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Priscilla Papers "Priscilla and Aquila instructed Apollos more perfectly in the way of the Lord"

Volume 4, Number 4

Fall, 1990

ISSN I0890-753X

SPEAKING UP for Women Without a Voice

by Mariana Ruybalid Despite first-hand experi£nce with cerebral palsy, LaJin America Mission missionary Mariana Ruybalid lives alone, drives a car and is able to walk short distances on level ground. She aspires to be a positive role model for people with physical limitations, as well as a voice for those who have no voice.

It had not been easy for me, with poor balance, to reach Lisa's home. I had to cross a drainage ditch, go up six stairs, through the narrow living room and kitchen, over another ditch and then up a slight incline. Two more rickety stairs led into the two-room shack. I now understood why the Costa Rican woman seldom left her bed. Lisa often suffered great pain due to arthritis, so the short distance would be tortuous. It would take two strong men to carry her. Looking at Lisa's home, I also now realized the difficult circumstances in which she lived. The shack's walls were made of wood and cardboard, and a cold wind blew between the gaps, which were covered with bright material. Five relatives shared the tight living space. Because Lisa originally came from another Central American country-even poorer than Costa Rica-she was unable to receive the medi cal care that she needed. And the other family members, not able to get work permits, earned less than minimum wage. Lisa welcomed my visit. I had come to an nounce that the groups for women with physical

limitations, which started the year before, were beginning again. I had come with time to listen, and Lisa had much to share. We prayed together.

An unreached minority At least 10% of the people in developing countries have functional limitations, said a 1984 World Health Organization report. Of these, women and girls receive proportionately less food, less education and less opportunity. Women with physical limitations are the poorest of the poor. People with physical limitations in the U.S. have access to education, rehabilitation services, jobs and, where work is not feasible, Social Security benefits. But in Central America, the person with physical limitations must be sup ported by his or her family. This presents an intolerable hardship for some families. So it's not unusual to see physically limited people begging or selling lottery tickets. Quite a few families abandon their children having limitations. A parent will take the mal nourished or sick child to a hospital, give a false address and then never come back. The crowded institutions for these children are often quite humane. However, they provide little training for staff workers, who consequently do not provide the children with stimulation and individual attention. Costa Rica has made education and health a priority for its citizens. But is has only one

medical rehabilitation center, where there is such a demand for services that it can take a year to get an appointment. Persons with physical limitations are severely segregated. In a society with severe economic and social problems, much remains to be done. And the voices of these disadvantaged people are just begin ning to be heard. During my ftrst few years in Costa Rica, I worked with a variety of rehabilitation organizations to gain a picture of the conditions and needs of people with physical limitations. Currently I run two support groups for women with physical limitations at the National Council for Rehabilitation and Special Education. I also provide technical advice at Hogar Luz, a home for aban doned children with cerebral palsy and/or mental retardation. And I work with a Costa Rican agency that is trying to unite and fortify the various groups that work in behalf of people with physicallimita tions. I am here as a missionary for several reasons. First, I believe that all people, whether or not they have an obvious limitation, are created in the image and likeness of God and they are loved by him. Second, I believe that people need role models who have obvious limitations. Third, Christians must be a voice for those who have no voice.

the street without even asking if they want to go across or what is the best way to help them. Sometimes when it seems like I'm struggling with some tasks, I can use help. At other times, I have my method down and don't need help. The only way to tell the difference is to ask me. Finally, Jesus listened. In our busy world, no one has time to listen. In the groups for women with physical limitations, I have learned that listening is my most important task. From listening, I've learned their struggles, dreams and joys. By listening, we affIrm people- that they are worthwhile and that their words are worth listening to.

The church's role The Bartimaeus account as described in the book of Luke ends by saying, "Immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When the people saw it, they also praised God." We need to encourage people to know Jesus and to follow him. The one with severe limitations can praise God, if not in word, then with his or her attitude. It may take years of discipleship and spiritual support for the person with a functional limitation to reach this point. Many must go through a mourning process, leading to their acceptance of their limitation. Family members tend to overprotect or reject the person with obvious limitations, so they also may need to go through a mourning process. The church can provide the spiritual support for people, whatever their loss. Just as it can be a loving community for one who has lost a spouse or who is suffering from cancer or going through a divorce, it can help a person overcome their anger or bitterness due to a functional limitation. When a person with an obvious limitation takes an active role in a worshiping community, he or she is praising God, who works wonders in our lives. Others will see it and praise God.

How to help People in the U.S. often ask me what they can do for those with physical limitations. While there are no set rules, we can learn from Jesus' encounter with the blind man, Bartimaeus, as found in the book of Mark. (Actually, Christ's example applies to helping anyone, with or without an obvious limitation. We all have limitations, which is why I use that word.) Jesus found himself in a large crowd en route to Jerusalem, yet he took time to stop and speak per sonally with the blind man. Likewise, we must start by getting to know people and treating them as individuals. Next, Jesus had the person brought to him. Often people with physical limitations do not attend church because they have no way of getting there. Then Jesus asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?" Sometimes we assume that we know what people need without asking them. We need to ask. Friends with vision problems have told me that people often grab their arms and drag them across

Mariana Ruybalid serves under the Latin American Evangelical Center for Pastoral Studies in Costa Rica. She has a BA. in Math and Philosophy and Master degrees in Operations Research and Psychology. Before joining LAM in 1983, she counseled and taught tndepen dent living skills at the Center for 1ndependent Living in Berkeley, CA. Reprinted by pennission from Latin America Evangelist. July-September 1988.

Jesus and the Ministry ofWoDlen by the Reverend Dr. Roberta Hestenes President of Eastern College, St. Davids, PA Nonetheless, ~ woman wanted to know about God and so she pushed Jesus. Jesus an swered her: He revealed himself as the sent one, the anointed one, the Messiah of God. How did she respond? The text tells us that she became an evangelist: She left her water jar and went back to her village. Many of the Sa maritans from that town believed in Christ be cause of her testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." There are many models of ministry. Women are as diverse as men in the patterns of ministry they follow. But let's look at the response of this one woman to Jesus to learn more about the place of women in ministry. She left her water jar. Sometimes when you engage in the service of Christ, you can't continue on with business as usual. This woman had come out to draw water, but something more important happened. So she left her normal afternoon activity and went into town. But she didn't carry her water pot back with her; it would have been in the way. Apparently she wasn't what we call a "Super woman." That's the woman who tries to do it all-the traditional and the new. She's the one who works 18 hours a day so that no one will be offended and so that her work outside the home won't interfere with anything her husband wants to do. And pretty soon she has droopy wings because she is exhausted. Not so the Samaritan woman. She left her water pot because she has something else on her mind. She went back to her own village. That's important because sometimes the most difficult place to do ministry is the place where you know the people and they know you the best. We think that it would be easier to make a fresh start some place where people won't know us or have pre conceptions about us. We carry around the

"Then leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?' They came out of the town and made their way toward him... Many of the Samaritans from the town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did'." (John 4:28-30, 39, NN) Her name is lost. We do not have the name of the fIrst public evangelist in the Christian move ment. We have the names of Peter and Andrew and Barnabas and Stephen and Paul, but we do not have her name. We only know her as the woman at the well, the woman of Samaria. She had come to draw water. Then Jesus asked, "Will you give me a drink?' And the woman said, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" She had a question. She was curious. Jesus had broken the norms of the culture and she pushed forward to fInd out why. She was not passive. She was not pondering inwardly. When she wanted to know something, she went for it. Now this woman knew that she had three strikes against her. The fIrst one was that she was a Samaritan, a minority person within the majority Jewish culture. Strike one: wrong race. Secondly, she had five previous husbands and was living with a man now to whom she wasn't married. Strike two: wrong morals. Thirdly (and three strikes and you're out), she was a woman. Wise men-teachers, rabbis, men who cared about their reputations--didn 't talk to women in public. It wasn't the thing to do. Besides, to have a serious conversation with a woman in public was a waste of time because generally speaking a woman was considered incapable of really understanding the deeper things. So you might talk to her about the house and the children and the water. But about God?

community, to men and women, and both re sponded to her ministry. There's also the assumption that women's ministry should be primarily centered in the home, with the possible exception of the congre gation as an extension of the home. But this women's particular ministry was to the commu nity, to the broader network of social relation ships. She spoke to the townspeople, not just to family members. A third assumption is that all ministry of women is to be hidden and quiet. Yet this woman's ministry was public and verbal. In fact, she substantially disrupted the normal routine. There was nothing quiet or hidden about what she did! A fourth assumption that is often made about women is that their ministry should always be indirect or through others. But this Samaritan woman had a direct ministry. She had an experi ence with Iesus Christ and it was changing her life. It was challenging her and she shared that experience immediately and directly and, as a result, she had an impact on her whole commu nity.

baggage of our reputations and fear that people couldn't possibly take us seriously in our new callings because they have known us for years. But this woman went back to her village. That was the place of her ministry. It was the place where she would have the most impact because her changed life would be most visible in the context of her reputation. There you could really tell whether or not what she was saying had the ring of truth to it She issued an invitation. The form of this invitation was "come and see." She didn't impose what she had found on others; she invited. And then she gave a witness: "Here's a man who has done something different, who has told me everything about myself, who has broken through all the stereotypes and misconceptions. Could this be the Christ?" That's good persuasion. Give a witness, issue an invitation, and leave the audience with a question. That's the best kind of evangelism. A good evangelist is a person who introduces people to Jesus Christ so they can get directly related to him as they find out for themselves the truth of what He says.

No Place for Our Gifts

Stereotypes Challenged As we look at the story of this first evangelist, this woman of Samaria, we find that it challenges several stereotypes about women in ministry. Even though the New Testament is permeated throughout with a diversity of models for women in ministry, all too often when we look at our congregations there is the assumption that all women would fit into one mold, one box. In Scripture, however, we have everything from the team ministry of Priscilla and Aquilla and the prophetic ministry of Phillip's daughters to women who were leaders of house churches, those who left their families and itinerated with Jesus, and those who were businesswomen and seamstresses. One of the common misconceptions about women in ministry is that all women's ministry should be centered in children. However, this Samaritan woman spoke to the adults of her

I know a young woman who is the fastest rising executive in her large bank. She is a senior vice-president at the age of 34, now in charge of marketing for the Southwest. That means she has Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and California as her territory for this large, multiple chain bank. This woman handles millions of dollars every day and makes decisions which affect thousands of people. Several months ago she went to the annual meeting of her local congregation, at which they were debating whether or not the first woman could be elected as a deacon in that congregation and sit on the governing counsel. In that debate, five men stood up and com mented on why women could not be elected to the office of deacon. One noted that women cannot think as clearly as men. A second said that women are not used to working with money and

Surprisingly, that was not what I found. It was the 50-year-old woman, whom sociologists characterize as the "re-entry woman," who ex pressed the most interest and who evidenced the most stress. Her children have grown and left home and, at age 50, her life expectancy is at least 25 more years. So what can she do with her life? One woman I know went to her pastor after her children had left home. This is a woman who had taught Sunday School for 20 years, been president of the woman's association three times. She had done everything that she knew how to do in her church. So she went to her pastor and said, "My chil dren have left home, we have enough income so that I do not have to work and I would like to give my life in meaningful service. What could I do in this church?" Do you know what he said to her? "Every Tuesday we have a need for someone to lick the envelopes for the church mailing and we could really use some help with that."

are not competent in that area and therefore cannot handle decisions about the church budget. The third charged that women who were "real" women and not "women's libbers" wouldn't want the position anyway. A fourth man observed that women never have been leaders and decision makers in the history of the church, so why start now? Finally a man who acknowledged that women were really important in the life of the congregation and said the church surely couldn't go on without them, wondered why there were trouble makers now trying to bring up this issue. That night the congregation voted not to elect women as deacons, and my executive vice president friend came to talk to me. "I love my church," she said, "but apparently they do not believe that I as a woman have anything to give them. I can't use my gifts there. What shall I do?"

The Gifts for Women as Well as Men One of the challenges to the church today is to have the eyes to see and the heart to respond to what God has done in calling and gifting women as part of the body of Christ. As you read the passages in Scriptures on gifts (Ephesians 4, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter 4), you don't find a word that suggests that the spiritual gifts which God gives to the church for the com mon good, for the building up of the body of Christ, are to be divided along sexual lines. And as you look at the evidence in the New Testament church, you see that the gifts-from prophecy to evangelism, from teaching to helps and exhortation-were being used by women as well as men. But will the church today acknowledge what God by the Spirit has done and is doing: calling, gifting, empowering and sending forth women? Among the challenges facing the church today is that of the changing woman within the church. Some years ago I had opportunity in a congrega tion of 1800 members to speak to each of the eight fellowship groups. I talked about the chang ing woman and expected to find the most interest in the younger ages, because this issue has im pacted those under 40 the most.

That woman walked out of her church very depressed. Is there nothing that the church has for an older woman to do but win the cook-off contest at the church potluck? Did God put minds and energy and gifts in these women, only for it to be wasted? There's a ministry in the home which is a valued and important one. In fact, the New Testament church is founded upon it: house churches meeting in front rooms, doors open wide. Come on in-sit down-no worry about what things look like, or how much they impress other people. But the focus is on people, relation ships. And there's a ministry in the neighborhood, in the congregation and in the community. The location of ministry is not the crucial factor. It is vocation within the location. Why am I where I am? And what am I going to do in that place? The church needs to deploy its women in ministry. It is impossible to grow in the Christian life if you are not involved in Christian service. Ministry is essential for Christian growth. It is a response to the love of God, and gives meaning

and dignity to life. To fail to use women in ministry is to shut them out of the path of growth as followers of Christ. Another challenge facing the church today is the fact that the woman outside the church has changed and is changing. By and large the church is in danger of losing the working woman and this loss is one of the great tragedies of our age. Over 58 percent of all American women are working for pay outside the home. Yet our women's associations, our sermons, our programs are built on the assumptions that the woman who sits in the pew is the "traditional" woman. Sadly, as long as that is our assumption, the other women won't be there. There's no place in all too many churches for the career woman who is committed to her career, the young career-committed couple, the couple who has decided not to have children, the woman on welfare, or the poor woman who has always had to work and for whom the idea of deciding whether or not to work is only an upper-class dream. Notice Jesus and the Samaritan woman. When the disciples came and saw that Jesus had been talking with her, the text says they were aston ished but they didn't ask any questions. I think the gospel writer wants us to see the contrast between Jesus' ministry style and that of

affirms Mary's maternity. However, Jesus' answer in the Greek form is adversarial. "He replied, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it' ." (NIV) Mary is blessed, Christ said, because she obeyed the word of God after hearing it. She is honored because she was an obedient disciple of Jesus Christ. That's what is important. In The Cost ofDiscipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "When Jesus calls a man He bids him come and die." I wonder what Jesus bids a woman do when he calls her? Bake more cookies? Lick the envelopes? Work in the nursery? Sew curtains? There's a world out there, a world full of hurting, needy, lost and lonely people, and the ministry of women is part of God's answer to that hurting world. So when Jesus calls a woman, he calls her to come and die as well: to take up her cross, to follow, to serve. When the church truly follows Jesus, it will call women to the fullness of what God has called them to: to all the diversity, to all the possibilities of service that are there. :\:~ut\::\\[lH[:[:[:~]:JH[[U::Hm?fr tt?</\\\/(;:tn<)H:::::::/t)t):/}HJfH\r]\\\\\\\\i?~~~rftf~;~\U~!~~~fr)f>(

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the disciples. Jesus listened to the woman of Samaria, heard her questions, took them seriously. He didn't ridicule them, he didn't talk down to her. He listened to her, and in listening he helped her know herself better than she ever had before. The disciples wouldn't even ask the Samari tan woman a question. They wouldn't dialogue with her. They didn't think she was important enough for that. But Jesus engaged in a conversa tion with a woman who was an outcast in her culture. He saw her for what she really was: A In Luke 11 :27 and 28 there is an interesting passage in which a woman in the crowd cries out to Jesus as he is moving along: "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." She wants to affmn the ministry of Mary so she

CHRISTIAN REFORMED SYNOD OPENS ALL

churches to use the gifts of women. The decision doesn't fully endorse the women." For a segment (size unknown) of the denomi nation, synod's action is very painful. Many pray these wounds will be healed by a reversal in 1992. Myron Rau, president of the Kalamazoo, Michi gan, chapter of the Committee of Concerned Members of the CRC, said, "If the denomination does not go back to where we were before, then we must leave." This group has no official stand ing in the denomination but is trying to establish a grass roots movement to reverse the decision. The Christian Reformed Church is a small (315,000 members/8oo churches), conservative denomination that confesses the infallibility of God's Word. It strives to exegete the Bible with thorough research and meticulous care. The study committee that presented its report (two years in the making) to Synod '90 examined the work of all the previous committees: the meaning of office and ordination ('73), cultural issues ('73), principles of interpretation ('78), and headship ('84 and '90). "The issue," the commit tee said, "is less a lack of clarity than a lack of consensus." Without recommendation, the com mittee presented to synod a biblical case both fm: and a~ainst the notion that male headship (the last remaining barrier to opening all offices to women) extends from marriage to the church. It suggested only that the report be submitted to the churches for further study. The advisory committee (at synod) reviewed the report and urged synod to "act decisively now" because "six studies and 17 years have not invalidated the conclusion reached by the first study committee in 1973, namely 'that the prac tice of excluding women from offIce cannot be conclusively defended on biblical grounds'." It is, the committee concluded, "a church order issue" and not a "doctrinal or confessional issue." In agreeing with this committee, Synod '90, by a vote of 99 to 84, made history for the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Rev. Galen Meyer, editor of The Banner (the CRC's official weekly magazine) wrote, "I couldn't help but notice... that the delegates [all men, of course] who spoke in favor of women

OFFICES TO WOMEN by Lillian V. Grissen The Christian Reformed Church in North America, meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at its anhual June Synod, opened the offices of elder, minister, and evangelist to women. The office of deacon has been open to women for several years. The synod approved the right of churches to "use their discretion in utilizing the gifts of women members in all the offices of the church," wording which allows churches to implement synod's decision but does not force them. Christian Reformed Church order requires that a second synod ratify any major change that affects the denomination. Synod 1992 will vote again, but few leaders expect that this year's ruling will be reversed. The decision came as a stunning surprise to most observers. Many women who have worked diligently to attain this goal did not attend this synod because they expected another denial. Donna J. Sieplinga, CW-CRC president said, "I am happy and I am completely surprised. Yet, my joy is not unmixed with some sadness-that it took this long." Rev. Neva Evenhouse, minis ter of counseling and small groups, at Christ Memorial Church, Holland, Michigan, a member of the Reformed Church of America (RCA), was shocked, delighted, and affinned when she heard the news. Evenhouse is one of more than three dozen women who have left the CRC in order to pursue their calling. "I felt affirmed," she said. "All along I have felt right about my decision to become an ordained minister, and this synod's action has affirmed my decision." However, Joan Flikkema, executive director of the Committee for Women in the Christian Reformed Church (CW-CRC) and since its inception the voice of the committee, com mented, "I wasn't surprised, and I am glad for the women who have long sought affIrmation. But I regret that the synod did not challenge all the

elders, ministers, and evangelists did so with great passion. To them the issue was more than a question of biblical interpretation that turned on some particular henneneutic. It was often a matter of personal experience. They talked of wives and daughters and those women's pain of feeling left out." (7/2/90, p. 5) The editor of The Banner wrote, "Synod 1990 did not make its decision carelessly, however. I think the church ought to know that. Delegates prayed often during their deliberations, genuinely seeking the will of God. They prayed in a spirit of unity and respect for each other, despite their finn and differing points of view." Nellie Vander Ark, a retired teacher and the only woman on the committee to study headship, spoke to synod. She said, "I never learned [in childhood] about a tricky God who endows you and then does not allow you to use what you have been given... This is not a time to be liberal, but a time to be liberated." (Banner, 7/2/90 p. 7) Many synod observers believe that frequent prayers, open minds, persuasive speeches and, most of all, the blessing of the Holy Spirit, made this milestone possible.

OF FURTHER INTEREST: During the Moderator's Address to the 10th General Assembly of The Evangelical Presbyterian Church, June 25, 1990, Moderator Dr. Andrew A. Jumper made these comments: "One of the issues thatfaces many Reformed denominations is that of the role of women. The Christian Reformed Church, meeting in Grand Rapids just last week, has been struggling with this issue/or many years. Interestingly enough, they have just acted to take exactly our stance on this issue, giving local congregations the option to decide whether or not to elect women. Let me add, as I wrote in my printed report to you, that in my opinion, any denomination that denies women a role in the leadership of the chwch will be pushed aside by the stream of history."

The "Wornan" of Augustine of Hippo by Matthew V. Brown Seminary Student, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

According to Henry Chadwick in his volume entitled 'The Early Church," Augustine by the range and profundity of his

"How conventional and respectable this then was is illustrated by a canon of a Spanish synod of 400 decreeing that, so long as a man was faithful to his concubine as if she was a wife, their relationship constituted no bar to communion. Pope Leo I thought monogamy preserved if a man left his concubine to contract a legal maniage. ''li

mind came to tower not only over all his immediate contempo raries but over the subsequent development of Western Christendom."\ His prodigious influence on the history of the Christian church can be discerned in both Catholicism and Protestantism, and it was "from Augustine more than any other theologian that medieval thought took its theological framework of ideas. "2 As a result. his view of women had a profound effect on the developing Christian church. Howevec, any critical discussion of Augustine's attitude toward women as derived from his discursive texts must take into account the nature of his philosophical and social milieu, and its predominant view of women.

This utilitarian view of women was common to pagan culture, as evidenced by the distinctions made by Greek men who assigned women class divisions on the basis of social function. The wife was considered primarily as a reproductive necessity, valued neither for her intellect nor the sexual pleasure she gave. Unfortunately, the early church began to adopt and "sanctify" the dualistic thought patterns encouraging such distinctions, rather than serving as God's agent to change this area of pervasive social oppression and injustice.

Augustine was born at Thagaste, in Numidia, of a lower middle-class family. His father, Patrick, converted to Christi anity only shortly before his death, but Monica, Augustine's mother was a devout believer and had a profound influence on his life, as he wrote later in his Confessions. He described her as "womanly in her dress but virile in her faith. mature in her serenity, motherly in her love, Christian in her piety,''' It is interesting to note that Augustine was moved to use a mascu line adjective ("virile") in describing his mother's faith. The significance of this will become mor~ apparent as this discus sion progresses.

Two aspects of Augustine's philosophical pilgrimage should be mentioned prior to considering his writings on the topic of women. First, in the year of the birth of his son. Augustine's mind began to turn back to Christianity, influenced primarily by a desire for truth enflamed by one of Cicero's philosophical dialogues. But the "style of scripture seemed to him... inferior to the Latin classics"; he "despised the Old Testament as old wives' fables"; and he believed the church to be a "body lacking in cultural distinction.,,., It is not surprising, therefore, that he became enamored with the Manichaen sect, who both rejected the Old Testament and appealed to reason.

Augustine completed his education in Carthage, acquiring "an easy mastery of Latin literature.''' Upon the death of his father, he was forced to support his family, teaching rhetoric at Carthage, Rome and fmally Milan, where he hoped to utilize the influence of friends to obtain a provincial governorship. His conversion to Christianity in 386 A.D. indelibly altered the direction of his life.

Second, after nine years he became disillusioned with the Manichees. Moving to Milan, Augustine became acquainted with the preaching of Ambrose, who combined devotion to Christianity with Neoplatonic mysticism. Neoplatonism appeared to answec the objections of the Manichees to the Old Testament. and captured the introspective mind of Augustine. His conversions to Christianity and Neoplatonism "were so nearly simultaneous that it was many years before he began to be seriously critical of Platonism as a religious metaphysic.'..

Although he had been signed with the cross at birth, his mother postponed his baptism, subscribing to the cormnon belief of his day that the act of baptism washed away all sins committed prior to its administration. She "wished him to defer it until after the heat of youth was passed and with it the excesses of that ardent age.'"

Although Augustine perceived clear differences between Manichaeism and Neoplatonism, it is important for the purposes of this analysis to realize that both were to some extent dualistic in their construct of reality, emphasizing the "flesh/spirit" dichotomy. Because the "flesh" was identified with the physical body and therefore, by extension, with the basec physical appetites, human sexuality was, at best, regarded as an unfortunate but functional necessity of procreation and, at worst. identified as the efficient cause of the Fall of mankind

Augustine spent much of his youth in the sexual profli gacy common to the men of that day, at seventeen taking a concubine with whom he had a son. Henry Chadwick attests to the acceptability of this custom. even within the church:

be sinful, thus making it possible for him to hold "a stronger appreciation of marriage than... some other Church Fathers," 14 it should still be emphasized that his despair over "the alluring sting of passion"I' which characterized conjugal union seemed to forbid the very enjoyment of the only purpose women were permitted.

through the seduction of Adam by Eve. Accordingly, in his Literal Commefllary on Genesis, Augustine speculates as to how Adam, being already spiritual "in mind" could have been led astray. He concludes that this was one of the reasons "woman was given to man, woman who was of small intelli gence and who perhaps still lives more in accordance with the promptings of the inferior flesh than by the superior reason... that through her the man became guilty of transgression.'" Assuming woman's natural inferiority, Augustine asks, "Is this why the apostle Paul does not attribute the image of God to her?"IO In response to this, Tucker and Liefeld, in their comprehensive work Daughters of the Church, include the following observation:

Perhaps in this we can see.the re~et that. Au~ustine he~d ~or his fonner prodigality, and his reacUon agamst It, as begmnmg the inexorable move of the Roman church toward celibacy as an ideal. (It is, in fact, interesting to note that Augustine proposed that had the Fall not occurred, the procreative act could have been accomplished with no loss of the woman's virginity."16 )

"Rosemary Reuther, referring to Augustine's view that the relationship of woman to man is sirnilar to that of body to spirit, and to his conclusion that only the man possesses the full image of God, calls this 'perhaps the ultimate core of misogynism.'''II

Nevertheless, the inherent, though perhaps unintentional, misogyny inherent in this extreme dualism pushed an avoid ance of sexual enjoyment into teaching that a denial of the woman's gender-identity was necessary for a woman to achieve fulfillment within early and medieval Christendom. (Remember Augustine's description of his Christian mother, whom he loved, as "virile" in her faith.) It is this belief which perhaps subconsciously continues to mitigate against the full participation of women in the church of Jesus Christ today.

Although Genesis affmns the natural correspondence by creation of woman and man (Gen. 2: 18b - ezer kenegdo. a "helper corresponding to"), Augustine's exegesis of I Cor. ll:7b ("... for he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of man. ") denies the image of God to woman by creatioIL The emphasis is placed, rather, on the manner in which Eve was meant to be a "helper" of AdarIL Here, the pervasive effect of culture can be more easily discerned. In his On the Good of Marriage, Augustine stresses the mystery of the two-become-one unity of husband and wife, postulating that:

IHenry Chadwick, The Early Church The Pelican History of the Church, vol. 1, (New York: Penguin Books, 1967), p.216. 2Colin Brown, Philosophy and the Christian Faith (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1968), p. 15. 3Augustine, ConfessiollS, 3.11-12; cited in Daughters of the Church, by Ruth Tucker and Walter Liefeld (Grand Rapids: Academie Books, Zondervan Publishing House, 1987), p.123. 4Chadwick, op. cit., p. 216 'Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History ofChristianity, VolufTU I; toAD. 1500 (New York: Harper and Row, 1953) p. 96. 6 Chadwick, op. cit.• p.217. 7 ibid. • ibid., p. 218 9 Elizabeth A. Clark, WOfTUn in the Early Church, Message of the Fathers of the Church, vol. 13, (Delaware: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1983), p. 40. 10 ibid. II Tucker and Liefeld, op. cit., p.l24. 12 Clark, op. cit., p. 28. 13 ibid. 14 ibid., p. 44. 15 ibid., p. 46. 16 ibid.

"God willed... to create all humans from one person, so that they might be held fast in their society not only by likeness of descent, but also by the bond of relationship. Thus the fIrst tie of natural human society is the husband and wife. And yet God did not make each one separately and then join them. .. he created one from the other. For they were joined to each other from the sides, they who walk side by side, they who look. together where it is they walk."12 This might indicate that Augustine held more than a simply utilitarian view of womankind. However, in his Literal Commentary on Genesis, the woman is found, fIguratively speaking, walking behind the man, barefoot and pregnant. Augustine reasons that for purposes of either companionship or assistance in physical labor, another man would have been a more suitable "helper" than a woman. He concludes: "If it were not the case that the woman was created to be a man's helper specillcally for the production of children, then why would she have been created as 'helper' (Gen. 2:18)? . .I cannot think of any reason for a woman's being made as a man's helper, if we dismiss the reason of procreation."13 Such was Augustine's identifIcation of sexuality with the "carnal" or "fleshly" aspect of humanity that he appeared to consider any desire for the enjoyment of the marriage bed lustful. Although Elizabeth A. Clark considers it noteworthy that Augustine did not consider the act of procreation itseIf to

A TRIBUTE BYPA1RIOA D. BAll.EY FOUNDER OF MASTERS TOUCH MINISTRY

I LATER CAME FROM A DISTANT LAND TO HEAR OF THE WISDOM OF AN AWESOME MAN. I CAME WITH SPICES AND JEWELS AND A CARAVAN.

FROM THE CONCEPTION OF MANKIND IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN UNTIL TIllS PRESENT HOUR, I WAS IN HIS PLAN.

I WAS IN HIS PLAN.

I'VE BEEN PUSHED ASIDE; CONSTANTLY DENIED BUT A DREAM INSIDE WOULD NOT AllOW METOIDDE...

I WAS THE QUEEN OF MY NATION, THE RULER OF MY PEOPLE. I WAS IN HIS PLAN.

I WAS IN HIS PLAN.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VITALLY A PART OF GOD'S PLAN.

I WAS BATlllNG IN MY FATHER'S COURT AND I SAW A CHILD IN A BASKET AND TOOK IDM AS MY VERY OWN, I TRAINED IDM AND HE LED FORTH A PEOPLE WHO WOULD ONE DAY BE A NATION. MY CHILD ANSWERED TO THE VOICE OF JEHOVAH, AND GOD CALLED lllM FROM ME TO SET A PEOPLE FREE.

I WAS TRODDEN OVER, PUSHED ASIDE, BUT A PURPOSE INSIDE WOULD NOT LET ME DIE. I LATER BORE A SON WHO WOULD ONE DAY HELP TO CARRY THE CROSS OF THE ANNOINTED ONE.

FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME, I WAS IN HIS PLAN.

AS THE YEARS WENT ON I BECAME A SLAVE AND BORE 13 CHILDREN THAT WOULD ONE DAY BE TAKEN AWAY.

I AM NOT AN AYlER THOUGHT OR A RESULT OF A CURSE, I AM MORE THAN A STATISTIC.

A DREAM INSIDE THAT GOD ACfUALLY WOULD ABIDE IN ME, CAUSED ME TO PREACH.

I'VE BEEN PUSHED ASIDE AND OFTEN DENIED BUT THE HOPE INSIDE WOULD NOT LET ME DIE,

MY LIFE THREATENED, PUSHED ASIDE OFTEN DENIED, BUT MY GOD INSIDE- WOULD NOT LET ME DIE.

I WAS IN HIS PLAN.

I LATER HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD TO LEAD AN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD THAT WOULD ONE DAY BE THE PASSAGE WAY TO FREEDOM...

I LATER STOOD BESIDE MOSES AS HIS WIFE. I CAME FROM A TRffiE OF MIDIANITES. I WAS THE MOTHER OF IDS FIRST BORN. I STOOD BESIDE IDM THROUGH THE JOURNEY IN THE WILDERNESS...

I WAS IN HIS PLAN. I WAS IN GOD'S PLAN.

I BORE ANOTHER SON WHO LED A REVOLUTION, WHO HAD A DREAM OF EQUALITY THAT ALL PEOPLE COULD BE FREE.

I HAVE BEEN THE BACKBONE TO TIllS NATION FROM THE CRIB TO THE WHITE HOUSE, I'VE EVEN NURSED YOUR PRESIDENTS. I'VE BORNE CHll..DREN AND RETURNED TO THE COTION FIELDS IN THE SAME DAY. I HAVE HELPED TO STABll..IZE THE ECONOMY OF TIllS NATION. I REFUSED TO SIT ON THE BACK OF THE BUS AND CAUSED A DEMAND FOR CHANGE. IT RESULTED IN ME BEING ABLE TO BE THE FIRST WOMAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT. NO ONE WOULD GIVE ME PERMISSION TO BE BEAUTIFUL, NO ONE GAVE ME PERMISSION TO BE SMART, SO I GAVE MYSELF PERMISSION TO BE ALL THAT GOD WANTED ME TO BE. I WAS IN HIS PLAN.

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, MY FATHER GOD HAS ALWAYS BELIEVED IN ME. WHEN GOD CREATED ME HE MADE SOMEONE, AND HE PLACED HIMSELF INSIDE OF ME. HE FOUGHT FOR MY RIGHT TO BE FREE. HE HAS ALWAYS BEliEVED IN ME. I WAS IN HIS PLAN.

I'VE HELPED TO FINANCE THE GOSPEL, SCRUBBED FLOORS TO SEND MY CHll..DREN TO SCHOOL, FOUNDED UNIVERSITIES, GONE INTO SPACE, AND TAUGHT MY CHll..DREN TO BE PROUD OF THEIR RACE. I'VE BEEN PUSHED ASIDE, OFIEN DENIED BUT MY CREATOR INSIDE WOULD NOT LET ME HIDE... I ECHO TO THE WORLD, I WANT IT NOISED ABROAD, WHO AMI? ..

I AM GOD'S BLACK WOMAN!!!

with various skills will be needed to help this project through the planning, production and post-production states. Even those without the necessary skills to help produce the video can help us with this project, because even with volunteered time from skilled people there are still costs involved with such a project. If this is an idea that you have an interest in, and you would like to help us gather seed money necessary to continue the project, please send a contribution to the CBE national office designated for the "Historical Pageant Video Project." If you are interested in having a costume pageant presented for a group that you are involved in, there are two sources for the pre sentations: Donna R. Johnson 1812 Mary Street Utica, NY 13501

The Video Project by Jeff and Ruth Bolton The opening program of the CBE confer ence in July, 1989, was a historic costume pageant. Those who saw the production were impressed by the representations of courageous Christian women throughout the history of the Church. Many who saw the pageant wanted a videotape to share with others. Because of the level of interest, we are now in the exploratory stages of putting together a script and finding the financing for a video version of the pageant. The historical pageant that was presented at the CBE '89 conference was a mix ofpresenta tions that Catherine Kroeger and Susan Thimsen have been doing over the past thirteen years. Fifteen years ago, Catherine Kroeger conceived the idea of having women in historic costume present themselves as great Christian women from the past. Susan Thimsen got involved in the project as a costume maker, but became intensely interested in the historic women herself. Since then, she has moved on to create authentic costumes of her own for two programs about women in history. The costume pageants of Catherine and Susan cover the span of time from the early Church on. The scripts are well-researched and the costumes authentic for the time period of the person represented in the pageant. Currently, Susan Thimsen is heading a group working on producing a broadcast-quality video that could be used for Sunday School classes, Bible studies, CBE meetings, and local cable stations or broadcast. If this video is well received, we would go on to produce a series focusing on separate time periods. At present, there are two professionals who are interested in working on the project: Tom Merino, a producer in California, and Jeff Bolton, a writer in Minnesota. Many people

(These are Catherine Kroeger's costumes which can be rented. They come with scripts about women from the Church. Several time periods are available.)

Thimsen Designs 1857 North Fairview St. Paul, MN 55113

(These are Susan Thimsen's two presenta tions. One covers women in Church history; the other covers the history of the women's rights movement in America. Both shows include a discussion of the history of fashion and how it relates to women and their status in society.) Susan's presentations come with the costumes and Susan to explain about the clothing that each person is wearing, as well as telling the story of each woman represented. The costumes cannot be rented separately. With adequate time to prepare, a duplicate of the conference program could be given at an additional cost. 14

I What's Happening In eBE I Mark Your Calendars Now For...

The Second Biennial Conference August 15.18, 1991 In the beautiful Colorado Rockies--Snow Mountain Ranch near Winterpark (70 miles from Denver). The conference is for the entire family and features excellent speakers, workshops, outdoor activities, fresh air and a chance to recharge. Featured speakers are Dr~ Kenneth Kantzer, Dr. Ruth Tucker, Professor Mary Evans from England, and the Reverend Peggy T. CantweD. The basic cost is $155 which includes the conference fee, a shared room and all meals. (For an additional fee, there will be opportunity to have private rooms and child care.) Watch for registration materials to be sent to you early January. Since this is our national conference, we are expecting representatives from all 50 states plus many foreign countries. We're looking forward to seeing you there too!

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