Developing a Theology of Women

A few years ago, a colleague told me about three widows he trained, leading a movement of new believers in the Muslim world.

Women? I said? They’re the leaders of your house-church movement?

Oh yes, forty-ish year old widows, single moms, he said.

Sometimes, I turn up Alexa in my living room and belt out Naomi Scott’s song in Aladdin, Speechless with all my humble heart, on behalf of all the women whose voices only could whisper in patriarchal societies—and often in spiritual institutions—because of incomplete and often incorrect views about the role of women, especially in the Bible. “I can't stay silent. Though they want to keep me quiet. And I tremble when they try it. All I know is I won't go speechless.”

A distorted Theology of Women silences half the world—and stunts potential movements that could bring the Kingdom of God in a more full and complete way to the ends of the earth.

Lofty and heavy words, I know.

But, let me explain.

I didn’t know that I myself did NOT have a well-developed Theology of Women until I met Dr. Cynthia Hester.

We created our digital courses at the same time in a faith-based accountability group, and I watched as she turned her Ph.D thesis studying women in the church into a digital course for the every day person.

***Side note: Her course, Theology of Women Academy is open for the second round of enrollments, only until Friday, October 15, if you’re interested in developing your own theology of women. Highly recommend. ***

I grew up believing women weren’t allowed to lead men spiritually or to speak publicly teaching men spiritual things. The apostle Paul’s words in Timothy about women being silent, learning in submission, being deceived first, the words headship and submission seemed clear to me.

I remember my husband and I both thought I would be better suited to facilitate our church small group, both because of gifting, desire, and time. (Side note, he did not want to lead our small groups but we both believed he had to do it, so I played the role of a ‘shadow leader’, writing out the questions, thoughts, and plans and handing them off to him to be the voice).

Because he was a man.

And I was a woman.

Women could sing on stage on Sunday. But never give the sermon.

Women could teach women or children from the Bible, but not men.

Women on church staff could be called Directors, but not Pastors. 

I knew in the core of my being something was off about my practical application of women in the church—and that it bothered my soul at times—but I didn’t know why, what, or how to explain it.

Over the years, I’ve grown to know who I am in Christ. I’ve shed any spiritual inferiority the church (and myself) used to place on my contribution. After my book published, churches started asking me to teach on Sunday mornings. I knew intuitively God gave me something important, Spirit-filled, scriptural—and practical—to say, and so I said yes.

But I had never studied Biblically or historically why my views on women in the church shifted over the years and I certainly couldn’t explain those difficult passages, until I enrolled in the Theology of Women Academy.

We took a fascinating walk through history, studying women in the early church and through the centuries, and how political, societal, and patriarchical views in society influenced the churches view (and thus doctrine) about womens roles. I never realized that almost all Bible translations were completed by groups of men. Even the New Living Translation (my favorite translation of the Bible) only has 1 women out of 200 translators in the committee. We’ve missed out on the unique perspective women’s voices would bring to difficult translation decisions, and it then informs what turns into doctrine.

We also dove deep into what each of the different views, both those who would say that women cannot teach men and those that say that they can, had to say in the Bible. I felt encouraged to form my own views on what the Bible actually teaches and illustrates about women and their purposes in the Kingdom of God.

I thought you’d enjoy a glimpse into a few observations that are informing my still developing and growing Theology of Women.

❶ When God used the word helper (the Hebrew is ‘ezer’) to describe the woman he created for man in Genesis, we have traditionally looked at it as a subservient role, not really equal. But it is the same word used of God 66 times in Scripture. This ‘ezer’ speaks of God’s strength, power, and protection, help, and being a rescuer.

The word head (kephalē in Greek) literally means head, a part of the actual body, of which a body cannot exist. You must have a head and a body. In the first century head didn’t equate to authority, as we might think of it today. It referred to origin, something created firstly. This has unfortunate implications of male leadership or headship over women, both in church and marriages, instead of alongside women as partners, loving and serving each other.

❷ When studying Paul’s verses in Timothy regarding women being silent, and not being permitted to teach men, we must ask ourselves, “Was this a prohibition for all women in all churches for all time, or a particular command for a particular situation?”

Also, there was a common teaching in that day that because Eve was deceived first, she was weaker and couldn’t be trusted, and Adam was off the hook. What if Paul was repeating a common thought of the day in a sarcastic tone—in order to dispute it as illogical? Try re-reading this passage in this light, and see how it might come across. Oh the pain and silencing these verses have caused for so many women over the centuries, and how we’ve all missed out on women’s perspectives and prophetic teaching.

I was encouraged to see how controversial and complicated the interpretation of these few verses are among both egalitarians and complementarians alike. (I’m embarrassed to say that even though I went to a four-year private Christian university, I must have skipped those early morning classes on Biblical hermenuetics, and I didn’t even know those terms until I took Dr. Hester’s course, which explained them clearly!)

❸ When looking at Paul’s mention of women co-workers in the book of Romans, his obvious acceptance of women in spiritual leadership roles in practice doesn’t match the few controversial verses he wrote to Timothy.

Phoebe, “a deacon in the church in Cenchrea” (Romans 16:1-2) whom Paul also entrusted as the carrier of the letter to the Romans. In that culture, whomever delivered a letter also most likely explained and interpreted the letter to the receivers because that’s what carriers of letters did in that time. Sounds like what Sunday morning preachers do, right?

Junia, a feminine name, was “highly respected among the apostles” (Romans 16:7), as as an apostle, this meant she preached anywhere and everywhere to anyone. By the way, if I’d known about these rock star spiritual women before we had our own children, I’m sure we would have named them Phoebe and Junia, instead of Emily and Savannah!

Lydia, “she and her household were baptized” (Romans 16:15) and later “returned to the home of Lydia. They met with the believers and encouraged them once more” (Acts 16:40), implying that she may be one of the first house-church leaders. I also admire her even more knowing her as a fellow woman entrepreneur, “a seller of purple cloths” and that she hung out by the river praying, known as a woman who worshipped God.

Philip has four, unmarried daughters, “who prophesied” (Acts 21:9), and which it says to “eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:1), which is the teaching and interpretation of spiritual truths (and there is certainly no restriction for them on who they taught). Oh, I’m sure I would have been a groupie of these sisters, following them around with pen and paper, as they rocked the city with their (perhaps Enneagram 8?) charisma and spiritual wisdom.

❹ Jesus also encouraged women to speak, to lead spiritually.

The Samaritan woman at the well brought a whole city to Jesus with her evangelistic ferver. She is perhaps the first woman who started a movement of disciples to Jesus Christ because after she brought them to Jesus for a few days, “long enough for many more to hear his message and believe (John 4).

Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene found the empty tomb first—and commissioned by the angel of the Lord, ran to tell the others the Good News.

Another Mary, sister of Martha, sat at Jesus’ feet instead of serving dinner, along with the other disciples who followed him, learning right along with the men.

As my mind opens to new ideas found in scripture about women in spiritual leadership and women teaching and speaking, I never realized until now how much of myself I may have silenced in past years—and how dangerous a theology of women that excludes women from spiritual leadership is for the spreading of the Kingdom of God to the least-reached parts of the earth.

May we raise up and empower more wise women who are filled with God’s Spirit so that together, women and men, can lead side-by-side, expanding God’s Kingdom on earth, as they were commissioned to do in the Garden of Eden.