Both scripture and history record that women in ministry are called and used by God in every area that men are.
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some
apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers 12:
For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying
of the body of Christ 13: Until we all come in the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God into fully mature individuals unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ[1]
14: That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness
whereby they lie in wait to deceive 4:15 But speaking the truth in love
may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ 16:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which
every joint supplies according to the effectual working in the measure of every
part makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love[2]
[1] God has given ministry gifts to the Body of Christ—his
Church—which is an organism,
not an organization, in the
form of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. Those who
possess these gifts are instructed to use them for the feeding of the sheep
(all believers) John 21:16-17 the equipping of the Saints (all
believers), the service of God, and the building up of the Body of Christ Ephesians
4:11-13. The New Testament records that women are called into all areas of ministry and given authoritative ministry gifts equal with men.
All New Covenant believers—Older, younger, pastors, church members, men, women, etc.—are commanded to be
subject to one another (meaning to yield to/prefer one another before themselves) 1
Peter 5:5 KJV.
For Luke to state (in the book of Acts) that Phillip’s
daughters were New Testament prophets Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:28,
Ephesians 4:11-13, means the gifts of the Holy Spirit and calling of God
on these women was recognized and respected. Some denominations define
prophesying as preaching. So be it. The daughters of Phillip the evangelist
were preachers. That means they spoke publicly and authoritatively to anyone God called
them to speak to—including men. Nowhere in scripture, do we read that the gifts
and callings of the Holy Spirit are distributed according to gender.
[2] Jesus is the creator. He is before all
things and all things are made by him, but when Paul writes of his function as “head,”
he uses building and body metaphors which clarify that he is referencing the creation of
the Church, building and encouraging its universal membership, and nourishing
the health of his entire “Body” (which is his ekklesia). The only male in the history of the universe who can
claim “Headship” over anything, is Jesus, because he is the only one in whom we
live and move and have our being.
Woman
this is WAR! Gender Slavery and the Evangelical Caste System Chronicles
the early history of the women's rights movements, as well as the role of
church leadership in aggressive suppression of both women's rights and the
historical record of Christian initiatives within the movements. Through the
complementarian movement, many of the same arguments used to support the
institution of slavery, are still used today in suppressing the rights of
Christian women. This book documents identical arguments used by Christian
leaders against both movements, and is an unparalleled resource for all who
desire an in-depth study of gender equality from a Christian perspective. The
book also examines Bible commentary and
translation practices which have historically been
androcentric (male centered) and even misogynistic (anti-woman). These have
adversely effected understanding of the scriptures, relations between women and
men, the happiness of men and women, and hindered the work of the gospel. The
history of women’s rights is traced back [much further than usual] to the very
first feminists…who were Christians—godly women, who brought the issue
of women's rights to the forefront as they struggled to alleviate the suffering
of others, and found they were hindered in doing so for no other reason than
the fact of their sex. This work, provides valuable historical insight into
Christian initiatives in the movements for women’s rights, that are rarely
included in Christian literature. Visit this link for more information or to
buy the book: Woman
this is WAR! Gender Slavery and the Evangelical Caste System
No comments:
Post a Comment