Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Women's Discipleship: An Accidental Issue

This paper was prepared fro my Ed.D. seminar at SEBTS on Spiritual Disciplines and Discipleship.
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As the Church approaches the topic of discipleship it is clear there are many current models, and with those models, problems, within the realm of Christendom (Wilkins, 11-20). These various approaches to discipleship have created a difficult landscape to navigate for even the well-educated and well-informed. Yet those who have been either forcefully or accidentally pushed to the fringes of Christendom this landscape of discipleship becomes nearly impossible to navigate.
            More specifically within the Southern Baptist tradition of evangelical Christianity, the discipleship of such fringe groups can become a major argumentative piece. For while it is desired by all that all peoples should be discipled, in practice, whether it be accidentally or intentional, these fringe groups are simply left undiscipled. The fringe group that this paper sets out to deal with is women.
            Women have sadly become a fringe group where discipleship is concerned. This may not at first glance seem to be an issue what with various women’s ministries, mother’s Bible study times and the like, but it is devastatingly true that by-in-large women’s discipleship has been accidentally overlooked.
            This paper’s intent is to outline the issues as seen through the eyes of women. Interviews have been conducted, books and dissertations read, and various opinions developed to provide a fuller picture of the issues readily prevalent in the arena of women’s discipleship.
            As a side: I, the writer, am a man. I do not personally know these struggles, nor do I fully understand their implications in the lives of women. Nonetheless, as a fellow heir with these women, it is necessary to call out what even I, a semi-sheltered man, can plainly see.
            Before beginning, this paper needs an outline to follow more closely. First, this paper will delve into the perceived issues within women’s discipleship; second, look at the understood model of women’s discipleship in many churches; third and lastly, the implications these types of understandings can, and I believe have, had on the culture.
            At our heart, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) attempts to be complimentarian in our approach to the issues of gender as presented in the culture. What this means is that we, the body of Christ, as men and women complement each other in the roles that we inhabit within our gender. The SBC discusses its stance on gender roles in article 18 of The Baptist Faith and Message and many entities use the Danvers Statement of 1987 to further develop this topic. In order to continue on properly, the Danvers Statement’s first through forth, sixth and seventh points are here quoted as they deal primarily with the topic at hand.
We have been moved in our purpose by the following contemporary developments which we observe with deep concern:
1. The widespread uncertainty and confusion in our culture regarding the complementary differences between masculinity and femininity;
2. the tragic effects of this confusion in unraveling the fabric of marriage woven by God out of the beautiful and diverse strands of manhood and womanhood;
3. the increasing promotion given to feminist egalitarianism with accompanying distortions or neglect of the glad harmony portrayed in Scripture between the loving, humble leadership of redeemed husbands and the intelligent, willing support of that leadership by redeemed wives;
4. the widespread ambivalence regarding the values of motherhood, vocational homemaking, and the many ministries historically performed by women;
6. the upsurge of physical and emotional abuse in the family;
7. the emergence of roles for men and women in church leadership that do not conform to Biblical teaching but backfire in the crippling of Biblically faithful witness…
            Answering the ever shifting nature of culture, this statement seeks to maintain the correct understanding of biblical manhood and womanhood by promoting a deep understanding of what is outlined in Scripture. However, it seems, unknowingly we have negated many women in our attempts at discipleship. These issues are not caused by the above portions of the Danvers Statement; they are evidenced by it.
            There is nothing within the Danvers Statement which is unbiblical, rather it is the examples it portrays that reveal an issue. For while it does mention the problems of feminism, it is what the Statement leaves out that gives evidence of our accidental problem. There is no mention of the likewise problematic chauvinism. These two things, chauvinism and feminism are both problems to the ideal complementarian.
            For the longest time I thought I was supposed to submit to all men because all I heard was that wives were to submit to their husbands,” one woman revealed in a group interview. These two statements combined, the quote and the few statements from the Danvers Statement, begin to show that within evangelical Christianity we have accidentally created a male-centered approach to our ministry techniques and our understanding of doctrine.
            Similarly, Carolyn Curtis James in her book “When Life and Beliefs Collide” quotes a seminary professor as saying, “You know, there have never been any great women theologians” (James, 18). She spends the rest of her book explaining why this is an untruth, why there are many great women theologians and what the implications are for modern day women. Two women interviewed for this paper said this book is where they first felt “finally understood” and free to study God in depth for the first time (group interview, February 18, 2016).
            The main issue women are facing in the realm of discipleship is a systematized approach by which women are understood in three main categories. The categorization reflects the already understood problem many singles face in their approach to discipleship, namely, they do not, or might not fit the church’s prescribed outline.
            The outline proceeds as follows: first, an individual within the church is part of the youth ministry, followed by the college ministry, if they are still single, they join the young professional’s ministry, if they are married, the young married ministry. This progression is an ideal, it covers all stages of life in some capacity. But the majority of the churches in the SBC cannot sustain or offer the ideal, as the average SBC church has 80 people in attendance (Jones, 40). Thus many are left without a category in their church.
            While singles are a primary area where there is a lack of discipleship ministry opportunities, it is young single women who are, more than likely, accidentally overlooked. They are typically overlooked because they do not fit the mold of where they are expected to be in their given stage of life (unmarried college graduate), so they are left looking.
            The categories discovered via interview reveal three main sections of how women are expected to grow: single, married or mother. These stages are viewed as building on one another. This is to mean, the single women is discipled to be a good wife, the young married women is discipled to be a good mother, the mother is continually disciplined on how to be a good wife and mother. Once motherhood is attained most discipleship models level off, circling back around on topics related to being a good wife or mother.
            Debi Pearl writes on her understanding of the wife’s role in her book “Created to Be His Help Meet.” She aims at combatting the same principles the Danvers Statement sets out to combat, that of women being spiritual authority saying,

“Your husband, dud that he may ‘appear’ to be, is appointed by God to be your immediate Superior Officer in the chain of command. Your position under him is where God put you for your own spiritual, emotional, and physical safety. It is the only position where you will find real fulfillment as a woman” (Pearl, 117).

            This, however, is not an accidental problem. Pearl is clear about where a woman flourishes, under the authority of a husband, and nowhere else. But the issue here is that a large swath of women are left behind, these are the single women who either remain single after the culturally acceptable age or have theological aspirations that do not conform to the typical model.
            In addition to this, “Most women's ministry leaders within churches are volunteers. Few church staff positions exist for full-time or part-time women's ministry leaders. Mentoring is not an element of the women's ministry leader's job description…” (Allen, 91). Therefore, the breakdown for single women that is different than the issues single men face is that the possibility of being discipled in any capacity is greatly diminished as the positions are not inhabited by full-time staff members, but rather volunteers.
            For many single women the issues faced within the church feel insurmountable and leave them either frustrated or seeking discipleship elsewhere. Men face a different experience. It is possible for a man to be brought under the discipleship care of the – or a – pastor, an opportunity not wise, and thus unavailable for many single women.  
            Similarly, Dr. Denise O’Donoghue found that when there is a lack of communication through the church body as a whole, the establishment of intergenerational relationships necessary for discipleship are greatly limited (O’Donoghue, 99-102). It is thus imperative that the disruption of women’s discipleship be addressed from the pastoral level in order to begin to find a remedy.
            It is important to look at what can be some of the issues created by the accidental problem. Firstly, returning to Carolyn Curtis James’ professor’s quote from above, “You know, there have never been any great women theologians.” This statement, is an outworking of the overlooking of women’s discipleship, and in direct correlation to the Danvers Statement’s accidental oversight of including the dangers of chauvinism. To assume there have never been great women theologians is to overlook many who have been not simply academic theologians but practical theologians in the mundane of everyday life. As James goes on to say, “… All Christian women are theologians…[and] it truly matters whether [they are] good one[s]” (James, 19).
            Continuing on, Dr. Thom Rainer wrote about six reasons women leave the church. Three of the reasons deal directly with discipleship issues: 1) they are overworked, 2) they do no feel valued, 3) they are relationally hurt (Rainer). If women’s ministries are only volunteer positions then the cycle of lack of women’s discipleship will continue for the ability for one to train up some who can train up others will, in all reality, never occur. If women do not feel valued, or worse are not valued in truth, there is nothing to keep them within a discipleship model, whatever that model might be. And lastly, if women’s relational needs are not taken into consideration they will remain hurt, which if left unchecked could turn into bitterness and sin.
            If a woman is not discipled effectively within the church because of the three stage current model or because any other problem, she will be forced to look elsewhere. For example, if she simply does not fit into the sage categories and has little theological aspiration the society or culture at large will become her discipler. On the other hand, if she does have theological aspirations, she will be left frustrated and/or possibly looking to unorthodox sects of Christianity.
            If the society or culture becomes the main influencing force on women who have not been discipled within the church it cannot be surprising if they leave the church. What is more, it cannot be an odd occurrence if they began to look like the culture. As for the single women with theological aspirations, they are left to flounder trying to change the ridged, though broken system.
            It is of vast importance that the church seeks to provide women with a proper discipleship model where a woman can behold God. “We become what we behold... Therefore, the only way to prevent a distortion of womanhood is by encouraging women to behold their God—to taste and see that he is good—and to search out his Word to learn of reason after reason after reason to give him praise. We ought to tremble at the thought of encouraging women to do anything else” (Poblete). If women are not given a picture of what is worth beholding in the church, there is no reason they will not find it elsewhere.
            Women are in need of the whole story of Scripture. They are image bearers of God (Frame, 228), and as such it is of the utmost importance that the accidental problem of overlooking women’s discipleship be remedied. The cost of not doing so are being reaped now, because nearly an entire generation of women have not discipled or been discipled. Women need all of Scripture and not just sections,

“…Because focusing on narrow passages can blind us to the work of God in the rest of Scripture. There is potential to flatten our faith and stunt our growth. It can make us biblically illiterate or eventually twist our understanding of God’s work in the gospel. It does this by setting the passage in focus up and above the work of Christ in the gospel. It puts us at risk of almost pitting Scripture against Scripture. (Simms)”
             
Therefore, while Titus 2, 1 Peter 3 and Ephesians 5 are important in understand a women’s role, they are not definitive in understanding a women’s Christianity. “God gives to women the same spiritual gifts he gives to men” (Greear). What is more, theology is not taught in many women’s ministries because it is not seen as important in relation to the lists developed in the above cited passages and if it is discussed it is discussed in relation to 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 that, “…Women should keep silent in churches.” However, and once again, this leaves single women to be untaught and undiscipled.
It is clear, the Christian church has an accidental problem. We have neglected the discipling of women in general and single women in particular. It is clear that the women must be taught solid theology, not just from men, but from other women because it is vitality important for a woman’s relationship with God.
What is more is that those who fit the stereotype of Christian woman (fitting all categorical stages and cultural expectations) should not be looked on in a cookie-cutter fashion or with disdain. Women, in all sectors of life and at every point of categorization need to be discipled according to who they are and toward whom God is making them to be. This requires differentiation on the part of the discipler. The Church cannot think that just because a woman is part of the stereotype that they conform to the rules of the stereotype.
Therefore, due to an accidental problem we need to rethink how we approach women’s discipleship. Too many single women are being left to be discipled by the culture, and too many good singles, mothers and wives are being left to understand God in unorthodox ways because they are not being taught good theology from their pastors or their women’s ministries.

If as a community of believers we do not seek to build up women who are capable of being good theologians, we will continue to see the decline in the attendance of Southern Baptist churches. Women are created in the image of God and should know God as he knows them, intimately. Additionally, women are, in many Southern Baptist homes, the primary teachers of Southern Baptist children, these women should be fully trained up to bear the gospel of truth about their God of truth to their children.

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