“Women and Ministry: A Sermon” – Rowland Croucher
Text: Romans 16: 1 - 27
Caller to American Christian radio talk show: 'What do you think of Philip's four daughters who prophesied?' Guest clergyman: 'It just means they witnessed for Christ.' Caller: 'But why can't women teach and preach?' Clergyman: 'That ministry is for men only and I can give you a very good reason: God made roosters to crow and hens to lay eggs.'
Today we celebrate the calling and induction of .... into the pastoral ministry of this church.
In this 'charge' I want to look at one of the most controv- ersial questions in the church: the issue of women in leadership ministries - a contemporary issue for Australians, with the Anglican church agonizing about whether or not to ordain women priests. I will be presenting a point of view which I believe is correct, biblically, but I acknowledge there are other views (and no doubt your letters will help clarify those!).
This article is not addressing the issue of women in ministry. That's not in question: all Christian women and men are ordained to ministry at their baptism. The issue is one of women in ministries of leadership.
First, eight general observations; then we will look at the ministries of eight women named by Paul in Romans 12. [The full sermon concluded with four ideas about pastoral ministry: this ministry is about (1) disciplining the church's trouble-makers (Romans 16:17-18), (2) developing a Christian character (16:19-20), (3) building a Christian family (16:21-23), and (4) proclaiming the Christian gospel (16:25-27)].
(1) No one can read the Bible intelligently without taking into account the cultures which produced the various Scriptures, and the 'cultural baggage' we bring to their interpretation. Some say, 'You just simply read what's there!' but 20,800 different Christian denominations in the world today are each asking 'Be reasonable - interpret the Scriptures my way!'
A girl in a Christian sect told me God is like a giant man. He 'walks on the mountains' so they'd measured his size (with help from the geography of Palestine, and some trigonom- etry!). 'Does he have wings?' I asked. 'No, he's like a giant man.' 'But what about the Scriptures that tell us he hides us under his feathers, etc.?' She then had an attack of cognit- ive dissonance: her whole interpretive apparatus collapsed: she'd never thought of that!
Most who 'take the Bible literally' don't stone adulterers or practise footwashing, or enrol widows over sixty. Some read the Bible and become pacifists, others militarists. Our reading of the Bible is always conditioned by our exper- iences, our culture, our traditions.
Within our own culture many have inferred from the paucity of women in the highest levels of corporate management that 'women are not leaders and therefore shouldn't be'. However, others have noted the splendid work of women as pioneer missionaries, or leading whole denominations (like General Eva Burrows of the Salvation Army) and ask 'why not?' Because I am married to a female pastor, every day I share experiences of God using her to bless others, and that has helped shape my approach...
But, more importantly, I believe the Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from his holy Word.
(2) There seem to be two paradigms relative to male/female relationships in the Scriptures - a male-dominated patriarchical or hierarchical paradigm, and an egalitarian one. Both are there, and it generally depends on one's religious, cultural and psychological predispositions which paradigm one prefers. Or we align ourselves with the teaching of an admired pastor, or the church of our childhood, or a well-known author. We then interpret all the difficult texts to conform with that chosen paradigm. Generally, males have a tendency to lead; women are generally better than men at 'adapting' to others' leadership. (Notice I didn't use words like 'domination' or 'authoritarian'...)
But fortunately God is not a legalist. Even if male-dominated cultures produced the Scriptures, he raises up a Deborah to lead the whole people of God. Some of us wouldn't have let him do that... The four daughters of Philip were prophet- esses: can you name one or two in your church?
(3) Both males and females were created in the image of God. Roberta Hestenes writes: 'In Genesis 1 and 2 it seems clear that God's intention for man and woman is that of complementary partnership... and jointly given the charge to be fruitful, subdue the earth and have dominion... As a result of their sin the note of subordination is introduced (Genesis 3:16: 'Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.')... In Jesus Christ [we have a] priesthood of the whole people of God, female and male (1 Peter 2:9)... The church is built (Ephesians 2:20) upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Women are part of that foundation.' (1) Hierarchy results from the Fall, in which both the man and woman participated. But you say Eve was to be a 'helper' of Adam, implying inferiority. Not at all. The same word is used of God, helping Israel.
(4) Jesus, Paul and Peter were way ahead of their chauvin- istic cultures in granting personhood and dignity to women. Some rabbis debated as to whether women had souls! Women were there at the cradle of the Messiah, and at the cross and the resurrection. Women had never known a man like Jesus - he never put them down or flattered or patronized them. He had no uneasy male dignity to defend... 'Women itinerated with Jesus (Luke 8:13)... They were commissioned by him to tell the good news of the resurrection... (Luke 24:1-11). The double sexual standard for men and women was firmly rejected by Jesus (Matthew 5:27-28; 19:3-9; John 8:1-11). Not a trace of hierarchical behaviour or teaching appears in any of the gospel accounts.' (2)
(5) At Pentecost the Spirit fell on women and men: 'sons and daughters' both prophesied. In the apostolic church ministries were exercised according to giftedness, rather than 'office'. That system came later... The early church was more 'charismatic' and less institutional, more given to informal contacts than dependent on structures and constitutions. Prophecy is quite common in younger churches, and almost non-existent in older churches. Prophecy, says Paul, is the highest spiritual gift: and both men and women prophesied in the early church. (3)
(6) Brethren scholar F.F.Bruce suggests our understanding of male/female relationships must be viewed through the 'window' of Galatians 3:28: '[In Christ] there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus'. Although Jewish women did not need to attend worship and were certainly not permitted to participate vocally in it, Christian women participated freely in worship, prayer and prophecy (1 Corinthians 11:5, 14:6; Acts 21:9). 'In Christ' is a phrase that occurs 164 times in Paul - ie, 'within the Body of Christ' there is neither male or female.
(7) Evangelical Anglican scholar Dr. Leon Morris says of the Titus 2:5 injunction that women should be 'submissive to their husbands so that the word of God may not be discredited' that 'these days it would be brought into disrepute by a strict subjection. Again, women's subjection is to be such "as is fitting in the Lord" (Colossians 3:18). In a day like our own we must ask "What is fitting?" It seems impossible to empty such passages of cultural standards.' (4)
The apostles seemed to be putting their foot on the brake a little so as not to create a scandal by women blatantly abusing their new-found freedom in Christ. The early Christians were way ahead of their culture in their attitudes to women (eg Paul's radical injunction that husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church). But many churches today are way behind their culture - we are creating a scandal for the opposite reason.
(8) The main reason why there aren't more women in positions of leadership is, I believe, psychological. The little boy in us men can't cope with strong women: we left home to get away from maternal authority. Indeed, many men seem to have a near- pathological fear of losing power to a woman. Few men have women mentors. They usually don't read books by women. Men usually define themselves in terms of job success; women in terms of relationships. When I talk to male clergy they usually volunteer statistics which measure progress or growth. Women clergy tell stories about people...
Men and women bring different value-systems to the task of ministry: they are complementary if we are smart enough to maximize the potentials of each...
TEN WOMEN IN MINISTRY.
In Romans 16, we have people from at least three races - Latins, Jews, and Greeks, who are 'all one in Christ Jesus.' They are from lower and upper classes, including slaves and freed slaves - these, with people from the privileged groups are now all 'one in Christ Jesus.' Of the 29 people, ten are women. Apart from Priscilla, none is mentioned elsewhere in the NT. And Paul - who some think belittled the status of women in the church - honoured these women and held them in high regard. 'In spite of the lack of information on these women, it is reasonably certain that they must have had some importance in the Church to be included in this list of greetings.' (5) Paul also held the church in high regard: in these verses (1-16) Paul mentions the church at Cenchrea (1), all the churches of the Gentiles (4), the church in their house (5), the churches of Christ (16). Paul had a great concern for the welfare of individuals, and for the churches. The church of Jesus Christ is glorious, not because it's perfect, but because it is being redeemed!
The phrase 'In Christ' is mentioned ten times in the first 16 verses. Whether Paul talks about Christians suffering or serving, the supreme thought in Paul is that these believers in Rome were all 'in Christ' or 'in the Lord' (vv. 2,3,7,8, 9,10,11,13; cf. 8:1; Philippians 3:14; 4:13).
In the ancient world (as today) when someone is applying for a position or job they seek testimonials or references from others who know them well. In the Brethren Assemblies I grew up in we had 'letters of commendation' from one assembly to another if someone was traveling or moving residence. These sustatikai epistolai, letters of introduction, were common in business transactions in the ancient world as well.
So Paul is here commending Phoebe (16:1) to the church in Rome. She is the bearer of this letter. He asks them to welcome her.
Two terms describe her - diakonos - deacon, servant, minister, and prostatis - a great help to many people. Is diakonos a reference to a special 'order' of ministers? We don't know. The term is used generically in 1 Thess. 3:2, 2 Cor. 3:6, 11:23; of a specific group or function in Phil 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:8,12. And it is used of Christ (Romans 15:8), Apollos (1 Corinthians 3:5), Timothy (1 Timothy 4:6) and of Paul himself (1 Corinthians 3:5, Ephesians 3:7; Colossians 1:23,25). An evangelical NT scholar, E Earl Ellis, in an article 'Paul and his Co-Workers' (1971) concluded that diakonoa in Paul referred to a special class of co-workers who were active in preaching and teaching. (6)
She is also a prostatis - the only time in the NT this word as a noun appears. In secular Greek at that time this was a relatively strong term of leadership. The verb is used by Paul in three out of five occurrences to refer to leadership in the Church. Thus the word probably suggests Phoebe had a prominent role: one translator uses the word 'overseer'. And I still meet churches which won't have a woman on their diaconate!
Prisca and Aquila (16:3) were a fascinating couple. Prisca is sometimes called Priscilla (Acts 18:2,18,26) - an affectionate version of the same name.
When they first appear on the pages of the NT (Acts 18:1-2) they're in Rome. Claudius banished Jews from Rome in AD 52 and this couple settled in Corinth. They were tent-makers - the same trade as Paul's - so in Corinth he stayed with them. They and Paul left Corinth together and went to Ephesus where Prisca and Aquila settled (Acts 18:18). A brilliant Alexandrian scholar Apollos visited Ephesus, and stayed with Prisca and Aquila. Apollos did not have a full understanding of the Christian faith, so in addition to hospitality this special couple taught him as well (Acts 18:24-26). Later, when Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians from Ephesus, he sent greetings from Prisca and Aquila and from the church in their house (1 Corinthians 16:19). Next we hear of them back in Rome: the edict banishing Jews must have lost its steam, and many people like Prisca and Aquila no doubt drifted back to that city to their old homes and jobs. Once again we discover they have a church in their home. The last time they appear is in 2 Timothy 4:19, and they're back in Ephesus. One of the last messages Paul sent to anyone was to this couple, who had come through so much with him.
So wherever these nomadic people are - Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, back in Rome, or finally again in Ephesus - their home is a centre for Christian ministry, worship and hospitality (1 Cor. 16:19, Philemon 2).
But there's something odd about the way they're mentioned in despatches in the NT: they are always mentioned together, and on four of the six occasions Prisca is named before her husband. Normally - then as now - the husband's name is mentioned first - 'Mr. and Mrs.'. One theory suggested by (Presbyterian) William Barclay is that she was a member of a noble Roman family: 'It may be that at some meeting of Christians this great Roman lady met Aquila the humble Jewish tentmaker, that the two fell in love, that Christianity destroyed the barriers of race and rank and wealth and birth, and that these two, the Roman aristocrat and the Jewish artisan, were joined forever in Christian love and Christian service.' (7) Maybe. But perhaps it's more likely her leadership gifts or her role in the church was the reason she's mentioned first.
Paul calls them fellow-workers: the same term is used of men such as Timothy and Titus, as well as of women such as Euodia and Syntyche. 'He also considers Apollos and himself God's "fellow- workers" (1 Corinthians 3:9). It is in this group of people who take leadership in the ministry of the gospel that Priscilla, without any distinction related to her sex, is included as well as her husband Aquila.' (8) We don't know what roles all these people had as 'fellow-workers' - perhaps their roles were as diverse as their gifts.
Mary (16:6). There are at least six Marys in the NT story - and they are all special people. We don't know anything more about this Mary than that 'she has worked very hard' among them, a similar expression to that used of Tryphena and Tryphosa and Persdis (16:12). What kind of hard work? Did she grow flowers for Sunday services? Clean out the room before house-church? Serve eats after the worship? Perhaps - these so-called menial tasks are honoured when the Lord Christ is served. But the Greek verb 'work very hard' is used regularly by Paul to refer to the special work of the gospel ministry. Only twice does Paul use it in a common or secular sense - both within a proverbial expression (Ephesians 4:8, 2 Timothy 2:6). Paul frequently describes his apostolic ministry with this word, and also the ministry of other leaders and persons of authority: the context of some of these stresses the need for respect for and submission to such workers. [Cf. Euodia and Syntyche (Philippians 4:2,3) two women Paul describes as having '...contended at my side in the cause of the gospel' (NIV)].
Andronicus and Junia (16:7) were Christians before Paul was - their conversion goes right back to the time of Stephen, so they must have had a direct link back to the earliest church in Jerusalem.
There is some debate about the sex of Junia or Junias. Paul's word junian may be either masculine or feminine. So we have to be a bit tentative here. Andronicus was certainly a common male name, but there's no evidence Junias was used as a male name. John Chrysostom (d. AD 407), one of the first Greek fathers to write extensive commentaries on Paul, and known for his 'negative' view of women, understood that Junia was a woman. He marveled that this woman should be called an apostle! In fact... the first commentator to understand Junia as a male name (Aegidius of Rome) lived in the 13th century. (9)
He/she is outstanding among (en) the apostles: does this mean Junia was well known by the apostles or well known as an apostle? '[The] natural meaning in Greek is that these two were outstanding as apostles.' (10) The term 'apostle' was used in the early church not just for the Twelve but for any authorised Christian missionaries.
Were Tryphaena and Tryphosa (16:12) twin sisters? Their names mean 'dainty and delicate' but they worked (kopian) to the point of exhaustion! Barclay suggests Paul may have had a smile on his face when he wrote that!
The mother of Rufus (16:13) was one of two women mentioned specifically but not named. She brought to Paul the help and comfort and love which his own family refused him when he became a Christian. Julia and the sister of Nereus (16:15) were both greeted without comment.
Note that all these people were commended for their work: we are called to serve, not just to be church consumers! Note also the way Paul encourages people: when did we last do that?
Finally three scholarly comments. # 'Romans 16:1-16, then, in an incidental way, allows us to see that Paul had several women co- workers in the church's ministry. Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis (as well as Euodia and Syntyche mentioned in Philippians 4:2-3) all shared in the hard labours of a gospel ministry. Priscilla also was a fellow worker with Paul in the ministry. Phoebe was a minister of the Cenchrean church and a leader in the Church. Junia was, along with Andronicus (her husband?) an outstanding apostle. When the issues of Paul's view of women in the church are addressed in reference to such texts as 1 Corinthians 14: 34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:8-15, these women co-workers in the ministry must not only not be forgotten; they must be accounted for in the overall assessment of Paul's view.' (11)
# 'That Paul should not only include a woman among the apostles but actually describe her, together with Andronicus, as outstanding among them, is highly significant evidence (along with the importance he accords in this chapter to Phoebe, Prisca, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, the mother of Rufus, Julia and the sister of Nereus) of the falsity of the widespread and stubbornly persistent notion that Paul had a low view of women and something to which the Church as a whole has so far failed to pay proper attention.' (12)
# 'Just as the church has moved beyond the NT toleration of slavery to a recognition that Christian principles forbid slavery, so too we can with a good conscience accept a larger place for women in the ministry of the church than was possible in first- century society.' (13)
When I visited the largest church in the world in Seoul, Korea, in 1978, I was not surprised to learn that 80% of their small group leaders were women. I attended one of these, led very capably by a woman. The church is immeasur- ably impoverished when more than half its members are debarred from exercising leadership ministries not on the basis of the presence or absence of giftedness or competence, but simply because of gender. I thank God for the many women who have toiled so graciously for the Lord despite this discrimination. The time has now come to practise the principle that in Christ social, racial and sexual barriers have been removed.
Rowland Croucher
.....
Endnotes:
(1) 'Scripture and the Ministry of Women' in Roberta Hestenes and Lois Curley (eds.), Women and the Ministries of Christ, Pasadena, California: Fuller Theological Seminary, 1979, p.7
(2) Hestenes, ibid., pp. 7-8.
(3) See Avery Dulles, Models of the Church, New York: Doubleday, 1987, chapter 2, 'The Church as Institution'.
(4) 'The Ministry of Women', in Leon Morris, John Gaden, Barbara Thiering, A Woman's Place, Sydney, Anglican Information Office, 1976, p. 27.
(5) David M Scholer, 'Paul's Women Co-workers in the Ministry of the Church', Atlantic Baptist, 23:4, April 1987, p. 19.
(6) Ibid, p. 20.
(7) The Letter to the Romans, Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1958, pp. 230-231).
(8) Scholer, p. 20.
(9) Ibid.
(10) Ibid.
(11) Scholer, op. cit., p. 21.
(12) C E B Cranfield, Romans: A Shorter Commentary, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1987, p. 377.
(13) I. Howard Marshall, 'The Role of Women in the Church', in Shirley Lees, (ed.), The Role of Women: Eight Prominent Christians debate today's issues, Leicester: IVP, 1984, p. 196.
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