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Call Me Blessed: The Emerging Christian Woman
Offers a fresh interpretation of the Scriptures concerning the role of women in the Church and looks at women in the Old and New Testaments
180 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1988
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August 9, 2017
By the end, I was astounded at the author's poor scholarship and heavily biased approach to her subject. (Example - veiled praise for Athaliah - murderer of 70 Royal young men - just because she held a leadership position. Silence on Deborah's rebuke of Barak. Silence on God's rebuke of Miriam. Inflation of Huldah's role from prophetess to examiner of God's canon.) Saw nothing that constitutes a really Biblical argument for female leaders, but there's a good bit of background on the author's early years, her impressions from church life regarding condescending messages to women regarding their talents, and some generic psychological background + historical re-evaluation of women as 'second-class citizens' that could be found in any Western-world feminist depiction of a war on men. If I did change my perspective, no doubt I would be hailed as someone 'brave' enough to overcome 1800 years of historical oppression (i.e. lack of female leadership) that neither Jesus nor the apostles ever explicitly revised from
the Old Testament. Since I haven't changed perspective, no doubt that will just be chalked up to implicit pre-existing bias. I still don't see why it's so important to Jesus that women be appointed to leadership positions in His kingdom since He never appointed a female apostle or leader of any kind. He did not issue instructions for women to be appointed as evangelists. He did tell off quite a few arrogant men on quite a number of topics, some including the treatment of women, and they were some of his most faithful followers. However, I have not read any feminist literature that praises women for their incredible service-related activities, for all of the selfless giving that Paul talks about in phrases like 'not sparing yourselves', 'whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies'. It greatly concerns me that what I have read has almost exclusively focused on how women are short-changing themselves by their acceptance of a service role; by implication, it's as though Christ short-changed the Trinity by making Himself into a servant of the most humiliating nature. Perhaps the counter-argument is 'that's because so many of these women-in-service books exist so we need an alternative', but it would take quite a book to address those concerns. This book didn't even try.
the Old Testament. Since I haven't changed perspective, no doubt that will just be chalked up to implicit pre-existing bias. I still don't see why it's so important to Jesus that women be appointed to leadership positions in His kingdom since He never appointed a female apostle or leader of any kind. He did not issue instructions for women to be appointed as evangelists. He did tell off quite a few arrogant men on quite a number of topics, some including the treatment of women, and they were some of his most faithful followers. However, I have not read any feminist literature that praises women for their incredible service-related activities, for all of the selfless giving that Paul talks about in phrases like 'not sparing yourselves', 'whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies'. It greatly concerns me that what I have read has almost exclusively focused on how women are short-changing themselves by their acceptance of a service role; by implication, it's as though Christ short-changed the Trinity by making Himself into a servant of the most humiliating nature. Perhaps the counter-argument is 'that's because so many of these women-in-service books exist so we need an alternative', but it would take quite a book to address those concerns. This book didn't even try.
June 23, 2024
ARE SOME ‘TRADITIONAL’ INTERPRETATIONS OF WOMEN ‘CULTURE’S BAGGAGE,’ & NOT BIBLICAL?
Author Faith Martin wrote in the Introduction to this 1988 book, “A woman’s activity as an ordinary layperson is complicated by the prerogatives automatically granted each male in the visible church. Every man is considered a trainee for ordained office. He is given opportunity and encouragement to develop his spiritual gifts. A woman, on the other hand… may be viewed as a reproach to the ‘non achieving’ male member. The problem can become intense when the congregation’s social structure exerts strong psychological pressure on women to defer to men in all situations. In such a climate women must choose between spiritual conviction and their surroundings. Most yield to social pressure and submit. These women adopt silence as their gift for the harmony of the church… In the eyes of the church, a woman’s humanity is overshadowed by her being perceived as a sex. Woman is the spiritual equal of man, but the church teaches that a woman’s sex prevents a practical working out of that equality… Men are defined in terms of what they are, women by what they cannot be. All of this contrasts with the Holy Scriptures… The life of Jesus demonstrated the principle of women’s equality even before the apostle Paul wrote, ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ (Gal 3:28) But when a woman lifts her eyes from the Scriptures, she enters the ‘real’ world of the church where her humanity pales and her sex looms all-important. This tension that women feel between the promises of Scripture and the reality of church life must be addressed.” (Pg. 4-5)
She continues, “I have little time for any feminist who blames the Christian church for the problems that women face in society. For all its insistence on a limited role for women, the church has given that role a place of honor … Christian women have much to be encouraged about. This same church that enforces the subjugation of women through its formal authority structure is now peopled by men who, in their personal relations with women, are beginning to repudiate the principle of male authority… to such men this book is also addressed in the hope that you will find the biblical justification for your personal stand and at the same time be encouraged to work for the equality of women in the church.” (Pg. 6-7)
She observes, “The package that the church of today is handing women is tradition. Women are subjected to the collective prejudices of the centuries supported by incorrect translations, faulty interpretations… [and] Scripture rounded out with myth... Teaching that has emerged in response to … the secular women’s liberation movement has intensified the problem in conservative churches… Reactionary forces are redefining the position of women in conservative churches…. My own denomination has not escaped this reactionary pressure… I have observed the gradual removal of single women from our mission fields and women teachers from the Sunday school. Where will it end?” (Pg. 13)
She reports, “The early Christian fathers had little difficulty removing women from the authority structure of the church because they believed that women were spiritually inferior to men… but what is hard to understand is how such teaching could develop so quickly after the ministry of Jesus and the example set by Paul. The Gospels and the book of Acts are filled with the activity of women… Under Paul, women of means opened their homes for church meetings and … led the congregations that met in their homes.” (Pg. 19)
She states, “The discovery of women’s spiritual equality remains a hollow victory. Conservative Christian women are in effect being told, ‘In God’s eyes you are equal, but in men’s eyes you must be unequal.’… The doctrine of women’s spiritual equality is gradually bringing about a growing self-confidence among Christian women. We are ready to challenge the current theories restricting our service…” (Pg. 27)
She asserts, “Male authority is not a doctrine of authentic Christianity; it originated in the human institutions of Christianity---the visible church under the influence of society…The church must drop its defensive attitude on the question of women and come to terms with the culture into which Christianity was born… In the determining of the role of women, which has had the greatest influence---the teaching of Scripture or a male-dominated culture?” (Pg. 52) She continues, “The teaching that God’s perfect plan places women under the authority of men had been brought to Scripture---not found in it. It is a false teaching inserted into Christian theology by a male-dominated culture in love with authority.” (Pg. 55)
She notes, “It is popular today to refer to men and women as being complementary, and in a reproductive sense, this is a satisfactory description of the relationship. But the complementary approach to defining the roles of men and women is based on differentness and has the potential to do serious harm to either sex.” (Pg. 87)
She points out, “At the feet of Jesus, culture does not dictate. This was illustrated for us when Mary and Martha entertained Jesus in their home. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha busied herself with serving the meal… It is Martha, however, who receives a rebuke from Jesus… Why didn’t Jesus say to Mary, ‘Run along and help Martha... She needs you, and you are making the men uncomfortable with your presence. Lazarus can explain to you later anything that is important for you to hear.’ …But instead Jesus commends Mary for behaving in a way appropriate only for men. To Jesus the fact that Mary was a woman did not mean that she was obliged to fill that traditional role her society had laid out for her.” (Pg. 96)
She suggests, “Worshiping comfortably in our twentieth century Christianity, we naively assume that the sin of believing myths is not a problem with us. Our theology has been worked out over the centuries by devout and learned scholars, and we feel refined from myth and fable. We read the warnings of Paul without applying them to ourselves. But we too come to the Bible weighed down with our culture’s baggage. We have made God in our sexual image.” (Pg. 105)
She notes, “Scripture gives no reason why the Old Testament priesthood was restricted to men. Any explanation is conjectural. But Scripture teaches that the priesthood, with its regulations, has passed away. It has been replaced by a ‘new order’ of priests composed of everyone who believes, male and female.” (Pg. 127)
She outlines, “While Paul was alive, women were active in church life to a degree that would be unthinkable in some conservative churches today… It is eye-opening to list some of the principles that affected the place of women. 1. Equality of rights in marriage… 2. Self-sacrificing love on the part of both partners in marriage… 3. Elimination of polygamy… 4. Elimination of divorce… 5. Acceptance of singleness as a worthy state… 6. Purity of a nonsexual relationship between unmarried persons of the opposite sex… 7. Recognition that women are not responsible for the sexual sins of men… 8. Responsibility and accountability of women for their own actions… These eight New Testament teachings regarding women are important … Some have been only partially implemented, others largely ignored in the fascination with Paul’s special injunctions to women in particular circumstances.” (Pg. 156-159)
She argues, “In Ephesians 1:22 and Colossians 2:10, Paul used ‘kephale’ to mean ‘top’ or ‘crown,’ but his other uses of the word would support the meaning ‘source of life.’ … There is a major problem with accepting ‘leader’ or ‘authority’ as Paul’s intended meaning for ‘head’… If Paul had intended to describe a chain of authority---i.e., God, Christ, man, woman---his method was obscure… A straight listing of the four from the top on down … would have been direct and certainly indisputable…” (Pg. 171)
This book will be of interest to Christians studying such male/female issues.
Author Faith Martin wrote in the Introduction to this 1988 book, “A woman’s activity as an ordinary layperson is complicated by the prerogatives automatically granted each male in the visible church. Every man is considered a trainee for ordained office. He is given opportunity and encouragement to develop his spiritual gifts. A woman, on the other hand… may be viewed as a reproach to the ‘non achieving’ male member. The problem can become intense when the congregation’s social structure exerts strong psychological pressure on women to defer to men in all situations. In such a climate women must choose between spiritual conviction and their surroundings. Most yield to social pressure and submit. These women adopt silence as their gift for the harmony of the church… In the eyes of the church, a woman’s humanity is overshadowed by her being perceived as a sex. Woman is the spiritual equal of man, but the church teaches that a woman’s sex prevents a practical working out of that equality… Men are defined in terms of what they are, women by what they cannot be. All of this contrasts with the Holy Scriptures… The life of Jesus demonstrated the principle of women’s equality even before the apostle Paul wrote, ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ (Gal 3:28) But when a woman lifts her eyes from the Scriptures, she enters the ‘real’ world of the church where her humanity pales and her sex looms all-important. This tension that women feel between the promises of Scripture and the reality of church life must be addressed.” (Pg. 4-5)
She continues, “I have little time for any feminist who blames the Christian church for the problems that women face in society. For all its insistence on a limited role for women, the church has given that role a place of honor … Christian women have much to be encouraged about. This same church that enforces the subjugation of women through its formal authority structure is now peopled by men who, in their personal relations with women, are beginning to repudiate the principle of male authority… to such men this book is also addressed in the hope that you will find the biblical justification for your personal stand and at the same time be encouraged to work for the equality of women in the church.” (Pg. 6-7)
She observes, “The package that the church of today is handing women is tradition. Women are subjected to the collective prejudices of the centuries supported by incorrect translations, faulty interpretations… [and] Scripture rounded out with myth... Teaching that has emerged in response to … the secular women’s liberation movement has intensified the problem in conservative churches… Reactionary forces are redefining the position of women in conservative churches…. My own denomination has not escaped this reactionary pressure… I have observed the gradual removal of single women from our mission fields and women teachers from the Sunday school. Where will it end?” (Pg. 13)
She reports, “The early Christian fathers had little difficulty removing women from the authority structure of the church because they believed that women were spiritually inferior to men… but what is hard to understand is how such teaching could develop so quickly after the ministry of Jesus and the example set by Paul. The Gospels and the book of Acts are filled with the activity of women… Under Paul, women of means opened their homes for church meetings and … led the congregations that met in their homes.” (Pg. 19)
She states, “The discovery of women’s spiritual equality remains a hollow victory. Conservative Christian women are in effect being told, ‘In God’s eyes you are equal, but in men’s eyes you must be unequal.’… The doctrine of women’s spiritual equality is gradually bringing about a growing self-confidence among Christian women. We are ready to challenge the current theories restricting our service…” (Pg. 27)
She asserts, “Male authority is not a doctrine of authentic Christianity; it originated in the human institutions of Christianity---the visible church under the influence of society…The church must drop its defensive attitude on the question of women and come to terms with the culture into which Christianity was born… In the determining of the role of women, which has had the greatest influence---the teaching of Scripture or a male-dominated culture?” (Pg. 52) She continues, “The teaching that God’s perfect plan places women under the authority of men had been brought to Scripture---not found in it. It is a false teaching inserted into Christian theology by a male-dominated culture in love with authority.” (Pg. 55)
She notes, “It is popular today to refer to men and women as being complementary, and in a reproductive sense, this is a satisfactory description of the relationship. But the complementary approach to defining the roles of men and women is based on differentness and has the potential to do serious harm to either sex.” (Pg. 87)
She points out, “At the feet of Jesus, culture does not dictate. This was illustrated for us when Mary and Martha entertained Jesus in their home. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha busied herself with serving the meal… It is Martha, however, who receives a rebuke from Jesus… Why didn’t Jesus say to Mary, ‘Run along and help Martha... She needs you, and you are making the men uncomfortable with your presence. Lazarus can explain to you later anything that is important for you to hear.’ …But instead Jesus commends Mary for behaving in a way appropriate only for men. To Jesus the fact that Mary was a woman did not mean that she was obliged to fill that traditional role her society had laid out for her.” (Pg. 96)
She suggests, “Worshiping comfortably in our twentieth century Christianity, we naively assume that the sin of believing myths is not a problem with us. Our theology has been worked out over the centuries by devout and learned scholars, and we feel refined from myth and fable. We read the warnings of Paul without applying them to ourselves. But we too come to the Bible weighed down with our culture’s baggage. We have made God in our sexual image.” (Pg. 105)
She notes, “Scripture gives no reason why the Old Testament priesthood was restricted to men. Any explanation is conjectural. But Scripture teaches that the priesthood, with its regulations, has passed away. It has been replaced by a ‘new order’ of priests composed of everyone who believes, male and female.” (Pg. 127)
She outlines, “While Paul was alive, women were active in church life to a degree that would be unthinkable in some conservative churches today… It is eye-opening to list some of the principles that affected the place of women. 1. Equality of rights in marriage… 2. Self-sacrificing love on the part of both partners in marriage… 3. Elimination of polygamy… 4. Elimination of divorce… 5. Acceptance of singleness as a worthy state… 6. Purity of a nonsexual relationship between unmarried persons of the opposite sex… 7. Recognition that women are not responsible for the sexual sins of men… 8. Responsibility and accountability of women for their own actions… These eight New Testament teachings regarding women are important … Some have been only partially implemented, others largely ignored in the fascination with Paul’s special injunctions to women in particular circumstances.” (Pg. 156-159)
She argues, “In Ephesians 1:22 and Colossians 2:10, Paul used ‘kephale’ to mean ‘top’ or ‘crown,’ but his other uses of the word would support the meaning ‘source of life.’ … There is a major problem with accepting ‘leader’ or ‘authority’ as Paul’s intended meaning for ‘head’… If Paul had intended to describe a chain of authority---i.e., God, Christ, man, woman---his method was obscure… A straight listing of the four from the top on down … would have been direct and certainly indisputable…” (Pg. 171)
This book will be of interest to Christians studying such male/female issues.
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