Gender and the Church- The Culture Issue

There is a lot more research going into this series than any other series I have done on my blog, so please forgive the delay between posts.  One of the first challenges we are going to face in studying the role of women is dealing with culture.  Not only do we have to deal with interpreting scripture through our own culture, but we also have to deal with interpreting the culture in which the passage was written.  There are passages about polygamy, slavery, and temple sacrifices that are so foreign to our culture that we struggle to understand these scriptures from our modern perspective.  Likewise, there are times when our culture has become so removed from the truth of scripture that we struggle to make proper application of Biblical truth.   

Let’s take marriage as an example.  In my culture marriage is a covenant based on the love of one man for one woman.   However, in the Old Testament marriage was more like a binding legal agreement dictating the financial obligations a man had to fulfill to honor a woman.  If you read passages like Exodus21:7-11 you will see that women were referred to as like property, and yet there are sanctions that protect women’s rights.   In this context passages like Deuteronomy22:28-29 would seem appalling to us; however a closer look will show that men were obligated to meet financial needs of women in a culture that could easily neglect them.  In fact, in verse 18 of Deuteronomy 22 a man could be flogged for making false accusations about a woman’s reputation!  These ideas and laws are so foreign to our culture of love-based, monogamous marriage. 

YET, there are some women in scripture that transcend cultural limitations.  Eve is the first woman.  She is created in God’s image and is referred to as Adam’s helpmate (partner).  Later in scripture God is referred to as our helpmate, suggesting this position does not equal inferiority.

In the book of Joshua Rahab is instrumental in helping Israel take the Promised Land.  She is mentioned several times in the New Testament and included in the lineage of Christ despite being a foreigner and prostitute.

Abigail (1 Samuel 25) negotiates with king David in order to save her foolish husband Nabal.  She is so impressive in her role that David marries her after the death of her husband. 

Judges 4 and 5 reveal Deborah as prophetess, military leader, and judge over Israel.  Few would argue that this position of authority was not ordained by God.

 Proverbs personifies wisdom as a woman.

So, we can see a culture in which women were given an inferior legal status BUT those women who obeyed God and demonstrated noble character transcended the cultural norm holding positions of respect, receiving praise and accolades, and even holding positions of leadership. 

Webb, M.P. (2004).  The Image of Woman in Scripture. Accessed http://www.loveofchrist.info/church/woman.html#C 1/29/13