Women and the Bible (Reflections on reading the Bible with my kids part II)
We read the Bible as a family each night after dinner. On this particular night, the story is the feeding of the 5000. Well, more specifically, the feeding of the five thousand men.
My daughter's face told a story that her question confirmed: “Dad, why did they only count the men? Didn't they care about women back then? Were women less important?”
What's a dad to say to that?
My instant reaction was to talk about how the Bible was a product of its time and culture, and about how we've moved on as a society. We are so much more enlightened and egalitarian now days. I am so thankful you didn't live back then.
But a little more reflection revealed the folly of thinking. Why are we so quick to accept the modern morality tale of the progress of our society? Yes, sweetheart, women now have the vote and get counted. They also get molested by footballers, told they aren't beautiful unless they've had every piece of inappropriate hair removed from their bodies, pressured to have surgery so that they can have appropriately sized and proportioned breasts, and told that, in spite of holding down a full-time job in order to make ends meet and managing their households, their beauty matters more than their brains. (Why else do we keep getting fashion updates about the First Lady and the Prime Minister's wife?)
What does the Bible tell us? It tells us that women are co-heirs of eternal life (1 Pet 3:7); that they are to be treated with dignity and respect as those worthy of honour and praise (Prov 31:25-28); that they are to be treated with purity as sisters, not as objects of sexual gratification (1 Tim 5:1-2); that they are fellow workers in the gospel (Phil 4:2-3; cf. Rom 16:1-2); that they are to be honoured greatly for their sacrificial service for Jesus (Rom 16:3-4); and that they are destined for glory and are precious siblings of the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 3:25-29).
I'm thankful that we live in a world where women are counted and can vote. But I don't think that those things are the measure of the dignity and respect that belongs to our sisters in Christ. True biblical community—living in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ—is where women will be truly treated with dignity and respect.
Perhaps I should have said this to my daughter: “Darling, you're important because God has made his world in such a way that it cannot function without you (1 Cor 11:11-12), because Jesus died for you, and because God has destined you for glory and made you his fellow worker in the gospel. You are his precious daughter.”
Hey Paul,
isn’t she also a Son of God, with all the glorious rights of inheritance that this entails?
(I know you think people don’t click through on links to Bible verses, but we can only try, can’t we
)
oops, that should of been lower-case s, ‘son of God’.
Some nice thoughts in there Paul. But this line rang hollow -
<i>My instant reaction was to talk about how the Bible was a product of its time and culture, and about how we’ve moved on as a society</i>
Was that *really* your instant reaction?
Hi Craig,
I know it may sound hollow, but it is actually true. I grew up as someone who wasn’t Christian and my Dad worked for the department of education developing and implementing its non-sexist education policy on the North Coast of New South Wales.
The first time I heard some of what the Bible says about women and teaching and things I couldn’t believe my ears. And my non-Christian upbringing and worldview is something that I constantly have to wrestle with as I read the Bible. This issue is one that I feel particularly keenly about.
God is slowly working in me to change my heart, but it is a slow and painful process that I wrestle with a lot.
I firmly believe that God’s word is right and true. Sometimes it takes quite a lot of work to rejoice in that truth with all my heart. I thank God that I can and pray that he will keep changing me.
“Keep getting fashion updates about the Prime Ministers wife”. I have noticed one or two pieces but not a continuous stream like you suggest, Paul. But then I may not have read The Briefing closely enough.
Hi John,
Fair cop. It was poorly expressed. In my mind I was thinking about President’s wives and others as well - maybe it should read Heads of State or some similar expression.
This is an encouraging post for a christian woman to read. Thanks.
And while I think the “constant stream” of fashion updates may not be true of the Prime Minister’s wife, it is definitely true for Michelle Obama!
Nicholas Sarkozy the President of France DID go and marry a super-model… That’s not helping!
Your instant reaction seems reasonable to me, as does your 3rd last para. In any case, I hope you answered truthfully, ie “Were women less important?”
“Yes.”
Hi Luke,
Do you mean amongst the world at large or amongst the community of God’s people?
Having had a similar non-Christian upbringing, I can relate to what you’re saying about your instinctive reaction Paul.
While debating the role of women in my former church, I found the following analogy somewhat useful when people couldn’t understand how women and men could be equal but different.
Two participants in a decathlon could receive the same number of points overall and therefore finish “equal” but they may have received a different number of points in each event. Equal place, but different strengths.
I think this is part of the reason God has different roles for men and women.
I wonder what others think of this analogy. Does it reflect the truth of the Bible?
Regards,
Dave
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