Gender Justice movement (Church of Christ)
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"Gender Justice" is a phrase used by some members of the Church of Christ to refer to their or their congregations' attitude toward gender roles.
Proponents of Gender Justice base their approach on an interpretation of Galatians 3:28 that includes gender in Paul's insistence on lack of distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free.[1]. They point out that:
· No scriptures in the Bible forbid women from preaching. On the contrary, there are many verses that encourage both men and women to preach the Gospel. The Bible teaches that God is not a respecter of persons, and He will use any and all who will yield to Him, regardless of race, age, or sex. · God called and used women as leaders and as preachers in the Old Testament, including Deborah, Miriam, Huldah, and Isaiah's wife (a prophetess and mother of Maher-shalal-hash-baz.)
· God called and used women preachers in the New Testament. According to the four Gospels, the news of the Resurrection of Christ was first proclaimed by women, (including Mary Magdalene), to Jesus' male disciples, who had abandoned the tomb following the crucifixon. Other New Testament examples include Anna, the four daughters of Phillip (Acts 21:9), Priscilla, Phoebe (Christian woman).
· The Great Commission, Mark 16:15, "Preach the Gospel," is to all believers, and to all the church of Jesus Christ. The command to "preach the Gospel" is to both male and female.
· The prescription that women are to be silent in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is not to be taken as a prohibition against women preaching the Gospel: if Paul intended this verse as a general rule to bar all women from speaking in church, then they cannot teach Sunday School, testify, pray, prophesy, sing, or even reach the state of salvation (since the confession of faith of necessity involves speech). This strict interpretation, to which many congregations admittedly do not adhere, is seen by the gender justice congregations to contradict the rest of the Bible (Acts 2:4; Acts 16-18). The alternative interpretation is that Paul was dealing with a different particular problem in the church, that of disruptions of worship caused by women (culturally disadvantaged with respect to men as to education) interrupting with questions concerning the sermons.
· Hermeneutically, if an interpretation of a verse contradicts the rest of the teaching of the Bible, then the interpretation is incorrect on the grounds that the Holy Spirit would never cause a contradiction to arise within holy scripture.
· Gen 1:27 states "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.". It is illogical to postulate that male and female can both be created by God and "in the image of God" yet one is less equal than the other. Since both are created in God's image, this faulty logic would imply that part of God is less equal than another part.
· Human history has been a history of male domination over women. The clear evidence of women preaching in the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) is highly exemplary in itself. Throughout history, and indeed today, women have often been subjugated, abused by and forced to be subservent to men. In some societies today women are still not free to dress as they please, vote or even drive a car (e.g. Saudi Arabia). It's important to understand that these doctrines and policies of inequality are from men and not of God who created both with love in His image.
· Acts 10:34 ("...God is no respecter of persons....")
[edit] References
1. ^ Gal328.org - Gender Justice and Churches of Christ
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