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UNCOVERING THE MEDIAN ___________________ A Paper Presented to Dr. Sandra Glahn Dallas Theological Seminary ___________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course PM5351 Foundations of Women in Ministry Leadership ___________________ by De’Shearer J. Gilbert

UNCOVERING THE MEDIAN The question that constantly plagues me about this ongoing debate of complementarian vs egalitarian is the ambiguity that rests in the question itself. “Complementarians believe that God created male and female as complementary expressions of the image of God—-male and female are counterparts in reflecting his glory. Having two sexes expands the view of God’s glory. Though both sexes bear God’s image fully on their own, each does so in a unique and distinct way. Male and female relationships reflect truths about Jesus that aren’t reflected by male alone or female alone” as defined by the gospel coalition. Egalitarianism is defined as “A belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs” or “A social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people” by Merriam-Webster. I question what it is exactly that people support or oppose? Do people disagree on the actual leadership role of a woman in the church and home or are people arguing that women should not be able to use their gifts (teaching, prophesying, exhortation, etc) at all? Based on what I have heard, and what I have read there seems to be no specificity or bounds to what the actual disagreement is. I stand firm in the position that I disagree with particular topics on both sides. In my opinion, the middle or no argument at all aligns more with what God designed for us. Are there boundaries that need to be in place? Yes. Can those boundaries be made from the middle? Yes. I believe that clear and spirit-led conclusions of these scripture texts and arguments only come with God-given discernment. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV), this verse is one of the sole reasons I am in seminary today. God led me to this passage not too long after a season of fasting

in which He told me I was to preach and teach His word to others. After taking a few Bible courses at my church, God placed it on my heart to apply to seminary and I was accepted. Throughout this process I had a multitude of questions, “Am I equipped for this assignment?”, “Is this school the right fit for me?”, “Do I have enough strength to make it through this?”. However, not one time did I ask myself, “As a woman am I supposed to be in seminary or even ministry?”. If I can be honest that was not a question, I have even considered before starting seminary and taking this course. Throughout my twenty-eight years, I have been afforded the great opportunity to see women teach and lead general assembly bible study, youth groups, young adult conferences, and a multitude of other ministries. That does not include the life- changing messages I heard taught by great women like Priscilla Shrier, Lisa Harper, or Sarah Jakes Roberts. I have witnessed these women have led a countless number of men and women to Christ. There is no doubt that God gave them the gifts of Exhortation, Teaching, Evangelism, and Prophecy. Observing women teach God’s Word made it easier for me to accept the gifts God has given me. I admit my ministry aspirations prior to seminary were limited to volunteering at church on Sunday and throughout the week. As someone who spent most of their formative years in church, I knew I had a love for the Lord, scripture, and His people. I never knew exactly how God was going to use me but I never stopped praying for the answer. Little by little he gave me opportunities in ministry, growing my desire to serve. When I finally let go of my own will and stepped out of the way is when He showed me who I was. Shepherding, Prophecy, and Exhortation are the gifts God designed me for. What God has given me is exactly what most complementarians teach against. I desire to teach women about the

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grace and sovereignty of the Lord while helping them build a relationship for themselves. I want to walk with women as they push through the highs and lows of this thing called life. Most importantly, I have a burning passion to preach God’s word. I honestly felt as if these gifts make writing this paper a bit more daunting. I felt as if I could not share my position for various reasons without choosing which side of the argument to stand on. On the first day of class, I leaned more to the egalitarian side, how could I not? I grew up in the generation of gender equality and saw women accomplish what historically only men have done. If God assigned me with the same giftings as a man, why should I have to be silent? I believed in women having authority in workspaces, family dynamics, and even ministry. Furthermore, as a Black Woman, I pushed being in positions of authority even harder knowing our history of being ignored, stepped on, and looked over. There was no way I could be on the complementarian side of the fence, I saw male and female partnership throughout church ministry growing up. From my experience, the Black Church sincerely supported God’s Divine design of interdependence, or at least I thought they did. I saw one side of the argument; the side that, in reality, did not have a side because they were unaware of the debate. My church norm was a dream reality for most women with a desire for ministry. The more reading I did, the more we discussed in class, the more I thought and prayed about everything I realized I was a complegalitarian. I am stuck right in the midst of both arguments, at times I lean more to the left other times I lean more to the right, but I genuinely believe my feet are planted dead set in the middle of this. Submission is where most people have trouble so let us start there. When most people think of submission, they picture a life where they have no say so, when you submit you give up everything you have to another person. This is not an idea that the majority of millennials find

pleasing. Growing up in the generation where we believe in gender equality, in marriage and family, workspaces, friendships, and even the church. I have always straddled the fence on this because I know what the bible says, yet I do not agree that my role should be limited to the home and kitchen if my gifts are serving people, preaching, and teaching. As I grew older I knew that in marriage I would absolutely submit to my husband but I vowed to never be his servant or assistant as some Pastors like to describe wives. (I’m also not the best cook in the world so hopefully, he can lead by preparing dinner sometimes). A. W. Tozer said “The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work within us.” I believe this statement falls true in the sense of marriage most people find women may find it hard to submit to someone who has not come to the end of themselves. I believe that genuine submission happens in partnership, not in a dictatorship. I also feel as if I am not completely permitted to speak to gender roles in marriages due to a lack of martial experience. However, when I hear words like “full submission” I tend to cringe a bit because what if my husband is making a wrong decision, should I just allow him to do so? Knowing that God is the true source is comforting in a situation where this may occur. Confirmation always comes from the Father, I am certain that in a marriage that statement is no different. Headship I have to say that I do not completely understand the concept of headship. I understand that God is the head of Jesus, Jesus the head of Man, and Man the head of the Woman. How does that transpire in spaces other than marriage or is this something that only pertains to marriage. I have no problem saying that God and Jesus are at the head of my life and as a member of the church, I am a part of the body. If all women are to be under headship where do the unmarried and

fatherless fit in. I believe that until I am married, my ultimate source and covering comes from God. In marriage, my husband is an additional source and covering to what God has already provided. I have men in my life who are father figures but I would not consider them my head or source. I believe that all things flow from the Father and if what my covering (whether it be in marriage or ministry leadership) does not align with God I cannot in good faith follow that. This is a very strong argument for the complementarian side of the debate but I do not believe they have covered all their bases. Whenever I think of headship, I always question how they explain Deborah. She was everything, complementarians say that women should not be. She was not silent, she prophesied, and she judged God’s people, these were offices and titles she was given. The question remains other than God who was her head or headship, (from a leadership standpoint). As the judge of Israel if her husband was found guilty of sinning against the Lord wouldn't she have to judge him like everyone else? If men are to be the head and the covering, why did God not choose her husband to be the judge of Israel? I understand that after 15 weeks of class I will not have all the answers, or even most of the answers people may ask. However, I will have a well built foundation that I can continue to build upon through my life. The following statements are what I believe as it relates to scriptures and topics covering Women in Ministry Leadership. Scriptures Before addressing the scriptures, is an interpretation of the original Greek and Hebrew. In some of the scriptures below, what is written and read as woman is not always woman, it should translate to “wife”. We see this in 1 Corinthians 11:3–16 and 1 Timothy 2:8–15. The context in

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these passages is equally important. Once each principle is recognized I believe it is then that a person can form an opinion on the passages. Genesis 1-3 – What does it emphasize? Does it establish hierarchy? Hierarchy is a topic I am not 100% sure of in context to creation order and marriage. I struggled in creating a formal position on this passage and topic because I want it to be my authentic opinion. I will spend more time researching and studying this passage. At this current time I believe, It establishes hierarchy because of the order that they were created in and because God gave instructions to Adam who then retold them to Eve. God put Adam in the position of being the leader over his household and the garden and all the animals. This is also the position that God put Adam in when He told Adam to name the animals and that whatever Adam named them would be the animal's names. God respected Adams's choices and put him in a position of power and as a lead. Eve was created to help while Adam was the caretaker of the garden. He had a job and Eve supported Adam. Also, God spoke into the Earth and everything obeyed his commands and still does to this day. Although it may sound contradictory, I do not believe there was a sense of submission in the garden, until sin. After the fall God told Eve her desire would be for Adam and he would rule over her. I believe that a husband can lead in a loving, respectful, unconditional way, not in the sense of a dictatorship. Galatians 3:28 – This verse is stating that we are all equal in Christ. No one person is more saved nor more favored by God than another in the body. We are all one in the body of Christ, despite roles and positions held in the world. As Ephesians 4 states in the New International Version, “There is one

body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.” Also, Ephesians 4 verse 16 states, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” 1 Corinthians 11:3–16. This passage of scripture is one often used by complementarians to argue for headship in marriage and life. However, I believe that most Christians are just reading this verse and using it at surface level. What Paul shared with the people in Corinth was much deeper than that. What is important, first and foremost, when reading a passage like this is to recall the context. Who was Paul talking to? Was this something that applied only to the people in Corthin or does it apply to all people for all time? This passage is what Webb calls a cultural component. “When I use the word cultural in this applicational or hermeneutical sense, it functions as a short form-form for various other expressions: culturally confined, culturally, relative, culturally bound and culturally locked” Webb, 25). Paul was talking to the men and women due to different things that were happening around them and giving them instructions not to be like the people in Corinth. Verse 12 argues for interdependence not hierarchy Head Coverings, Christ is the head of man, man is the head of the woman, what does this all mean? Head coverings for men and women in this passage are the exact opposite. For a man to lead and worship in a church setting with long hair was a disgrace to himself and the Lord. For a woman to have a shaved head or uncovered head during prophesying and praying was a disgrace to God. The same messaging does not apply to today's church as this was a cultural component for the people of Corinth.

1 Corinthians 14:34–35. If a person reads verses 34–35 as a stand-alone verse without further context it would be assumed that Paul tells the women in Corinth to be silent in the church. That idea is pushed even further in verse 35 when he tells them they need to ask any church-related questions to their husbands at home. Men of different generations have used this verse as a weapon in an attempt to silence women. However, that is not in the context of what is actually happening in the passage, “It is difficult to interpret because Paul assumes that he and his readers in Corinth have common knowledge of things that we ourselves cannot possibly know. The contemporary reader is in the position of listening in on and trying to understand the gist of someone else’s conversation when he or she has not heard the beginning. As with the earlier passage, any contemporary reader has no choice but to engage in a certain amount of speculation as to the actual problem that Paul is addressing…” (Witt, 147). To get a full scope of this passage, a person needs to read verses 29–40. When you have a full scope of the text, you see that Paul was telling the people of Corinth how to have good order in church and worship. This part of the letter was written to address the chaotic behavior happening during worship not to simply tell women to be silent and be submissive. In verses 39 and 40, Paul concludes by saying “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy… but everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” If Paul was indeed telling women to be silent in the church would he have given the instruction to women also? That would be a direct contraction and we know that Paul is very straightforward with his words. First Timothy 2:8–15.

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As the reader goes through 1 Timothy 2:8–15, it is important to know the context in which Paul was writing this passage. This letter was written to Timothy as he remained in Ephesus. Paul speaks first to the men, instructing them on how to worship in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Verses 9-10 address when and their dress, I believe Paul is urging the women not to wear and dress themselves with clothing and jewels that would distract the males of the church. To see a woman praying and prophesying in her finest clothing might add to the seemingly chaotic atmosphere of the church. Approaching verse 11 takes discernment and caution. If one reads this as what is exactly on the page your takeaway will be that women are to be quiet and in submission. Yet again, context matters. The women being referred to in this passage are actually wives not women as a whole. That group does not include virgins, widows, unmarried women, etc. Paul is strictly talking to wives. It is also important to note why he was saying this to wives. I believe it is an instruction given to prevent false doctrine from being spread throughout the church. An interesting note on verse 11, my Bible says that at the time, women weren’t allowed to learn or study at all so Paul was essentially helping them out and saying they could be in the room and learn God’s word but they basically needed to “sit over there and be quiet”.1 Timothy 2:12 is 100% Paul’s personal opinion. It’s clearly worded that way. I do not believe verse 13 establishes hierarchy creation order, it simply states a fact. Adam was in fact created before Eve. If creation order was truly the argument light, darkness, water, and the animals would rule over us. Verse 14 is null, and void based on the judgment of God. Verses 14 and 15 are both references to the punishment God laid out in Genesis. It should also be noted that this passage very closely parallels what Peter said in his letter. 1 Peter 3:3–6 describes the ideal apostolic wife. Women were to be holy and have their hope in God.

What about women elders/preachers? I stand on the position that women can be preachers, teachers, and elders. I believe that any person, man or woman, who has been called by God has an assignment to fulfill. Someone’s deliverance is directly tied to your obedience and execution of God-given gifts. God created males and females as equals, are we to submit to man’s command over God's? The qualifications and gifts given to people in scripture were not gender-specific, it may have been the majority but it was not the standard. To the conservative complementarian argument that these scriptures argue a specific stance, I would have to disagree. To the egalitarian argument that there is equality for all in every role, I would have to disagree. As stated earlier, I believe the correct position to be in is the middle, with limits established on what is acceptable according to scripture. I personally believe that for women preachers and pastors, the boundary should be set at Senior Pastor. I do not agree with a woman solely leading and shepherding a church. I believe women have the capability, knowledge, and capacity to Pastor a church, however, I think a church is better suited to thrive under the leadership of a man of God. Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly believe women can and should hold other pastoral and ministry offices inside the church. In first Timothy 5, Paul goes through what tasks are given to the widows of the time. Although the qualifications of an Elder or overseer are described as referring to a male, what is asked of older widows seems to closely mirror some of those same expectations. I do believe that elder boards should be led by male elders but I wholeheartedly know there is room at those tables for older widowed women with discerning wisdom and godly character. I believe it is in God’s design for men and women to work together to meet the needs of a church. God did not create Eve to sit on the sideline in silence. He created her as an Ezer. “God could have given any

number of labels to the woman. He chose “Ezer”, which in English Bibles is translated “helper” ( Custis James, 111). Women were created to be helpers, but that does not equivocate to being beneath you. Throughout the Bible, God blessed many men with women to aid them. In Romans 16, Paul addresses Phoebe as a deacon of the church, which is not the same role as an Elder but still an office in the church. When reviewing the qualifications for an elder found in 1 Timothy 3:8–15 and a widow found in 1 Timothy 5:9–10, you find that many of them overlap. Some of the interchangeable qualifications include Older woman, wife of one husband (3:2), hospitable (3:2), and a good reputation(3:2). If a widow meets the qualifications, I believe she should sit in places God has elevated her to. Conclusion As I prepared for this position paper, I have to admit I came to the subject with a heavy heart. As a black woman in this class, I felt a burden to make sure I had the right position. Although I did not grow up in a church or family environment that pushed the complementarian dynamic, I have recently learned that is not every woman's story. Coming from an area of the country where everything is progressive or liberal as some people would call it, this is my norm. When I first encountered the conversation at Dallas Theological Seminary of whether women can preach, teach, and lead, I had a simple question. Why not? What is different about this woman that she should not be able to go out and talk about her Heavenly Father? I wrestled with this question for most of the Spring and summer semester wondering what made me less than, less equipped, less chosen. Throughout my time in this class, God has given me wisdom that I never expected to learn, but this knowledge has overflowed into many conversations I’ve encountered recently. This class has shaken up the spirit within me. I know the gifts God blessed me with, but I am not

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sure just how He will use me. I felt as if finding a side of the fence to stand on would help me to be more secure in what and who He said I am. And while this wisdom confirms everything, I know He’s told me, I still stand strong in the middle. I now rest in knowing that I do not have to give a dissertation or present a philosophical argument that will change the world, I just have to share where DeShearer stands. In the words of Diana Calvin “I formed an opinion on what I was 100% sure about, the other things I was not sure about.” I believe there was, is, and always will be a place for women to teach, lead, preach in ministry. Throughout scripture, we see that God shows no practicality of persons. If your heart is right and God sees you as being qualified for the position, it does not matter what gender you are He will set you above anyone. The qualification comes from God, not from your gender. Women have taken every position in the word of God. Women have prophesied and when you prophesy you are declaring a word from the Lord. I believe that women are to speak the truth given to them by God for His people. I believe from the beginning of time God has called women to work in partnership with men to execute the great commission. As God is to Christ, Christ is to a man, and man is to woman, we complement each other. In marriage, we are called to leave our families and join together as one. We often hear those men are to be the head, but you cannot be a head without a body. Marriage can only work when you are united in the father. If Jesus treated women as equals, respected, and listened to them, why has the church and marriage strayed away from that? If Paul, the author of the words most used to deny women the opportunity to teach or lead in ministry capacity acknowledged women as his coworkers, why

has modern-day society and church strayed away from this? God appointed Deborah as a prophet and judge over his people, allowed Miriam to work under Moses, called Lydia, Priscilla and Junia to further the work that Paul was doing. The history of these women matters, the History of the church matters. Women from the first century to the 21st century have been spreading and sharing the gospel as preachers, missionaries, Sunday school teachers, or by simply evangelizing to someone on the street. How can anyone have such a low view of God’s creation when they are doing His blessed work.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Cohick, Lynn. Women in the World of the Earliest Christians . Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009. James, Carolyn Custis. When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference . Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001. Piper, John, and Wayne Grudem, eds. Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1991. Pierce, Ronald W.; Groothuis, Rebecca Merrill; Fee, Gordon. Discovering Biblical Equality . Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004. Saucy, Robert L. and Judith K. TenElshof, eds. Women and Men in Ministry: A Complementary Perspective. Chicago: Moody Press, 2001. Sayers, Dorothy L. Are Women Human? Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005. Sumner, Sarah. Men and Women in the Church: Building Consensus on Christian Leadership . Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2003. Webb, William. Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals . Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2001. Winston, George and Dora. Recovering Biblical Ministry by Women. Longwood, Florida: Xulon Press, 2003.

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