In a recent conversation I was asked, “How do we move forward to settle the issue of women in ministry?” I replied, “You’ve got to call out the issue for what it is – sexism.” I continued, “If the issue is homosexuality we call it out as sin. If the issue is racism, we call it out as sin. And, if the issue is sexism we must call it out as sin.” Many of my colleagues will protest, “It’s not sexism, it’s what the Bible teaches!” So, which is it?
Systemic sin is often so embedded in our cultural identity that we can’t discern it. It’s so embedded that it informs the way we see the world. The world in which I was raised was racist. The first schools I attended were segregated. When our schools were desegregated (1970) it caused great controversy. Just a few years later, the church of my youth hosted Thursday evening youth prayer meetings. When we started inviting our black friends from school to attend, the church elders shut down the prayer meetings. Racism and segregation were so deeply embedded that Spirit-filled Christians could not rightly discern the Scriptures. In fact, the Scripture was (mis)used to support cultural prejudices. The systemic sin of racism became the hermeneutic by which the scriptures were understood. Jesus’ words “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives. . .” didn’t apply to embedded racism (Luke 4:18). Nor did Paul’s exhortation to Philemon to receive the slave Onesimus as a brother (Philemon 16). Most certainly, Paul’s insistence that slavery was inconsistent with sound doctrine was utterly ignored (1 Timothy 1:10). For the masters of the old south, Paul’s exhortation “slaves, be obedient to your masters” had priority over all other redemptive words (Ephesians 6:5). Scripture was used to enforce Jim Crowe laws, maintain segregation, and resist civil rights legislation.
Just as embedded racism influences the misreading of the Holy Scriptures, so too does embedded sexism. Let’s be clear, when I use the word “sexism” I am speaking of the oppression of women – keeping women in their place. Sexism is so deeply embedded in the cultural evangelical psyche that many of us reject any reading of Scripture that supports female equality. Historically, a sexist reading of Scripture has forbidden young women to be educated, denied women the vote, and prohibited women from pursuing their chosen, or called, vocations. Sexism enforces female subjugation by giving priority to biblical texts that seem to imply male superiority and female inferiority. Priority is given to “the man is the head of a woman” (1 Corinthians 11:3); but ignores “However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman” (1 Corinthians 11:11). Paul’s point is that “in the Lord” male and female are co-equal partners who mutually depend upon each other. Embedded sexism insists that women have a place in the church, but not leadership equal to men. Embedded sexism ignores the paradigm shift at Pentecost in which men and women are Spirit-baptized and prophesy. Embedded sexism sometimes influences the way the sacred texts are translated. For example, Psalm 68:11 in the KJV and NKJV reads, “The Lord gave the word: Great was the company of those that published it” (italics mine). This sentence is more accurately translated “The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host” (NASB; cf. ESV, CSB, italics mine).
Racism and sexism hold to a common biblical hermeneutic that denies the redemptive mission of God in which all humans of all races and both genders are co-equal brothers and sisters.
Sexism is contrary to the sound doctrines of adoption and Spirit-baptism. The Holy Spirit testifies that we are the sons and daughters of God. That same Spirit testifies that all sons and daughters are fellow heirs of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:16-17). Let’s be willing to hear the voice of the Spirit calling us out of embedded cultural sinfulness. Let’s allow the Spirit form a new culture, a new people, a new creation. Let’s embrace the Spirit-inspired words of redemption and liberty. Let’s resist sexism and allow our sisters their proper place as co-equal partners in the mission of God.
