"We cannot read the Bible for own liberation while caging others. Reading the Bible in ways that justify oppression and marginalization is the gospel of slaveholders. Reading the Bible in ways that lead to justice, equality, and flourishing for all is the gospel of Jesus Christ."
I gave birth to two girls, 11 years apart.
My bookends.
Parenting girls is a wild ride. I rode the first ones teen years while pregnant/nursing. And the second one while walking perimenopause. I mean, there are A LOT of hormones in my house.
I have had one foot in the stay at home mom, homeschooling mom, domestic administrator of our home world for 24 years.
And one foot in the working world - teaching, tutoring, writing, publishing, scoring for 24 years.
I hope I've modeled for my girls that you can't have it all. But you can make choices. You can live into what you feel called to do in each season.
I've been watching the last few months as a few denominations (again) debate the role of women in church.
The word that seems to be the point of contention is "lead."
I think many of us have had the experience where women are who keep a church running. They tend to be the doers.
Need someone to work nursery? You'll find a women. Teach Sunday school? You'll find a women. Host the church dinner? You'll find a woman. Lead the latest outreach program? You'll find a woman.
I'd bet in most houses it's also the woman who gets the family to church. It's most likely the woman who reads the bible stories to the kids. It's most likely the woman who gets the kids to VBS and volunteers.
But you won't find the label "leader" on any of those jobs.
"A leader is an individual who guides, influences, and inspires others to achieve a common goal."
I would argue that we are playing with semantics here.
My girls can become in oncologists and LEAD a man through cancer treatment.
My girls can become judges and LEAD a man through a trial and determine his consequences.
My girls can become politicians and LEAD their community/country in decision making.
But they can't LEAD people to Christ?
I'm mostly concerned about the message we send our daughters when we place limitations on them that were never the intention.
The Bible was once used to promote slavery. I'd hope we would all agree that someone was missing the forest for the trees on that one.
Someone focused on a few select verses rather than the overall message of the Gospel.
I think we are missing the forest for the trees on this one too.
I can not in good faith tell my kids the stories of the women in the Bible and then at the same time tell them that Jesus did not want women to be leaders in the church.
I also can not in good faith tell my girls that the church wants them to do ALL THE THINGS but not be part of the decision making process.
Mama Warriors, I want us to think about mothering girls. Do you tell your daughter she can be anything she wants to be when she grows up? Do you remind her anything but a preacher in various denominations?
Mostly I want us to know it's okay, and good and healthy, to question things that may not sit right with you.
"Israel" means one who struggles with God. One who wrestles. We are designed to ask the big questions. Investigate this topic on your own - perhaps reading what female bible scholars have to say.
Let's look at our daughters and gift them the opportunity to live into whatever they may be called to be. Why limit God and say he could never call them to be a leader?
