The 2011 hit movie Soul Surfer tells the true story of Bethany Hamilton, who survives the traumatic amputation of her arm in a shark attack. The movie chronicles her determination to return to the world of professional surfing. Bethany is forced to learn how to perform the numerous daily tasks that many of us take for granted such as getting dressed, making lunch, and even putting her hair in a pony tail. In a touching scene, Bethany is talking with her mother about her inner struggles with her appearance since losing her arm. She argues that boys want normal. Her mother, Cheri, tells her that growing up her family has a replica of the Venus De Milo statue. Her response: “For centuries all over the world she was considered the pinnacle of beauty, and she has one less arm than you.”
When the movie first came out, my daughter was obsessed with Bethany Hamilton and surfing. She dressed up like her, surfed on cardboard surf boards in the living room, and even purchased the same watch Bethany was wearing during the shark attack. I must admit, I was a tad worried for a while. My daughter spent a significant amount of time trying to learn to do things one handed. The thing is, she didn’t need to. Unlike her hero, my daughter had a perfectly good second hand hidden behind her back. Her struggle was self inflicted.
Sometimes, I think that is the way the church acts. We not only walk around struggling to do things with half our available arms, but we call it beautiful. First, we handicap half the church population but cutting off the hands Christ gave them for the purpose of growing the kingdom of God. Then we praise their submissive beauty as the natural order of things. All the while, there are things that must go undone because the skills and talents of half the church have been limited in the name of “God’s order.”
Anēr heis gynē
Most churches with all male leadership cite passages such as Titus 1: 5-9 and 1 Timothy 3: 1-7. In Titus, we get the list of requirements for an elder (presbyteros) while in 1 Timothy we get the list of requirements for an overseer/bishop (episkopē). We clearly see that this person must be the husband of one wife (anēr heis gynē). With this black and white declaration from the mouth of God, we come to understand that men alone can hold these positions of church leadership, hence the male pastor and all male elder boards associated with so many evangelical protestant denominations.
In this complimentarian viewpoint, we see that women are equal, yet called to different, but no less important roles. Often this includes the raising of children, hospitality, and ministry to women and children. Women can still have influential positions as servants (diakonos) in the position of deaconess, a title is clearly given to Phoebe in the New Testament (Romans 16:1). Priscilla, another influential early church leader, does not get the exact declaration of deacon, but we see her called both a helper (synergos) (Romans 16:3) and a teacher (ektithēmi) (Acts 18:26). Yet, when we turn to 1 Timothy to learn of the requirements for a deacon (diakonos), we read, “Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.” This is literally the exact same phrase found in Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7 used to exclude women from teaching and leadership positions. In this case, we are obligated to ignore the male implication because there is absolutely no doubt that Paul himself declares a woman to be a deacon. (Similar arguments can be made that Paul declared Junia an apostle (apostolos) (Romans 16:7)).
Photo Credit*
Venus De Milo
So the husbands of one wife sit in their meetings and in their isolation, take on the important tasks of teaching and leading the church. All the while, they admire the beauty of their armless women and ignore the fact that the spread of the gospel to a lost and dying world is being impeded. Sure, there is more than enough “women’s work.” It’s not like we’re running out of meals to cook and bottoms to wipe. However, the effectiveness of ministry is hindered by such arbitrary scriptural interpretations. It is not that there is not beauty in the mutual submission of believers, or that there is not beauty in work traditionally assigned to women. It is that there is no beauty in intentionally cutting off the hands of Christ. Decisions are made with only half the congregational viewpoints represented. Events can’t take place because a male head is unavailable. Voices are quieted least a woman teach a man. Gifts atrophy, and new leaders aren’t developed. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. In the end, it is the kingdom of God that suffers.
She is beautiful, even without her arms.
She is strong, even without her voice.
She is brave in the face of injustice.
But, she is rising.
I love this Barb, keep writing!
Thanks.