society, Christianty inevitably contained male bias. In Israel in the early period the man was absolute ruler of the extended family; if a husband died, the widow was given to the nearest brother (Deuteronomy 25: 5-10). Women had no powers, could make no decisions, though they could sometimes engage in inspired trickery (Genesis 27 and 31). The subordination of women was maintained during the monarchical period; divorce was exclusively open to a husband, and a woman's adultery was, according to the law, a capital offence (Leviticus 20: 10). Women were not entitled to own property and were kept in state of impurity - e.g. during and after menstruation and after childbirth (the length of purdah was doubled if a baby was female). In practice, however, a measure of humanity possibly prevailed, and women were not excluded from worship ceremonies (Deuteronomy 16: 13-14). Women are to be honoured as parents equally with men (Exodus 20: 12). Women did hold positions of power: Jezebel the Queen (1 Kings 21: 7), the prophets Miriam, Deborah and the Wise Women (2 Samuel 20: 16-22). However, after the exile, more restrictions were placed on women. They could no longer participate with the men in worship, but were relegated to the outer court of the Second Temple. Their testimony was valid in law courts, and they could not teach the Torah. By the time of the New Testament, it is assumed women could divorce their husbands (Mark 10: 12) but many men still gave thanks to God they were not born a woman (Tosfta Berakot, 7: 18).

Women play a large part in Jesus' ministry and life. The birth of Christ gives Mary an important role in the scheme of salvation, and women are also prominent in the resurrection narratives: it is they who receive the first revelation that Jesus has been raised. Between the birth and resurrection there are notable healing miracles for women - the distressing case of menorrhagia (Mark 5: 24-34) and the Gentile Syro-Phoenician girl (Mark 7: 24-30). Women annoint Jesus (e.g. Luke 7: 36-50) and Mary and Martha along with their brother Lazarus are loved by Jesus (John 11: 5). Jesus' relationship with women is in accord with his teaching that the kingdom of God implies a new community of love which embraces all mankind (Luke 13: 10-17). People are welcomed by Jesus irrespective of race, status, or gender, and those who are called to leadership are chosen on the basis of God's gracious spirit not on accidents of birth.

Whilst the Church has been slow and reluctant to incorporate the true evaluation of women (Galatians 3: 28) into its institutions and rituals, in recent years it has progressed, with many denominations offering the opportunities for female clergy and bishoprics, giving them an equal platform to men. However, whilst the situation has improved and adopted Christ's teachings more fully, are women still under represented in Church services? As women will make up on average about half a congregation, should half the leadership be women? Would this be more faithful to Jesus views on gender?

Taking the Church of England as my prime example, the body of the community is about half men and half women. However, the leadership is predominantly male. There are no women bishops. The clergy at most services are male, and the team of volunteers who help organise groups and services are usually male. Women do get involved, but more often than not it will be a man giving the sermon, a man leading the music, a man conducting projects for the church. Whilst the oppurtunity is there, it seems like there is still a pervading attitude that leadership is for men, and background help is for women.

I do not claim to understand the causes for this state of affairs. The real question is, how do we, as people following Christ, respond? My own opinion is as follows: whilst there is not equal representation of women in the church as men, that is not an issue. Following Jesus is not a democracy; you don't vote on which commands you like, which sacraments to perform, which doctrines to uphold. Rather, it is about submitting yourself to the eternal love and truth. Now God endows each person with a particular set of skills and functions which, if they focus on Him, can flourish into a service for the Kingdom of God. This means not all people are destined for Church leadership. Some will be carpenters, fisherman, manufacturers etc. Others lawyers, doctors, scientists. Only a few will lead the Lord's flock. It does not matter what gender they are, nor race nor status. Rather, it is by God's choice alone. If God allocates such positions to more men than women, that is fine: what should be certain is that if a woman has been selected to lead, the opportunity should be open. All the Church can do is keep the door open, it is up to God to pick who goes through it.

In this respect, denominations such as the United Reformed Church, Church of Scotland and Methodists are already implementing true evaluation of women. I just hope that the Roman Catholics, the Anglicans and Orthodox traditions will follow suit. I hope Bishop Chartres is listening.

To summarise, women have been marginalised by Christianity, despite its founder and object of worship coming to save all and loves everyone equally. This stems from its patriarchal roots, which have somewhat mellowed over time in Protestant churches. The proportion of men to women in Church leadership is a red herring: whilst liberal thought makes us think we need equal representation, we should rather focus on providing the opportunity for those called by God to perform such duties, regardless of gender. If this can be done, Christ's kingdom will be extended greatly.