Equal to Lead - Day 230 Month 8-17 Week 33-6
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
1 Kings 3:16-4:34, Proverbs 20:21-30, Ezekiel 28:11-24, 1 Corinthians 11:1-22
Equal to Lead
“But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:3)
This verse has been the source of many scholarly debates and I would never try to present myself as a scholar. However, 1 Corinthians 11:3 troubles me. I question whether Paul’s argument is fully based on leadership or authority though some of it is for certain. I asked my friends from AI if the word kephalē (κεφαλή) , which is translated “head,” was recognized in biblical times as "leader” as it is in modern day English?
“In first century Koine Greek, the word kephalē (κεφαλή), which is translated “head,” did not typically mean “leader” or “ruler.” While modern English uses “head” to mean a boss or chief, ancient Greek generally used other words, such as archōn (ruler) or hēgemōn (leader), for positions of authority. Kephalē could also be used in the sense of “source” or “origin.””
As I was reading 1 Corinthians 11, I was finding the apostle Paul was using frustrating language, especially for an egalitarian to come to terms with. Paul is mixing cultural directives with directives in relationship order that did not seem to belong. Also, some of what is being communicated does not seem to fit with the Character of God as I understand it.
We know that Jesus was constantly spending time in prayer away from the people. When he prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked God the father “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” He willingly submitted to the Father’s authority.
We also know that God put Deborah in place as a judge over Israel. As a judge over Israel she was in a place of leadership over Israel, both men and women. Deborah exercised recognized authority over Israel, and the text does not present her gender as disqualifying her from that role.
The earlier verses of chapter 11 sounds like Paul is saying that men are in leadership over women but then we get to verse 9. Paul explains “in the LORD, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God” (1 Corinthians 11:11,12). Basically if man is the source of woman (think of Adam’s rib being used to create Eve) and woman is the source of man through childbirth, then Paul is using “source” to define the relationship of men to women.
In my home growing up my father was the boss. There was no questioning that fact and if one of us, whether kids or my mom, would challenge him, the words “I am the head of this house” would come out loud and clear. Now it was a different time and culture has changed since then but I could never understand how the concept of created equal could come down to “boss” and “servant.” The complementarian preacher will quickly explain their stand on men and women as created equal but with different God-given roles. Living openly in this world of today, I can honestly say, from my experience, that some of the worst leadership roles are from male leaders and some of the most balanced, fair and compassionate leadership has been from female leaders. So I stand by my belief that women and men are equal and that God has given women and men equal roles in spiritual leadership. He has gifted some to lead and some not to lead. If a woman is gifted to lead, it stands to reason that she should use that gift to lead.
So my hat goes off to some of my friends such as Karmyn, Lynda, Kate, Cheryl, Kim and many other women who have shown leadership beyond the chauvinistic male world of faith leaders and have shown leadership that excels beyond many of the male leaders I have known.
Have a great day!
Steve
You can subscribe to this blog and receive an email each day or week. Just visit the following link. https://follow.it/my-faith-view-from-here-daily-readings-and-thoughts?leanpub
Comments
Post a Comment