Is Women Elders/Deacons Biblical?

Women in ministry, women leadership, female ministers/pastors, women elders and deacons. These are not exactly the simplest topic of conversation to many. And certainly in the environment and culture that we’re in today. You can’t seem to talk about this issue without some controversy or disagreements.

Many like myself grow up under the influence of postmodernism, feminism, individualism. And in seeking gender equality, we are told that we have many abilities and skills and can do what men can do. We can climb the corporate ladder and be company executives. We are encouraged to be independent and take on the role of men in many ways. Even as a Christian, I struggled with the notion of submission and women’s role in the Bible. It just seems so unfair to not be given the same opportunities to use our God given abilities and somehow feel restricted or feel like 2nd class citizens so to speak.

But as I grew in my knowledge of God and His word, I came to understand His design and plan for males and females, their roles to compliment and complete one another. A lot of the discussion on women in leadership today that surrounds cultures and practices are somewhat different if not distorted interpretations of the scriptures in my opinion.

To me, the instruction for women not to be ministers, elders and deacons is quite clear in 1 Tim 3 and Titus. Not only were the criteria for elders and deacons specific to include those who are the husband of one wife (1 Tim 3:2, 12). But in earlier verses, Paul said that he doesn’t allow women to teach or to have authority over a man. And all these clearly apply in the church context, if not in other settings. The reasons Paul given are historic rather than cultural. It’s because Adam was created first (1 Tim 2:13) and Eve was the one who was deceived (1 Tim 2:14). Whether we’re more talented or gifted isn’t quite the issue here, and it doesn’t mean that gifts and talents can’t be used other than in church governance.  One important fact that I tend to overlook at times is that the woman in Genesis 1 was created for the man and as his helper.

In response to this issue, some people point to the mention of a deaconess in the bible and the fact that there are females residing in those offices in our churches today. This could be a sticky point for many, but thinking about it a little more, I realized that what was stated as a fact doesn’t necessarily in any way support the case. There’s a mention of a deaconess, but we don’t know the circumstance surrounding it. It’s simply describing what is or what happened. But the instructions in 1 Timothy are very clear and not circumstantial. The language used is plain and direct and it applies to those who’s seeking such positions. Also, what has been done before, in other words traditions or practices don’t naturally make something right or biblical.  

When I was thinking about this, the example of David and Bathsheba came to mind. In the bible, adultery is a sin and we’re asked not to commit adultery. So if we were only told the fact that David and Bathsheba committed adultery but not any information surrounding it. It’d be like the case of the deaconess. But could we then say that it’s ok to commit adultery because David and Bathsheba did and they were ok. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if 2 options were given, clear instructions and a circumstantial description, which one has more authority and which one’s more likely to be right.

I don’t know a lot and I wanted to make sure that my understanding is correct, so I was doing a bit of research and discovered that the Greek word for deaconess is actually a word meaning servant and used in the New Testament in a variety of ways. Paul used the same word to describe himself as the servant of God.  A detailed explanation can be found at http://www.carm.org/womeninministry/deaconess.htm.  I also found a lot of useful resources on this subject at http://www.carm.org/womeninministry.htm.

At this point, I’m satisfy that my understanding of the passages isn’t mistaken, and that the positions for elders/ministers and deacons are reserved for men and not women.

How Christmas Has Changed

Only 1 week to Christmas!

Everywhere’s bustling in the Christmas atmosphere. Packed shopping centres, busy crowds, mailbox full of enticing junk mails, pretty lights, gift cards, decorations, Christmas carols, parties, travels, presents, food...We are all so busy buying gifts, preparing for family get togethers or enjoying the holidays that Christmas has become a festive season. Its original meaning has shifted from Christ's sacrifice to human generosity, from gratefulness to indulgence.

We’ve seen Christmas being gradually stripped of its meaning over the years. Happy holidays has become the preferred Christmas greeting to avoid any religious connotation; carols depicting the birth of Jesus are slowly replaced by the almighty Rudolph the reindeer and the ever popular jingle bells. Kids are taught anything about Christmas but the story of Jesus’ birth.

In the midst of all the frantic activities and busyness, are we forgetting what Christmas is about? Are we taking the opportunity to tell others about the birth of Jesus and what that means to us? Have you entered a church building this Christmas and the only things you see are Christmas trees, flowers, presents and all sorts of decoration, except the very signs that remind us of the object of celebration? Have you wondered where the cross, (baby) Jesus, wise men, manger, angels, Mary or Joseph's gone? I have and for a moment I wondered if someone new who came into buildings like that would be inspired to think about God or know that it's a place of worship?

It was under such commercialism of Christmas that we decided quite a few years ago to have a nativity scene rather than a Christmas tree as the centre stage at our home. It was difficult to find anything like that back then, so we made puppets of the characters, complete with stuffed animals. To gain back some perspective and to remind ourselves of what Christmas really is about, we’ve also introduced a time to reflect upon the past year, remembering the goodness of God and thanking Him for what He has done before opening the presents. 

How can you put back some of the meaning that’s been lost in your celebration of Jesus’ birth this Christmas?

Which Principles?

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8

I really like this verse in Colossians 2 from today’s devotion. It’s so true as I came to think of the issues and practices of Christians and churches today, and how many of us have given way to the ideas and practices of the world rather than based our judgements and decisions on the unchanging principles in the Bible.

Satan is very clever and in many ways have deceived us without our noticing it. A lot of times when we tackle a difficult issue or situation, we tend to base our reasoning on what the majority is doing, how it works in our culture or what we think is right. It’s not common for people to ponder upon the scriptures and seek to understand how to apply it and actually put it into action in real life. Our solutions tend to be influenced by the world around us, and they are often so different from what the Bible teaches.

I think some of the controversial issues in Christianity and in our life such as abortion, homosexuality, divorce, women leadership, church growth etc. wouldn’t be much of an issue if we truly look at those issues in light of the scriptures, and take seriously God’s principles laid out all through the bible rather than relying on the wisdom of this world.

Are we and our churches being true to what we have entrusted? Are we relying on God’s wisdom rather than men’s? Do we meditate on God’s words and careful to carry out what He has instructed us? Do we live our life based on a biblical worldview? the world’s or a mixture of both?