There’s a (mostly) unspoken rule in Christianity. It goes something like this: God only uses a woman when a man is not available.
It’s a convenient rule because it allows women on the mission field to do things that women are not allowed to do here at home.
Does this seem strange to anyone else?
8 replies on “An unspoken rule”
Hi Felicity, Hope you are doing great! Even though it might seem convenient, I think that it is a limiting rule. It sends an underlying message that women are Plan B. I believe that it sends the wrong message.
I totally agree with you.
Yes. It does seem strange and incongruent. If the existing Church allows women to preach to both men and women on the mission field, why not in their home church? This seems hypocritical.
Kathy, I agree, and it’s the point I hoped everyone would get. Thank you for articulating it so clearly.
I heard a slightly different rule of thumb regarding women in ministry: God only uses a woman when a man is delinquent in fulfilling his duties. The rule not only applies to missionaries like Gladys Aylward, but equally applies to teaching in the church or management of the house. This insidious doctrine condemns both the woman for working and the man for not doing enough.
By the way, does anyone else have a problem with the concept of God “using” a woman or a man. A shovel is used, and how much pleasure does one get from a shovel. God does not want to “use” His children, He wants to “love” them. Instead, God is using this world, allowing “all things to work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28).
God’s goal is the expression of “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 3:4). In God’s eyes, there is no difference between males and females (Galatians 3:28). Nor is there a difference in ministries; “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Jesus highly praised the poor widow over the wealthy men who gave extravagantly (Mark 12 43). His priority is the heart and not the gender.
of the person.
Great points, Jeffrey. I, too, have a problem with God “using” people, although I’m hard pressed to find a way to briefly express the privilege of the Holy Spirit changing someone else’s life through something I’ve done, said or written. (Any ideas will be much appreciated.)
Yeah, I was told that once in the form of something like “women are doing things because the men aren’t doing their jobs”. It didn’t make sense to me then and it still doesn’t. The thing that frustrates me is that when these things are said the people saying them deny that women are called to do them, and, actually, they deny that God CAN and does call them.
And sadly that attitude permeates the thinking of the church. But hopefully God is in the process of changing all that