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Submission or Suppression
by Captain Nicole Hostetler
USA East,
Rochester, PA, Corps Officer
Introduction
Ephesians Chapter 5: 18-33 is the
basis of many debates in Christian and non-Christian circles.
How should the family unit’s hierarchy be established? Should
the Church’s hierarchy be modeled after these instructions for
the family? It has been said that the topics of the family and
church leadership are two unrelated subjects, but when looking
to many denominations’ and Christian points-of-view they are
more closely correlated than one would like to believe. Many
people base their idea of church leadership from their concept
of the family model. This is why it is important to adequately
view the verses from Paul which are used frequently to
discourage women’s involvement in key leadership positions of
the Church. First, what did Paul really mean by these
instructions given to the Church in Ephesus? Second, what was
the Church’s understanding of this as it relates to its
ministry/commission? Finally, how should we (the Church) today
look to this lesson from Scripture?
What was Paul’s intent?
Paul is oftentimes given an unfair
male-chauvinist label because of the content of a few of his
letters. Why did Paul write about the silence of women in
church circles and the submission of wives to their husbands?
In order to answer this question, one must look to the
political and historical background in which Paul is writing
these epistles.
Many foreign religions were
suspected of aiding what the aristocrats viewed as “a
subversion to appropriate moral order” (Keener, 139). There
were increases in social changes, an upward mobility of
socially inferior classes, and a message of empowerment
encouraged among women by these foreign religions. Christians
were viewed among the Roman government and society as one of
these foreign religious groups. In light of the Roman
uncertainty towards Christianity, it is no wonder Paul would
write as he did. Women were converting to Christianity
regardless of their husbands’ religious affiliation,
threatening the conservative male establishment (Keener 143).
Paul wanted to be certain that the church would not be viewed
as an immoral mystery cult out to completely destroy the basic
unit (the family) upon which society was built. In order to
establish a trust in Christian teaching, Paul had to interpret
Christ’s teachings and persuade converts to transform their
thinking and interaction to conform to these teachings—sound
familiar? (Bristow, 31).
What was the Church’s understanding?
The church of Ephesus would
understand the language used by Paul. To the 21st
century American mind, this passage in Ephesians 5 appears to
stress the submission of wives to their husbands. Today’s
culture is vastly different from the culture to which Paul
addresses. To the Ephesian church, the idea that husbands were
to love their wives would be a foreign concept. This idea
would have stood out more strongly than the wives’ submission
(Keener, 157).
A close study of this passage shows
that there are particular vocabulary distinctions that have
been carefully preserved in many translations, for instance
the Septuagint (Bristow, 35). This gives the reader a glimpse
into the early Church’s understanding of Paul’s letters. The
Greek word for “head” used in this passage is kephale.
This word does not imply leadership or domination, but to one
who goes before the troops-the first into the battle. Headship
in other words is “accepting responsibility for whatever one
believes is the call and expectation of God upon the husband
and wife’s lives together” (Munn, 3). Secondly, the word
hupotasso, the Greek word for “being subject to,” is one
out of a possible three Paul could have chosen. This word is
voluntary in nature, a choice to submit to one another. As a
result of new found expectations upon women who had
experienced conversion, there were some problems occurring in
marriages. Women were asserting too much independence at the
expense of their marriages. Men were dominating their wives
without a loving and nurturing spirit. Paul is advocating
mutual submission. As stated in other letters to Ephesus (2:
11-22, 4:4-6), Galatia (3:28) and Corinth (1 Corinthians
12:13), all believers are equal in the eyes of the Lord
(Keener, 157). God does not discriminate based on race, social
status, or gender when one stands before Him in Christ.
Through Christ all have been set free, liberated from the
oppression of the sinful nature. Catherine Booth, the
co-Founder of The Salvation Army, speaks to this liberty in
the following manner: “…to leave the consequences of the Fall
is to reject the good news of the Gospel! The Grace of Christ
restores what Sin has taken away. Both men and women can know
the bliss of union with God and with one another as God had
fully intended it to be!” (Terms of Empowerment, 78).
What does this mean to the Church today?
How does this understanding of how
believers relate to one another apply to the Church today? Why
are there still denominations that refuse to place women in
the responsibilities of ministry? These questions lead to
information that would require another ten papers to cover the
material available. What will be addressed under this section
relates to those churches that validate women in ministry, but
find it necessary to “limit” or “define” the extent to which
women should be involved in these ministries.
The spiritual gifts bestowed upon
the believer through the Holy Spirit are defined as follows:
“the ability God gives to every believer in order to serve Him
and His church”: see
I Corinthians
12:1, 4-11; Ephesians 4: 11-13; I Peter 4: 10-11; and Romans
12: 4-8 (Heim, 89). If these gifts are unused, the result
is wasted grace and the choking of spiritual life personally
and corporately (Heim, 93). If God had intended for men and
women to function in specific areas of leadership and
ministry, why doesn’t the Scripture and personal witness to
the Holy Spirit’s giftedness validate this concept?
The Church is the instrument
through which God chooses to work in the world today. Created
and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church must continue to
work and move toward the inclusive fellowship found in Christ
(Needham, 103). Needham continues by stating that a mission
focused church will understand the “duality of sex is not a
duality of ministry or leadership” (104). God’s future has no
place for oppression, especially that of a sexist culture. The
Church must be courageous and prophetic, it must not be afraid
to face the realities in light of the word and ministry of
Christ (Needham, 104).
How does the church implement this
God-inspired, God-gifted, and God-empowered mission? There
must be an intentional look at leadership potential and
spiritual giftedness for every believer; especially
those who are called and/or ordained to specific ministry.
What is imperative is that all those gifted by the Holy Spirit
must be given the opportunity to use the full scope and full
use of their giftedness to the mission of the Army (Robinson,
6) and the church-at-large. Spiritual leadership should be a
direct result of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and the human
capacity to identify leadership qualities and giftedness in
one another- regardless of gender.
Conclusion
What is the desired conclusion, or
should it be said effect, of this discussion? My intention is
not to flip the tables so that men are exposed to the same
inequalities as women. I’m not asking for there to be a ratio
of men to women. The Church must look at men and women in
light of spiritual gifts bestowed and not on the X or Y
chromosomes inherited. When we come to Christ
we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (it says believer not
male or female). When we receive this gift, He helps us use
"natural" abilities to extend the kingdom and also "spiritual"
gifts appropriated by the Father for this work. God
does not discriminate between men or women, young or old,
single or married when He gives these gifts, why should the
Church when putting them to effective use? The Church should
not forsake the inclusive message and ministry of Jesus in
order to maintain a low-profile, non-confrontational
appearance in a seemingly oppressive
society/culture/tradition. It cannot give only lip service to
giftedness and ignore implementing those most qualified for
specific ministries (again, regardless of gender, race, or
marital status).
Bibliography
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Harper & Row Publishers: San Francisco, 1988.
Davisson, Philip W. “Catherine Booth and Female Ministry:
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No 1. The Salvation Army.
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Hodgson, Lauren. “The Married Woman Officer—Who is She?”.
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Keener, Craig S. Paul, Women, and Wives. Hendrickson
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Munn, Richard. “The Officer Woman Leader- A Husband’s
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Needham, Phil. Community in Mission. The Salvation
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Robinson, Barbara. “Book Review: Women in God’s Army:
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