Romans 16:1-2 – “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.” (NRSVue)
One of the things I do when I am working around the house is listen to YouTube video essays, and the other day I listened to one about a Christian who “went undercover” into a radically bigoted church. The video gave highlights of the sermons. I expected vile and hateful things to be spoken towards LGBT+ individuals, as well as racism and sexism, but what really floored me was the terrible use of scripture. These were people who claimed they knew and followed the Bible better than anyone else, and yet they clearly focused on a few scriptures rather than feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Bible as a whole.
Chapter 2 of the First Letter to Timothy contains strict advice against woman showing any role outside of subservience in the household. They are to dress modestly and be submissive. “Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.” In other words, women are to have no authority in the church. The letter ties this to the Fall in Genesis. “For Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” In this passage is also the idea that women are more sinful than men and the cause of all evil.
Many traditions lean on this one chapter as the basis for oppressing and silencing women, or at least barring them from being pastors and priests. But this chapter disagrees with the vast portions of the Bible that does not accept the lesser role of women in patriarchal societies. It is one writer’s support of a worldly patriarchy rather than a statement representing the whole Bible, which derives its power in many ways from its many distinctive voices.
The list of women leaders in the Bible is very long. To name a few, Deborah was a judge, a war leader of all the tribes of Israel, and by many metrics the most successful. Women like Miriam and Huldah are lifted up as prophets. In the New Testament, women’s leadership is even more important. The Gospel according to Luke mentions that Mary Magdalene was a leader among a group of women that financed Jesus’ mission. Jesus regularly treated women as equals and never referenced submission to husbands or father.
Later New Testament books speak regularly of women leaders. These are mentioned as converts, evangelists, and even apostles. The end of the Letter to the Romans is full of people Paul writes to and about. It is one of those lists of names that make peoples’ eyes glaze over. But what is astounding is how many women are mentioned. The first person recommended to the Romans is a woman named Phoebe, who is called a deacon, the highest rank for a Christian outside of the apostles. Without women like Mary Magdalene, Phoebe, Lydia, Priscilla, and more, we would not have Christianity as we know it.
In my opinion, this radical church also denied the salvific power of God in favor of the worldly order of things. Genesis indeed curses men to labor on the earth and for women to be subservient. But God also blesses people people to be more than their fallen condition. Moses is given the Law. Through his resurrection, Jesus breaks the power of sin. Paul teaches that all are equal before God.
Our tradition is blessed by recognizing the Biblical basis for women’s leadership, by seeing the bigger picture and not focusing on isolated proof texts. I know that our denomination and even our congregation would not be as successful without their women leaders. As you continue to study the Bible and find comfort and courage in its words, make sure to feel the Holy Spirit moving through the whole text and your whole lives and do not let one writer’s opinion pull our world back into darkness and sin.
Prayer: Lord God, help us to be more. Call us out of our worldly ways into blessing and justice. Amen.
Comments