Support the Women Willing To Pay The Price
Women who have a call on their life need recognition from the Body of Christ. They need safe places where their calling and gifting can be developed. They need financial assistance and support.
What is normal and perfectly acceptable to all men who enter the ministry is not for the women who choose the same profession. Men can expect rewards and recognition, and rightfully so for their hard work. Women will find themselves left at the bottom of the pile, no matter how hard they work.
Unrewarded Work
To work without reward, when carried out all of one’s life is extremely depressing and self-effacing in the extreme. However, this is the reality for most women in the ministry. They accept and live with the limitations placed on them if they are to remain in the ministry full-time. In my experience, most women, token or otherwise, finally give up.
Prejudice
There is no evidence in scripture that supports this gender prejudice. Suffering for the sake of the gospel applies to both men and women, but it is not meant to be this kind of suffering that women bear. To eliminate any prejudice within the body of Christ gender differentiation between men and women must be weeded out. The freedom of the gospel is based on the love of God for all humankind in all its different manifestations of gender, sexuality, race, physical ability, etc.
Tokenism: granted a position of prominence to create a sense of inclusion.
The Lord does not want tokenism for the daughters of God. A few good women will not suffice to act as the number of role models needed to release half the army of God. How many women cry out to God in frustration and disappointment and sadness; muzzled, bound, and fettered by the false judgment that has been placed upon them by their ‘brothers’ in Christ? More importantly, how much has the church suffered loss?
This kind of behaviour is the antithesis of the Gospel’s command from our Master and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to all believers. “Go into all the world and preach the good news, make disciples.” What arrogance to teach that this command can only be followed by men. It is before the Great I AM that we must give account. It is not enough to have ‘token’ women! She is a poor substitute; an unreal role model, and a source of shame to The Woman – the Church, the Bride of Christ.
Women tend to show complacency when in reality only a few steps forward have been taken. Perhaps, in the main, for many married women, their livelihood does not depend upon food on the table which is a great incentive for anyone, and the majority of middle-class women in the church have a husband they depend on for their daily necessities.
Tokenism and its effects
This may be why so many women in the ministry readily collude in the deviation from gender equality, namely: male-in-charge; husband-and-headship doctrine, submission-of-wife-as-his-helper: tokenism effectually places a woman within the male establishment but lacking the inner empowerment and the outer, external authority.
Tokenism therefore has a negative outcome. The token woman is neither one thing nor another. This explains the failure of women successfully working together, or never accepting one another in leadership. Both these things play a very large part in draining any work of power where token women are present.
Yes, solidarity can be found where it pertains particularly to the conventional woman’s experience, that of giving birth, marriage, loneliness, old age and widowhood, depression, and death. But support systems of financial, or professional networks are practically non-existent. Solidarity within the ranks of women is not only hard to find, indeed, it is well-nigh impossible.
To free themselves women must accept other women in leadership roles.
Women, in the main, do not accept other women in leadership unless they are bonded with a male. Women seldom financially support other women. Those women who have been brainwashed under the Old Testament teaching on tithing do not even ask where their money is being used. They just throw their money or write cheques into collection bags with holes. These eventually make out their will to leave their homes to the established male hierarchy to use it as they will, without a thought of what becomes of it.
I ask you, why not change your will? Why not support those women who through many hardships have supported you? You might decide to set up a Trust with a group of trusted women to administer it to support women in ministry.
Women Wake Up!
In the main, women appear content in giving their money in the belief that it is being distributed by males who claim they ‘know what they are doing’. Some shrug their shoulders and say ‘Well, he is answerable to the Lord, and I am not. No! That is not true. You are entirely responsible!
I have worked in these establishments and witnessed the wasted resources, which is, in many cases, alarming. Males who elect themselves as the higher authority and receive these monies are answerable before God. Women are the financial mainstays in most churches supporting male leadership. The same male leadership that keeps her and her sisters controlled and silenced. Stop supporting them !
Instead, seek out those women who move against the current tides of their times and find a position of autonomy without the ordeal of being controlled by male-dominated church leaders. Instead, search for that kind of woman and come alongside her and either run with her or help her to run.
Get involved
Exercise your gifts. Discover your calling and run with it. Find an independent woman who practices autonomy, active faith, and self-assertion. These are essential to her achievement. However, all such faith-full characteristics will bring upon her a tirade of offensive name-calling.
Women Support Women
If she does not fit the mould of long soft curly hair, makeup, and clothes that suit the feminine image, especially prevalent amongst the middle-class churchgoer, her image will be tarnished. She may even be labelled by the ‘F’ word, for “feminist” or the ‘J’ word, for “Jezabel.”
Because of her autonomy, she will most certainly be accused of exhibiting or pertaining to either butch lesbianism or misandry: prejudice against men. Labels such as this will undermine her confidence if she does not understand the strategy of the patriarchs.
The Patriarchal System is Anti-Christ
Is it going too far to call men who reject the spiritual gifts in women as anti-Christ? Those who suppress and prevent women’s aspirations to serve and be fruitful for Jesus? No, it is not! In times past, Christian women may have been exasperated by the supposed ignorance of men in the church, but now there is no longer any excuse due to the amount of scholarly material available on the broad subject of gender equity both in the world and scripture. It cannot be denied or ignored.
Anyone who wants to learn, to study, will have no trouble finding material on the subject. The Scriptures teach equality. All one has to do is practice the golden rule ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ and base one’s living and actions on that foundation stone will find the God of equal balances and weights. Therein, equity will follow.
Teach Equality From The Scriptures
It is not hard to teach equality from the Scriptures. God has not left us without witnesses. The Bible is not without women who achieved important things in God. However, at present, it is rare indeed to hear a whole sermon delivered with a bible-woman character as the central theme. I encourage men and women to teach about these women from the pulpit to do so. if and when you have the opportunity
Women’s Point Of View
Because women see the world differently from men, a healthy teaching pattern might be that for every male biblical model, a woman presents a female biblical model. A man cannot teach the bible and meet the needs of women and visa versa.
A number of years ago I was invited to teach for a week in a church in Brisbane, Australia. I chose to highlight the women’s bible characters to use as examples for the subjects I was teaching. The Pastor was not happy and said so.
Women Wake Up! Look Around
If you doubt what I am saying, ask any woman who has been in ministry for a long time. Check out if there is an equal number of women as there are men on the board of the church you attend. I think I am safe in saying there is not! Further, there are many horror stories of abuse surrounding women’s experiences of being in a place of leadership in the church. Yet, very many godly women and men have laid down their lives for the Gospel and long to see a new outpouring of God’s Spirit on all flesh.
Sirs, would you mind getting out of the way, would you mind to look beyond your prejudices, we would see Jesus. Please, please, change your patriarchal mind: repent!
God bless all those who seek peace and the freedom that comes from knowing Jesus,
Patricia
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