Sophia Network

The Daughters of Eve

Channel 4's series The Bible: A History tells 'the story of the most influential book ever written, interpreted by seven prominent figures from different walks of life.'

Sunday's episode was called The Daughters of Eve and was presented by historian Bettany Hughes. This is the description: 'It's fashionable to dismiss the Bible as a manifesto for misogyny. Undeniably, many of its pages are rank with sexism: the proud Queen, Jezebel, is fed to the dogs, the teenage girl, Salome, is used as sexual bait. But Hughes argues that the Bible is a window on the Bronze Age, a time when women had more power. She introduces a dazzling cast of female characters: warriors, adulterous wives, mothers and 'good' women: all daughters of Eve who speak volumes about their world, and our own.'

It's thought-provoking stuff - Hughes considers how cultural views of women and femininity through the ages might affect the way we read and understand the Bible, and argues that while most of history ignores women, the Bible writes them back in. I liked what she said about Lydia in Acts 16 - that she's held up as a paragon of early female Christian virtue, and yet she's a self-made woman who runs her own household and is in control of it. She knows her own mind and embraces this new faith. Lydia reminds us how attractive early Christianity was to women and how valued they were by the early church.

You can watch it again on 4OD, or set your recording device of choice to Channel 4 for 4:20am on Friday 19 February.

Reflection: Ezer Kenegdu - Dynamite! by Jo Saxton

“The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”  (Genesis 2:18 TNIV)

There are some verses in the Bible that are soft and warm and others that are like dynamite, rousing the greatest of passions. Words are powerful things, and the words in this verse are no exception. They’re dynamite all right. But what do they actually mean?

Helper sounds like tea lady, back up, assistant, say some. And for those women who hoped that God had something more in mind for their identity, it’s heartbreaking. It’s not that they wish to belittle housekeepers, assistants, secretaries etc. It’s just that they know, oh how they know, that there’s something else in their hearts, and they believed God put that something there. And it doesn’t involve assisting. It employs their passions and intellects and initiative in a different way; their strategizing and strength for with a different end in mind. They’ve been frustrated for long enough -surely God hasn’t stopped believing in them too? And then there’s the suitable for him bit. For some, the heartbreak just deepens with the feeling that women were set on earth soley to compliment, help, make a man look better. They feel as though it meant they had no contribution of their own to bring.  At times suitable has been exchanged for lifesaver, one who brings out the best in their partner.  Which doesn’t sound bad at all really. Unless you are single. Then what’s your purpose? Are you a nobody because you didn’t get married?

 When you’re dealing with a rich language like the Hebrew of the Old Testament text, it’s worth a much closer look. There we discover that the word translated helper or helpmeet is EZER. We discover that it appears many times in the OT, but the vast majority of those times EZER describes God, as he is delivering and rescuing (helping) His people. It’s a word conveying power and strength, a word with military connotations. To be named EZER is not some afterthought, but in His image and likeness. And what an image and likeness! Not someone deemed unable to do more than assist because of their weakness, but one who can help because they have the passion, power and purpose to do so.

Short answers to challenging texts

Christians for Biblical Equality is a US organisation that believes in and promotes the biblical equality of men and women. Their website is well worth a browse, with free access to articles on theology, church history, culture and relationships. You need to register to access them but it's worth it, and you can also sign up for Arise, their free weekly newsletter. Particularly recommended is their series of short answers to challenging texts by Allison Young, which outline an egalitarian view on passages such as Genesis 1-3, 1 Corinthians 11 and 14, Ephesians 5 and 1 Timothy 2.

Reflection: Jael - Guts and Glory! by Ruth Perrin

This study by Ruth Perrin first appeared on the Cloud of Witnesses website which she created.

Pause to think:

• Who do you know that you would consider to be brave? Why?
• Does courage look the same in men and women, or different? In what ways and why?

Jael is an interesting choice as a role model. I’ve never heard a sermon preached on her and when you read the text you’ll see the dilemma. What can we possibly learn from a woman living in a time of war who drives a tent peg through the head of a sleeping man?
 
Take a moment to read Judges 4:17-23 and Judges 5:24-27
 
See what I mean? How on earth could she a) be a heroine, b) inspire us today? Well some background information will help. In a time when Israel and Caanan are at war she’s a nomad. Her husband is away from the tents – probably with his flocks – when a renegade army officer on the run for his life turns up and asks for sanctuary. She says yes, gets him drowsy and… tent peg time! (I joke because, to be honest, I’m pretty uncomfortable with it.) Surely if she’d offered him hospitality, didn’t ancient culture mean that she was honour bound to treat him well? Yet Deborah honours her, singing about her courage, this mighty act she’s done for God. She does appear to be a heroine.

A mighty act of murder? How is that inspiring?It doesn’t take rocket science to realise that there are a number of cultural and historical issues for us to overcome with this story. It is an ancient, nomadic culture. Living in the desert in a time of war; a time of violence. This is Jael’s world; subsistence living, struggling to survive. And she appears to be alone, defenceless without men to protect her (and presumably) the other women and children in the camp. And in rolls an enemy soldier.

Let’s stop and think for a moment. What would your assumptions be? What is going to happen?
 
I read an article on this very subject. I really can’t take credit for these thoughts, they are someone else’s. (I wish I could give you the reference but it’s evaded all my attempts at rediscovery –sorry.) However, they struck me so much that I’ll pass them on to you, while we struggle with Jael in our western 21st century worldview. The author discussed this passage with a group of Korean women at a conference and explained that western women struggled to know what to do with Jael’s murder of Sisera.
 
The Korean women had a whole different perspective

Cloud of Witnesses

Ruth Perrin is on the staff of King's Church Durham, and runs the Cloud of Witnesses website, a series of Bible studies on men and women in scripture. She's written studies on major characters such as Elijah and Esther as well as those who deserve to be better known such as Rizpah, Tabitha and Joanna. There are three types of studies - a typical Q and A on a passage to use with a group, a more devotional approach more suited to study on your own, and 3-way - three different approaches to the same passage. Helpfully placed on a biblical timeline, these studies are well worth a look for your own use or for use with a discipleship group.

Article: Baggage Reclaim by Ruth Dearnley

What has a worm got in common with a woman?

It sounds like a joke that is thrown from the stage of a stand up comedian who is either very alternative or just has bad taste.

In fact it is a question that was answered by a very early Christian theologian by the name of Tertullian who died in A.D. 222, who famously announced, “It is better to be born a worm than a woman”

I first studied this during my theological training, some years ago, staggered, shocked and angry at how one of the theological “ Fathers of the Church” could have said such a thing. But Tertullian was not a lone voice.

For as long as I can remember the issue of the role of women has been under discussion in the church. I was brought up in a very lively Anglican evangelical church in the 70’s.  It was a great church and a key influence on me that I am very grateful for. I was encouraged to be a part of it and to take a lead but I can remember the talk then around headship, submission and women priests, which left me uneasy and discontented and there began my journey of debate, discussion and disagreement.

Years later I believe in the church and some things have moved on. Thankfully women priests are the norm in many parts of the church, the issue of headship has largely moved on in the circles that I live and work in and women are more able to explore their roles in relationships and ministry, vocation and dreams.

But take another look at the world stage, the public square or the church, the body of Christ, and we wake up to the battle at hand.

The worm has not fully turned.

The lingering legacy of faulty theology

Visit The Radical Evangelical for a reminder of what some theologians have said about women in the past. How much of this still lingers today?

Reflection: The Pharaoh's Concubine and the Egyptian Slave by Jody Stowell

Quite often when we start to look at the thorny issue of the place of women in the Church, we forget that this debate is intensely personal.  It is easy to talk ‘theologically’, by which we really mean ‘theoretically’.

So, if you might indulge me, I would like to briefly look at the stories of two women who might tell us a little of how God values his daughters.

Sarai – Genesis 12:10-20

Traditionally, this story is about Abram, but let us listen to Sarai whose silence speaks to highlight the other characters’ behaviour.

Abram makes a choice to sojourn somewhere he believes his life may be endangered, he goes down down to Egypt – so what he does there with Sarai, he is responsible for .

He arrives in Egypt where he ‘suddenly’ realises that Sarai, being so beautiful, will bring about his death (or alternatively Abram has discovered a way to be rid of his barren wife!)  In reality Abram, in his fear, worries not about Sarai’s honour, life, or even his relationship with her, but instead he ‘sacrifices Sarai on the altar of his own fear and self interest .  And so Abram convinces Sarai to tell a story which leads her to Pharaoh’s court.

Sarai is discarded by Abram, but what is God’s response? – ‘the LORD plagued Pharaoh…because of Sarai…’ - Sarai is given worth by God.  Abram did not understand that the promise given in Genesis 12, is hers too .  Abram did not honour Sarai, but God did .  This story tells of the LORD’s faithfulness; to his promise, to Sarai in her vulnerability, to Abram in his wrong choices and to his creation of ‘male’ and ‘female’ as being together included in the promise of God.

Sinful man, forgiven son

At church yesterday we sang the hymn 'The King of Love' which includes the lines:

The wounds of love are in His hands,
The price is paid for sinful man;
Accepted child, forgiven son,
Because of Jesus.

Once upon a time the word 'man' could be used to mean 'people' as well as 'a male human being', but no longer. This song was only written in 1997, but I'm sure the writers don't mean to imply that it's only men that are sinful, or that women somehow become honorary men when they receive God's forgiveness. No doubt the choice of words was partly poetic, but I do get a bit tired of the mental gymnastics required to identify with songs like these. What do you think? Are you bothered by exclusive language in worship?

Women in ministry on the God's Politics blog

There are two interesting articles about women in ministry on the Sojourner's blog. The first, I Just Didn't Think About You, relates the experience of women who are overlooked for opportunities in ministry. It gives an excellent list of questions that faith communities could ask themselves in order to support women as equally valuable contributors to that community, including:

• Does your faith community speak in support of women in your community?
• Does the leadership staff back up women who are placed in leadership when they experience prejudiced reactions?
• Are the suggestions and leadership of women accepted and valued as an equal part of the team?
• Have conversations individually and collectively with the women leaders of your church. What are their experiences?

Then there's Mimi Haddad's article on Women Leaders in the Early Church and the historical and archaeological evidence that women served as deacons, including Sofia who 'was a fifth century deacon in the church of Jerusalem. Her tombstone, located in the Mount of Olives, was discovered in 1903, and the inscription translated from Greek reads: “Here lies the minister and bride of Christ, Sofia the deacon, the second Phoebe…” '

Women in mind - free study guide from CPAS

Rosie Ward has created two downloadable short courses to help local church groups explore the themes and issues raised in her excellent book Growing Women Leaders which we reviewed here. 

Each course has three sessions, and is designed to help Christians think through the issue of women in leadership. One course is for mixed groups and the other is aimed at groups of women who want to encourage each other and develop younger women as leaders. You can download the courses free of charge here.

Rosie's book comes highly recommended and these courses are an excellent opportunity to explore the themes further in your own context. The first session looks at what the Bible says about women in leadership as well as looking at church history. The second looks at gender stereotypes and whether men and women lead differently. The final session looks at how churches can develop women as leaders, and how women can develop their own gifts and confidence. Each session is based on a chapter from Growing Women Leaders as well as biblical material.

Article: Christology, theology and the empowerment of young women by Lucy Sawyer

More and more youth workers are studying theology and youth work at degree and masters level. Lucy Sawyer is a CYM student, and this essay was written during her second year. It's offered as a contribution to theological reflection on gender; we hope it will provoke discussion and make you think.

An examination of Christology in the light of feminist theology and the implications for empowerment of young women in Christian youth work.

Studying the nature of Jesus Christ makes up an important part of Christian theology and has done throughout the history of Christianity. We will look at some of the Patristic contributions in the first centuries after Christ that helped shape thought about Christ and the statement formulated at Chalcedon that defined his nature and became dogma.

Feminist theology will then be brought in to critique the statement and help answer the questions posed by two young women at a youth project. We will look at the power of language and women’s response to Jesus Christ in the light of Mary, his mother and her status. The maleness of Jesus in relation to God will then be examined, followed by his humanity and how that impacts women’s salvation and role in leadership.

The roles of Jesus Christ and the symbolism associated with him will be discussed, including looking into potential female characteristics of God and any female symbolism associated with Christ. The social context of those developing the symbolism will be taken into account, as will the limits of basing faith on concepts alone. The historical figure of Jesus and what we can learn about him from his praxis will be developed as well as if this is seen as liberating for women or not. 

We will finish by thinking about whether the questions asked by the young women at the beginning can only be answered by Christology in the light of the risen Christ and soteriology.

Christology, or the part of theology that relates to the identity of Jesus Christ, has, according to McGrath, been a vitally important part of theology for many years (1995:134). This statement is backed up by documents written within the first hundred years after Jesus of Nazareth’s death that were already debating who Jesus was in relation to God and humans. These discussions also included how different theories about Jesus’ nature affect the faith, worship and salvation of believers.

Article: Stop wearing me down by a female youth worker

People sometimes ask me if the Sophia Network is really needed. After all, there are lots of competent, gifted women just getting on with some great youth work. But that's only part of the story of women in ministry. This article from a female youth worker who has asked to remain anonymous speaks for itself, but really needs to be heard.

'I am tired. Exhausted, in fact.

There is only so long that you can spend being made to feel inferior for what you are. After some time of this, even the most determined person will find their strength eroded, worn away until only the core of the issue remains. Sometimes not even that – sometimes the struggle removes from them that which they thought they were certain of.

I have spent nearly two years in this kind of struggle. Church after church has welcomed me, taught me great ways to worship, opened my eyes to the fullness of God in the Bible... and then, at some point, revealed that they hold in their hearts an inherent belief that I am inferior and incapable because of my gender.

Please keep reading, this is not meant to be a rant. Nor is it a new topic, I am aware of that. But it is wearing me down. Here is what I believe of our creator God:
God is so magnificent and the fact that he decided to grant us redemption, through Christ, is the most incredible thing that has ever happened. It is true that God did not create all things equal; humanity’s skills in thought, moral reasoning and worship of God are unarguably greater than that of animals. Yet we have no decisive line we can draw on what makes us so different. Each of us shares with chimpanzees over 99% of our DNA, yet we are not chimpanzees. So Christians must conclude that what makes us different is not given through genetics, or physiology, but through God’s great grace. What makes us different is God.

Guide me as to what I may do in the church based on knowledge, or skills. Guide me based on my spiritual strength, my availability or my relationships with others. But do not tell me what I can and cannot do to glorify God based on something as paltry as genetics. No right-thinking person would say someone could not preach because of a disability, or the colour of their skin; the very idea is abhorrent. So too should be the idea of restricting the use of people’s God-given gifts based on an extra X chromosome. These matters of the flesh are the last thing to define our relationship with God. He proved more than was ever needed, through Christ, that flesh is changeable and temporary. God, who can cure blindness, leprosy and, above all, death, will not see a barrier to his glory in a person’s gender.

Gender, HIV and the church - Tearfund case study

Tearfund have recently published a case study entitled Gender, HIV and the church which you can download here. It begins:

'To prevent the spread of HIV, it is essential to address the root causes that make people vulnerable, such as the underlying gender inequalities in society. This means challenging and transforming damaging aspects of cultural expectations, gender roles and traditional practices which can increase people's vulnerability to infection. It also means building on positive cultural values and practices which reduce people's vulnerability. Churches are in a unique position to work with communities to address culturally sensitive issues such as gender and HIV, looking afresh at God's intentions for relationships between men and women.'

Tearfund led a two-year pilot project working with churches in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso and took a 'whole-life' approach discussing gender inequality and HIV within the wider context of relationships, life skills and Christian life. It's a fascinating read about what used to happen and how marriages and other relationships have been transformed and enriched by the programme.

But it's also a very useful document if you want to consider some of these issues within your own context. It gives sample Bible studies and a great workshop session on gender and gender roles. If the relationships among young people in your group have unhealthy gender dynamics, then this would be a good place to start.

Wikiklesia volume two: Taking Flight

Wikiklesia is an experiment in publishing, bringing together different voices from around the world to discuss some of the most important issues facing contemporary Christianity. The first volume looked at how emerging technologies are impacting the church, and an invitation to contribute to volume two has just been issued.

Entitled Taking Flight: Reclaiming the Female Half of God’s Image. A Journey of Freedom and Reconciliation, volume two will re-examine and re-imagine the roles of women of faith. 'What does the next generation woman of faith look like? Why is her expression needed? How can future generations of women be inspired to realize their God-given potential? What type of productive solutions are needed to help faith communities integrate women's prescience? How could this shape global community? Volume Two is looking for thinkers and doers exploring opportunities for women's roles in global and faith leadership beyond the traditional framework of religious institutions and settings.'

Read more about the project here and be quick if you want to get involved - proposals need to be in by 15 May, 2009. It would be great to have UK voices in the mix.

Interview with Yasmin Finch

Sharon Prior caught up with Yasmin in Cambridge where she is studying for her PhD.

When did you first get involved in youth work and how has your interest developed since then?
When I was 17 years old I was involved as a junior leader in my local church. Then at 20 went to study at Cliff College. After college I went to work with West Cambridge Christian Youth Ministries, and then I became a youth worker at a church in Ely in Cambridgeshire. My Methodist-minister husband and I then moved to Downham Market and set up a detached youth work project in partnership with the Town Council. I worked as a detached youth worker for the 6-month pilot and then managed the first year of the project and two new workers. When I was in Ely I decided to study for a PhD.

What is your PhD about and how is it going?
At College I loved biblical studies, particularly New Testament. I decided to research the resurrection passage in the Gospel of John because I was interested in how John told Mary Magdalene’s story. Since then things have moved slightly in that I’m focussing on the burial passage in John, particularly John 19:42, to try to understand how it might inform our reading of the resurrection. I have an interesting time travelling with my work, I’m a Sheffield University student, I work day-to-day at the University Library in Cambridge and my supervisor has recently moved back to Norway, so I meet up wither in Oslo for supervisions!

It has been very hard to juggle a job and study and so I decided to give up my job and concentrate just on the study. Since then I have also had a little boy and so my research was on hold for a while. However, I am getting back to it now and hope to finish the study in the next 2 years. Fortunately I get a lot of support from my husband and so I’m feeling positive!

When I started the PhD I thought God might be moving me on from youth work, but He obviously has different ideas and I am still getting opportunities to be involved in it. I am also doing some lectures to youth work students now and really enjoying it.

Article: Should women be ordained by Rev Dr Ian Paul

One of the issues that was raised in the consultation was a need for theological reflection on what the Bible says about men and women. This article by Ian Paul gives a broad overview of the arguments for and against the ordination of women. Although he specifically mentions the Church of England context, this overview applies to views of women in any leadership positions.

This is clearly a very large area of discussion, and a very sensitive one. It took 20 years between the Church of England deciding that there was, in theory, no theological objection to ordaining women and the final decision to bring forward legislation to enable this to happen.

I set out here what I understand to be the main arguments for and against women’s ordination from an evangelical perspective. There are other arguments too, related to women’s rights and the ordering of the church which come from liberal and catholic perspectives respectively. But evangelicals are going to be concerned first and foremost with what the Bible says.

The Argument Against
The argument against the ordination of women mostly centres on a number of specific texts in the New Testament.

1 Tim 2:12 ‘I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over men.’ This appears to be a clear prohibition on women having a teaching ministry or being in a position of overall leadership. Some see this as being of such importance that it must control our interpretation of all other New Testament texts on this subject, since Paul is setting out issue to do with the governance of the church, rather than the ordering of gifts in the context of worship.

Book Review: Faith and feminism by Nicola Slee, Dartman Longman and Todd

The word ‘feminist’ is like the word ‘Christian’. It can conjure up all kinds of stereotypes and prejudices that are profoundly unhelpful. I’m happy to call myself a feminist and understand the word to mean someone who believes in and works towards the equality of women and men in all areas of life. Personally I think that all Christians, male and female, should call themselves feminists! But I’m also aware that maybe I’m showing my age. Younger women tend not to identify themselves as feminists. In terms of this book, I hope that the ‘f’ word will not put you off finding out more about a fascinating and important area of theology.

In just over 120 pages, Nicola Slee sets herself a huge challenge in this book – to give an overview of the range of feminist theological thinking and writing that has been produced in the last three decades

There is of course no one feminism, and no single feminist theology. But Slee begins by identifying the broad, underlying convictions that most, if not all, Christian feminists hold: the structural injustice of sexism, the grounding of theology in women’s experience, listening and looking for difference and a commitment to liberating and empowering women.

Article: Reading the Bible as a woman by Sally Nash

This article is based on lecture notes from a session I did at St John’s Nottingham where I work as a lecturer in youth and community work and applied theology.

Individual identity
Each of us is in some ways:
•    like all others – there are some characteristics that all humans share – born helpless…die!
•    like some others – the culture in which we are socialized plays some part in determining who we are and we share that culture with others in the community.
•    like no other – each of us has a different life story, we do not experience things identically.       
(Kluckholn and Murray cited in Larty 1997:12)

Who is Sally?
One of my earliest memories is being read the story of Noah in our new house – I was 3.5 years old – from my Christening Bible – the authorised version – I’m quite old!  My family are not churchgoers, I don’t really remember them going at all during my childhood but we did Sunday school at what I now know is a High Anglican church. I was obviously interested in Christianity as I went to the Young Sowers League and got a New Testament by answering questions on every chapter of the New Testament. I also went to Crusaders. At 14 I got baptized by full immersion. I had started going to the church with a friend; it wasn’t a conscious change of denomination. So looking back, my teenage years were full of evangelical Christianity. I also did two summer missions in Germany with the Church Army. After a bit of a break while I was at University I ended up at a House Church where there was a great emphasis on the Bible too. Most of my more detailed Bible knowledge and verses and passages that I know and take comfort from are predominantly from that period in my life. We can never read the Bible as value neutral and who I am, and how I have become who I am, will impact everything I do, not least reading the Bible.

Female bishops

Yesterday General Synod voted to proceed with appointing women bishops with minimal accommodations for those clergy who are opposed to the move. Proposals for superbishops and separate structures for those who cannot accept women as bishops were rejected.

There will be plenty of comment elsewhere, and I know that members and supporters of Sophia will have different views on whether this is a good move or not. What challenges me most about the whole gender debate in the church is that committed Christians can read the same passages of the Bible and can come to very different conclusions about what they say about the roles of men and women. I'm not talking about the people who blindly accept the view that their church promotes without thinking it through; i mean the people who genuinely want to know God's heart on the issue, who study the Bible and pray and yet have very different understandings. How does that work? They can't both be right.

What is important going forward is that both 'sides' continue to talk and to try and understand each other. We will gain nothing if people become more and more entrenched in their views and don't do the hard work of reconciliation and understanding.

Update: AsboJesus has a thoughtful cartoon on this topic. Full-size version here.

Photo: dengski