I am so grateful for the guys who have contributed to The Black Swan Effect: A Response to Gender Hierarchy in the Church
Here’s a quote from Dave Ferguson.
My feelings about the issue of women in leadership began to change when my oldest daughter, Amy, started looking for colleges. Like many 18-year-olds, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to declare as a major, but student ministry was toward the top of her list of interests. So with ministry as a strong consideration, we began looking for a Christian college that would be a good fit.
I had two criteria in mind as we began our search: first, I wanted her to find a school with a strong commitment to the authority of Scripture, and second, I wanted her to attend a school that would encourage her as a female leader to fulfill her God-given potential.
With each college visit, there was a growing realization that finding a school where my daughter could get solid theological education along with positive encouragement to use all of her gifts was going to be very hard. That’s when it got personal and something began to change in me. The issue of women in leadership went form being something that was theologically right, but not mission critical, to both theolotgically correct and critical for accomplishing the mission of Jesus!
It was like my eyes were opened–for the first time, I realized that 50 percent of the leaders God had gifted for this mission were not mobilized or utilized. I don’t know how I missed it before. It was like the church was trying to show off by doing everything with one hand tied behind her back! The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. I began to look at the world through the eyes of my daughter (and other women) and saw very limited possibilities for her to use her gifts. It was suddenly personal and emotional.
4 replies on “Women: mission critical”
This is one reason I love working at Azusa Pacific University, which welcomes women and trains them for leadership. This is more important than people realize as a factor in college choice and something I haven’t read addressed anywhere else. A school nearby APU recently held 30 Days of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood where women students were told their place is in the home and they are to submit to men. When choosing a Christian college, be sure to ask about their position on women!
This a great advice! I’m so glad to hear about APU’s stance on women. (In fact, I think I will tweet about it!)
“30 Days of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood”? I would last maybe 1 day. The title alone rankles those of us who don’t see complementarianism as Biblical.
Very nice. Our experiences aren’t our authority, but they do help us to go back to the inspired Word with questions we hadn’t thought to ask it before. An illustration I often use is about my kid sister: She can speak the truth to me with a level of frankness that I would let no other person get away with!
So too with female members of God’s people. I ask myself: Is this my sister in Christ? Does she love the Lord and submit to his Word? Then, please, she should teach me the truth God has for my life.