Women In The Pulpit

LONG BEFORE I BECAME INVOLVED IN MINISTRY OR, REALLY HAD AN INTEREST IN SPIRITUAL THINGS... I WAS VERY KEENLY AWARE THAT IN CHURCH CIRCLES, THERE SEEMED TO BE SOMETHING NOT EXACTLY ACCEPTABLE ABOUT WOMEN PREACHERS. AS I GOT SAVED AND WAS CALLED TO THE MINISTRY MYSELF, I DISCOVERED SOME INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THIS SITUATION . I WANT TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU TODAY AS WE LOOK AT “WOMEN IN THE PULPIT”

IF I MENTION THE NAMES OF EVANGELIST PROPHETESS JUANITA BYNUM OR REV. JACKIE MCCULLOUGH --- YOUR RESPONSE MIGHT BE “OH YES, THOSE ARE MY GIRLS, I JUST LOVE THEIR TEACHING AND PREACHING".

IF YOU TURN ON YOUR TELEVISIONS, MOST ANY TIME, YOU CAN SEE DR. BRIDGETT HILLIARD OR MINISTERS JOYCE MEYER OR MARILYN HICKEY TEACHING AND PREACHING GODS WORD TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF EAGER AND HUNGRY CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

MOST OF YOU ACCEPT IT AS NORMAL TO HAVE READY ACCESS TO THESE AND OTHER MIGHTY WOMEN OF GOD. BUT THE POINT OF TODAY’S MESSAGE IS TO PUBLICIZE THE FACT THAT THESE PLATFORMS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THESE AND OTHER WOMEN, TO PREACH THE GOSPEL, HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN THERE AND, IN MANY CHURCHES, STILL ARE NOT THERE TODAY. WOMEN HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN ALLOWED OR WELCOMED OR WANTED IN THE PULPITS OF CHURCHES - BOTH FOREIGN AND IN AMERICA.

MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THIS WAS AS A YOUNG ADULT. ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON I ENCOUNTERED AN OLDER SISTER AND ASKED IF SHE WERE GOING TO ATTEND THE AFTERNOON SERVICE TO HEAR THE PASTORS WIFE (WHO WAS A MINISTER ALSO) SPEAK. THE SISTER REPLIED...’NO, I AIN’T STUDIN’ HEARING NO WOMAN PREACHER’. I WASN’T SURE EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS BUT, I WAS SURE THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH WOMEN PREACHERS.

MY MOST RECENT ENCOUNTER WITH THIS RESISTANCE TO WOMEN PREACHERS HAPPENED AT A WOMEN’S DAY SERVICE THAT I ATTENDED. THE GUEST SPEAKER WAS A MINISTER. SHE WAS NOT ALLOWED THE COURTESY OF THE PULPIT AND SO SHE SPOKE FROM A ROSTRUM ON THE FLOOR. AFTER HER WONDERFUL MESSAGE, THE PASTOR GOT UP, COMMENTED COURTEOUSLY ON HER MESSAGE - (AS ONE DOES CHILDREN AFTER AN EASTER OR CHRISTMAS PROGRAM) - THEN HE PROCEEDED TO PREACH ANOTHER ENTIRE SERMON. I FELT A BIT INSULTED FOR MY THE LADY MINISTER.

AND SO I BEGAN TO SERIOUSLY WONDER WHY THESE FEMALE MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL WERE TREATED LIKE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS OF THE KINGDOM. AS I BEGAN TO RESEARCH THE MATTER AND QUESTION FOLKS. I QUICKLY FOUND SOME ANSWERS. A LARGE PART OF THE PREJUDICE WAS BASED ON A COUPLE OF SCRIPTURES.

I CORINTH 14:34 “LET YOUR WOMEN KEEP SILENCE IN THE CHURCHES; FOR IT IS NOT PERMITTED UNTO THEM TO SPEAK: 35 AND IF THEY WILL LEARN ANYTHING, LET THEM ASK THEIR HUSBANDS AT HOME;

I TIMOTHY 2:11-12 LET THE WOMAN LEARN IN SILENCE WITH ALL SUBJECTION 12 BUT I SUFFER NOT A WOMAN TO TEACH NOR TO USURP AUTHORITY OVER THE MAN, BUT TO BE IN SILENCE.

IT’S AMAZING, ALL THE THINGS PAUL TAUGHT ,THAT CHURCH FOLK HAVE IGNORED BUT, THEY DECIDE TO LATCH ON TO THESE SCRIPTURES THAT SEEM TO DENY WOMEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREACH ,AND HOLD ON TO THEM FOR DEAR LIFE.

LET ME POINT OUT TWO CRITICAL THINGS THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T TAKE THE TIME TO DO BEFORE THEY WENT ABOUT RESTRAINING WOMEN FROM GOD’S PULPITS.

FIRST, THEY DIDN’T DO ANY BACKGROUND STUDY ON THE CULTURE THAT EXISTED OR THE HISTORY OF THE TIMES WHEN THESE SCRIPTURES WERE WRITTEN. SECONDLY, THEY FAILED TO READ FURTHER OR TAKE OTHER FACTS, PRESENTED IN SCRIPTURE, INTO CONSIDERATION.

TAKING TIME TO RESEARCH THESE SCRIPTURES AND THE CULTURE AND HISTORY OF THE TIMES WOULD HAVE REVEALED THAT DURING THE TIME THESE SCRIPTURES WERE WRITTEN - THE DEEP PARTICULARS OF THE NEW CHRISTIAN RELIGION WERE NOT WIDELY KNOWN BY EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY WOMEN. REMEMBER, CHRISTIANITY WAS NEW. PAUL AND HIS ASSOCIATES WERE RUNNING ALL ACROSS THE KNOWN WORLD TRYING TO ESTABLISH CHURCHES, TRAINING CHURCH LEADERS, MONITORING THESE NEW CHURCHES AND TRYING TO HELP THEM WORK OUT PROBLEMS AND GROWING PAINS. THERE WAS A LOT GOING ON.

LETS EXAMINE THE FIRST ISSUE, THE ISSUE OF WOMEN BEING COMMANDED TO BE SILENT IN CHURCH AND ASK QUESTIONS OF THEIR HUSBANDS AT HOME. READ I CORINTHIANS 14: 27-29 AND YOU’LL SEE THE BIG ISSUE PAUL IS ADDRESSING IS “ORDER” IN THE SERVICE. AS YOU READ YOU ‘LL SEE THAT IN ADDITION TO ASKING THE WOMEN TO NOT DISRUPT THE SERVICE WITH THEIR QUESTIONS, HE ALSO ADDRESSES THE "TONGUE TALKERS" AND THOSE WHO WOULD "PROPHESY" IN THE SERVICE -- INSTRUCTING THEM ALL HOW TO BEHAVE SUCH THAT THERE MIGHT BE ORDER IN THE SERVICE.

NOW, AS FOR THE WOMEN AND THEIR QUESTIONS... THEY WERE ASKING QUESTIONS TO PROBE WHAT THE SPEAKER WAS SAYING IN THE SERVICE, IN ORDER TO LEARN. MOST OF THE WOMEN WERE NOT NEARLY AS EDUCATED , IN THAT SOCIETY ,AS THE MEN WERE. THEY WERE EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW RELIGION, THEIR NEW FOUND FREEDOMS IN IT AND, WERE EAGER TO LEARN MORE SO THE QUESTIONS FLOWED FREELY. NO DOUBT MANY REDUNDANT AND IRRELEVANT QUESTIONS WERE ASKED. WHY WAS THIS QUESTIONING LIKELY TO HAVE CAUSED A PROBLEM IN THE SERVICE?