talking points
It's easy enough for a man to tell a woman what she is and is not allowed to do. He doesn't have to face the consequences. Women are censored in every aspect of life-- the only thing you need to do to recognise this is to imagine Don Draper as a woman. Seriously-- just let that soak in for a moment.
But consequences! Funny how damaging the absence of a woman's voice can be. We miss the voices, the experiences, the world view of fully half of the congregation-- like women are something dirty, to be hidden away for shame. Like we aren't worthy of speaking to God in public. Like we aren't to be trusted with speaking about God in public. Like understanding our experiences isn't necessary to understanding God.
Any why are we dirty? Because we were born with Slot A instead of Tab B? Seriously? Does a physical characteristic make my intellectual education worth less, or my own words less trustworthy? Does my having breasts mean no man should have to pay serious attention to my thoughts? Because that's the result of this 'teaching.' It marginalizes us, makes our words and our work worth less. It makes women worth less.
The irony is that it makes men worth less, too. Men who don't listen to women, either through choice or through opportunity, have a crippled understanding of the world, of God's work. We get 100% of the Word through a skewed perspective that legitimises only the experiences of men.
I get that in Paul's time, there was a difference, socially between women and men.
From http://www.frontline-apologetics.com/Women_Biblical_Times.html
The Jewish law code known as the Mishnah remarks: "may the words of Torah be burned [first five books of what we know to be the Bible], than that they should be handed over to women" (Sota, 10a), and, "whoever teaches his daughter Torah teaches her obscenity" (Sota, 21)
The writer of John notes, that, "they were surprised to see him talking to a woman;" yet, "not one of them [his disciples] said to him, What is your purpose? or, Why are you talking to her?" (John 4:27, tr. BBE). While Jesus’ disciples were marveling over what they saw, they missed the fact, that, to this woman, Jesus had just made his most explicit affirmation that he was the Messiah (See: Jn. 4:1-42).
Moreover, the Gospels as a whole present Jesus as a revolutionary. Jesus not only thought of women as being equal in rank with men as daughters of Abraham (Lk. 13: 10-17), but, He openly ministered to them as "children of wisdom" (Lk. 7:35-50) who deserve respect (Mt. 5:28). Jesus even went so far as to ignore all strictures of impurity prevalent at that time in order to heal a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years (Mk. 5:25). Some women, who were healed, even became apart of His inner circle of disciples (Lk. 8:1-3). Unsurprisingly, in Jesus’ final hours, it was to the "daughters of Jerusalem" (Luke 23:27-28) that He turned and spoke to while making his way to the place called "The Skull" (Lat. Calvarius). While there are certainly other positive examples that could be brought to light, what can be gleaned from this overview, is, Jesus’ sensitivity toward women in era of insensitivity.
Paul not only addressed women on equal par with men in correspondences (Phil 4.2; Philemon 2), but, it is through his writings where we find that it is permissible for women to have leadership roles in the life of the church. Indeed, Paul noted women as co-workers (Phil 4:3; Rom. 16:6,12), deacons (Rom 16.1-2), apostles (Rom. 16:7, Junia? [2,3] ), emissaries and official delegates (Rom. 16:1-2), and prophetesses and prayer warriors (1Corn. 11:5). He also didn’t have a problem with women worshipping along side men (I Cor 11-14), and some were even leaders of house churches (1 Cor 16:19). Still further, Pauline theology teaches that, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3.28).
For us, Jesus Christ stands as an example as one who went against the popular tide of male dominance to the point of being a revolutionary. For Paul, who’s ideological roots stretch deep into male dominated phariseism, belief in Christ brought about a revolutionary change in attitude toward women, though, that change was not without its struggles.
But today? The only reason that is the case is because it has been perpetuated. Because there is an entire power-culture of men out there who want it to stay that way. And really, that's the reason it's still around. If nobody wanted it, it would be gone. Shrimp? Delicious. Cotton/Polyester blends? Wrinkle-free. Women sharing the power with men? What. The. Fuck.
But consequences! Funny how damaging the absence of a woman's voice can be. We miss the voices, the experiences, the world view of fully half of the congregation-- like women are something dirty, to be hidden away for shame. Like we aren't worthy of speaking to God in public. Like we aren't to be trusted with speaking about God in public. Like understanding our experiences isn't necessary to understanding God.
Any why are we dirty? Because we were born with Slot A instead of Tab B? Seriously? Does a physical characteristic make my intellectual education worth less, or my own words less trustworthy? Does my having breasts mean no man should have to pay serious attention to my thoughts? Because that's the result of this 'teaching.' It marginalizes us, makes our words and our work worth less. It makes women worth less.
The irony is that it makes men worth less, too. Men who don't listen to women, either through choice or through opportunity, have a crippled understanding of the world, of God's work. We get 100% of the Word through a skewed perspective that legitimises only the experiences of men.
I get that in Paul's time, there was a difference, socially between women and men.
From http://www.frontline-apologetics.com/Women_Biblical_Times.html
The Jewish law code known as the Mishnah remarks: "may the words of Torah be burned [first five books of what we know to be the Bible], than that they should be handed over to women" (Sota, 10a), and, "whoever teaches his daughter Torah teaches her obscenity" (Sota, 21)
The writer of John notes, that, "they were surprised to see him talking to a woman;" yet, "not one of them [his disciples] said to him, What is your purpose? or, Why are you talking to her?" (John 4:27, tr. BBE). While Jesus’ disciples were marveling over what they saw, they missed the fact, that, to this woman, Jesus had just made his most explicit affirmation that he was the Messiah (See: Jn. 4:1-42).
Moreover, the Gospels as a whole present Jesus as a revolutionary. Jesus not only thought of women as being equal in rank with men as daughters of Abraham (Lk. 13: 10-17), but, He openly ministered to them as "children of wisdom" (Lk. 7:35-50) who deserve respect (Mt. 5:28). Jesus even went so far as to ignore all strictures of impurity prevalent at that time in order to heal a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years (Mk. 5:25). Some women, who were healed, even became apart of His inner circle of disciples (Lk. 8:1-3). Unsurprisingly, in Jesus’ final hours, it was to the "daughters of Jerusalem" (Luke 23:27-28) that He turned and spoke to while making his way to the place called "The Skull" (Lat. Calvarius). While there are certainly other positive examples that could be brought to light, what can be gleaned from this overview, is, Jesus’ sensitivity toward women in era of insensitivity.
Paul not only addressed women on equal par with men in correspondences (Phil 4.2; Philemon 2), but, it is through his writings where we find that it is permissible for women to have leadership roles in the life of the church. Indeed, Paul noted women as co-workers (Phil 4:3; Rom. 16:6,12), deacons (Rom 16.1-2), apostles (Rom. 16:7, Junia? [2,3] ), emissaries and official delegates (Rom. 16:1-2), and prophetesses and prayer warriors (1Corn. 11:5). He also didn’t have a problem with women worshipping along side men (I Cor 11-14), and some were even leaders of house churches (1 Cor 16:19). Still further, Pauline theology teaches that, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3.28).
For us, Jesus Christ stands as an example as one who went against the popular tide of male dominance to the point of being a revolutionary. For Paul, who’s ideological roots stretch deep into male dominated phariseism, belief in Christ brought about a revolutionary change in attitude toward women, though, that change was not without its struggles.
But today? The only reason that is the case is because it has been perpetuated. Because there is an entire power-culture of men out there who want it to stay that way. And really, that's the reason it's still around. If nobody wanted it, it would be gone. Shrimp? Delicious. Cotton/Polyester blends? Wrinkle-free. Women sharing the power with men? What. The. Fuck.