Today’s Scripture Reading (February 6,
2015): 1 Timothy 1 & 2
If there was a list of the most sexist men in history, to be honest and
despite of what you may have heard, the Apostle Paul probably wouldn’t even
come close to the list. There are just too many male chauvinist examples to
choose from. The rise of the equality of woman is a relatively recent
historical event. And I recognize that as a male writing on this subject, I am
doing nothing but inviting criticism. But anything written more than 200 years
ago is likely to contain views on what a woman should or should not do that
would be out of step with what is culturally acceptable today. (Okay, I don’t
have to go back that far, just returning to television programs from the 1950’s
is enough show how drastically our cultural mores have change with regard to
sexism.) And if I want to travel to other parts of this world that we share, I
can see a drastically different idea of what it is to be a woman even in today’s
world just by changing my geography. So the problem we face is simply one of
translation, recognizing that what is right for me right now, may not be right
for others who are displaced by either time or space. In the cartoon, neither of
these woman would have been comfortable wearing what the other woman is wearing
- and many other women would be in favor of an alternative that is in between.
So Paul
writes to Timothy, a young Pastor in training, words that if they are taken
directly into our culture in our century can be viewed as nothing but sexist. It
is hard to write on anything in this chapter without entering into the sexism
debate. And even if the words, like the ones in this verse, sound like maybe
they aren’t that bad, if we dig down to the core of what is being said, the
sentiment is foreign and offensive to the culture in which I live. In this
verse, Paul is saying that men – and only men – should pray in every
circumstance in which they find themselves. And that they should do so without
the male sense of competition that seems to infect everything that men do. And
this is not suggested by Paul, it is commanded and demanded by Paul. According
to these words from Paul to this young pastor in training, there is no other
way that is acceptable in the day to day life of the church – none.
But this was
in part just the culture from which Paul and the Christian Church had emerged. There is nothing that is found in the writings
of Paul that would not have been echoed, and often magnified, by other secular
writers within the prevailing culture. The world of Paul is not our world, as
hard as that sometimes is to understand. And our cultural understanding is very
different from the cultural understanding that has existed throughout most of
recorded history. Our views on the equality of the sexes, which makes so much
sense to us, is still the minority view. And that is not likely to change soon.
But, if
actions truly speak louder than words, then maybe we need to read the words of
Paul, but see his actions – because at least in this area the two don’t seem to
be matching up. While Paul speaks of a male led and male dominate church
culture, a read through his letters reveal the important role of women fulfilled
throughout his ministry – even getting mentions within his very public letters,
something that was almost unheard of outside of Paul. And, at least in the case
of Priscilla but probably others as well, Paul had surrounded himself with
female leaders. And Paul seemed to understand that the church, while
ministering at that moment in time to a male dominated culture, needed to pass
beyond that culture and toward one that was dominated by a male-female
equality.
And Paul’s
actions would propel the church in just that direction. There have been many
women who have played an integral part in the development of the Christian
Church. And while we may study the words and teachings of the Desert Fathers
who lived a couple of centuries after Paul, we need to understand that there
were Desert Mothers as well. The church owes a debt of appreciation for all of
the women who have ministered in the church throughout its history. We would
not be the same without them.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1
Timothy 3 & 4
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