Working together to see women taking their full role in the body of Christ

I recently listened to a very interesting TED talk on the changing role of women within society.  You can listen to it here, and it is well worth the time.  These days, 57% of those graduating from college are women, and more than 50% of those in managerial positions are women.  There are more women than men becoming doctors and lawyers.  Society is changing in relation to women. How will the church react? 

For many looking on, the fact that women are often perceived as second-class citizens within the church makes our message irrelevant.  It is hardly good news to, for example, a woman physician, to learn that if she joins the church, she is relegated to lesser roles and is  unable to exercise leadership. 

So how are we to react to those passages of Scripture that apparently limit women’s roles within the body of Christ.  Many of us are coming to a different understanding of the challenging Scriptures about women, one that, with integrity, sees Paul’s comments as mainly cultural or at least, situational.  (See my blog posts on this subject.) 

The Lord has shown us that if this movement of women moving into their destiny in the Kingdom is only a women’s movement, it will evolve into a feminist movement.  But if both men and women are involved, it will become a Kingdom movement.  Men are willing to hear what other men have to see on this issue, but they tend to perceive women talking about these issues as feminists having an agenda, wanting to promote themselves, or being unsubmissive.  That is why we need men to promote women, just as Barak supported and promoted Deborah in the Old Testament (Judges 4 and 5).  And, praise God, many are stepping up to the plate.  There are an increasing number of men who are actively promoting women within Christian circles, and I for one am very grateful and would like to honor them for their involvement.