The role of women in the church is a point of passionate debate. In Reformed circles, it seems that some experience confusion over the Biblical boundaries respecting the nature of leadership and teaching in which women are biblically permitted to do. As a woman who has been a pastor’s wife and missionary for many years, it certainly is very personal topic for me.
I was one of only a handful of women in my college major, Biblical Studies, since most of the students were preparing for pastoral ministry. During that time, I was an egalitarian who believed the pastorate was equally open to men and women. I keenly felt the sting of being told I didn’t have the same gifts as the young men around me and wrote several exegetical papers arguing how the biblical texts supported women pastors. Even as I studied and wrote, I had seeds of doubt that my position actually represented the texts honestly. Yet it was hard to get past the offense of being told that my gender held me back from doing great things for God. In being completely honest with myself, I had to admit I was searching for a way out of the clear meaning of the text, because the biblical position didn’t fit with the world as I saw it.
I no longer hold that egalitarian position. Instead, I enthusiastically embrace what I now believe to be the clear teaching of Scripture and the witness of church history: that men and women have different roles in the home, church, and society. What changed my mind? In short, the change began when I started seeing the power and importance of motherhood and children. Because our society sees little value in children, it also considers pregnancy as an inconvenience and caring for young children as a poor use of a woman’s gifts and skills. In contrast, I saw how important women’s roles actually are in society. I saw that when feminists tried highlighting the few women in history who did “great things”—in science, in literature, in government—they were inadvertently devaluing the amazing things that women have always done. When the value of children in society is diminished, so is the value of the work, gifting, and expertise it takes to care for them.
It isn’t just the value of children which has been diminished in our society. Other gifts that women naturally bring to bear have been devalued. In cultures all over the world, women are the ones who care for those who are aging or sick. Women are biologically designed to be nurturers, even if many women today haven’t developed those nurturing skills.
Yet another gift women tend toward is that of creating beauty in their environment. It is clear that most of the great artists of the world have been men—but that doesn’t mean women aren’t artistic or have been pushed down and repressed. The everyday folk art that brings beauty into the family and community is often, all over the world, the sphere of women. Our cold, utilitarian society sees no worth in these things, but if we are talking about human flourishing, it is very valuable.
