Viewpoint of Gifts
There is no assignment nor limits on usage of the Spiritual Gifts. Male or female you each will be given gifts according to the will of the Holy Spirit. How you use them is in part God's will and perhaps your own. But, use it wrong and do not expect to have it for long! It is the Holy Spirit's not yours!
Viewpoint of Ministry Opportunities
The word we use for Pastor from the Greek is the same as the one for Shepherd. So, it is a Biblical concept.
From the Reformation Movement, the Pastor was one of the serving Elders, hence the requirements listed in yesterday's article for an Elders as logically being applied to the office of Pastor..
My Take On This
The traditional viewpoint is un-Godly and insulting to anyone willing to study their Bible or is female!
I am sorry but the Roman Catholics got it wrong 1700 years ago.
1 Corinthians 11:2 - 16
In this chapter, Paul discusses the concept of hair and head covering for women.
11:5-- “but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head--it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved.”
First up, a woman prays... We are dealing with corporate worship in the church here. Not over breakfast, not at the grocery store, not behind the wheel of their car. They are in church and for what ever reason have been asked to pray.
And she is expected by Paul to have a Head Covering.
When my oldest daughter was in 10th grade, she was asked to say a prayer during the Sunday when the youth of the church took over all duties of the church. She asked what to do. So, I told her: "Write down your prayer so you can read it and then have a scarf on your shoulders to pull up over your head before you pray." Seemed easy enough. And because I am a Hutterite, this was to be considered quite normal. Because she had been exposed to Russian Orthodox, it again was quite normal to her, even though not done in our church. You also have to understand that she had not been out of a Russian orphanage all that long was still growing a head of hair.
That simple act of covering her head, you would have thought she had pulled off her blouse and bared herself, the reaction was that violent and so immediate to her prayer! And the elders decided to take me on, followed by the pastor and the head of the women's ministry. And we each proved to our own satisfaction the other quite wrong. (And I am still right ... :) )
I am sorry. But if she was to lead prayer during the service - she had to cover her head or just be in rebellion to God. (Don't yell at me yet, finish with this study first!)
Pretty simple really.
Still in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul mentions a woman prophesizing.
Prophesy has two definitions: to foretell and to forthtell.
Foretelling is what most people think of when the terms prophet or prophesy is brought up. Revealing the future has a means to draw the audience to God. Many will argue that this no longer exists and certainly the vast majority whom claim a gift of prophesy are full of themselves and not the Holy Spirit. (And yes, I can say I know of one whom has been 100% in his prophesies.)
Forthtelling is explaining what it is that God has done. Revealing His hands at work all around us. This is the role of the Pastor in your church!
So a woman, could very well be Forthtelling in the church service! But the traditionalist would not accept that she is fulfilling the role of Pastor! And she is told to have a Head Covering, in order to honor man and her God.
But, wait a minute! Paul just answered this whole battle right here - there are women pastors he recognizes! And if they are of God, they will cover their heads. Ah, but we have oh so much more to cover!
Pre-Christian Culture
Corinth had three temples to the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love, employing some one thousand temple prostitutes. The city was renowned for these temple prostitutes, who served the wealthy merchants and the powerful officials living in or traveling in and out of the city. It is thought that much of what Paul wrote concerning women in Corinth may well have been culturally relevant to Christian woman living in Corinth.
So, you are a Christian woman, you need to have long hair - the prostitutes were either bald or had very short hair. Then cover your hair when praying or prophesying (per above) to further distance yourself from the the prostitutes and their activities during their "services".
Christian Culture
The Roman Catholic Church took the stance that Paul's instructions for women in Corinth were for all women everywhere, across all time. This is based upon the concepts of:
- Verse 2 (παραδίδωμι, παραδόσις) indicates that Paul’s instruction is part of traditional doctrine that he was passing on to the Church. But Paul here does not give any details of the instruction. That is picked up in the rest of the passage.
- Verses 3-9 base this instruction on a theological hierarchy and on creation. God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of the man, the man is the head of the woman. It is important to note that Paul is in no way arguing for the inferiority of the woman to the man, for he roots his convictions in the Godhead. Christ is only functionally subordinate to the Father. The wife, then, is functionally subordinate to the husband, but in no way positionally inferior.
- Verse 10 bases the woman’s symbol of subordination on a fine point concerning a witness to angels of man's authority or personal submission.
- Verses 13-15 roughly constitute an argument from nature.
- Verse 16 is an argument from the collective wisdom of the church universal, for Christians elsewhere have no other practice.
The point being - woman are to cover their heads in some manner.
Modern Culture
Today, however, the situation is quite different, at least in the West. For a woman to wear a head covering
would seem to be a distinctively humiliating experience. Many
women--even biblically submissive wives--resist the notion precisely
because they feel awkward and self-conscious. But the head covering in
Paul’s day was intended only to display the woman’s subordination, not
her humiliation. Today, ironically, to require a head covering for women
in the worship service would be tantamount to asking them to shave
their heads! The effect, therefore, would be just the opposite of what
Paul intended. Thus, in attempting to fulfill the spirit of the
apostle’s instruction, not just his words, some suitable substitute
symbol needs to be found. And that answer lay within the realm of the culture to which you are member of.
So, as with most controversy within the Christian body of believers, we have the duty to study all issues, consider all things in prayer and then understand that we represent God - not ourselves or our desires - before all whom surround us. With that comes the requirement:
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise", Ephesians 5:15
“You became obedient from the heart to that pattern of teaching to which you were committed”, Romans 6:17
What is wisdom when considering the idea of women in the pastorate?
For some it is a resounding "NO" and God becomes limited in that church to the narrow viewpoint of subjugation of women.
For some it is a resounding "YES" and God is free to use whom He cares to in that church, assuming that those people for whatever positions they are being considered for, they are Biblically qualified for!
As for the entire issue of head coverings ... We do not live in a culture where they are expected nor respected. Personally because of my early Hutterite days, yes I think they are appropriate for females personally - whether your church practices this or not. This something which is between you and God, if you are female. If you are male - shut your mouth and let the women decide for themselves! This is not a matter of "maturity" or "special revelation"! It is their testimony of their faith in God, of their submission, not yours ...
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