Why I Support "Women in the Pulpit" Sunday

Being a Caucasian male, I was born into a position of privilege. I have never had to fight for recognition, opportunity or inclusion simply because of the color of my skin, or my gender. I was raised in a home with a strong protestant work ethic, so all my life I have deemed it normal to work hard for whatever gains you get in life. But when the metaphorical race of life began, I got to start from the Start Line, not meters behind as others have had to do. My efforts were multiplied simply because I did not have to expend energy defending my right to be in the race in the first place.

We know that in Christ there is neither male or female, slave or free, Greek or Jew, but in the reality of daily life, we all apply those distinctions (and others) to determine one’s significance and potential. Sometimes such biases are made obvious through bigotry and exploitation, but most often they are subtly entrenched in the attitudes and behaviors of people. We go right on living as if our prejudices and stereotypes are the norm, unless we are made to see them in the light of the gospel of Christ.

I grew up in a Holiness tradition with a fundamentalist, literal view of the Bible. So I have wondered what opened the windows for me, to let fresh light fall upon the revelation of God’s word. Perhaps it was my parent’s way of combining a fervent devotion to God with a rigorous academic searching of the Scriptures. I do know that my readiness to accept women in ministry came more from Scripture than it did from experience. I simply never saw a woman in a pastoral/preaching role until I went to seminary.

But I did understand from early on that Mary choosing to “sit at the feet of Jesus” didn’t simply mean she was neglecting kitchen duties. She was choosing to take the position of a disciple, a role basically forbidden to women in that day. And Jesus blessed her for her choice. It did stand out that women were the first to proclaim the resurrection and that they were seen as colleagues by the Apostle Paul. Even with a fundamentalist background, I had little trouble understanding that Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian women to be silent in church was pastoral advice for a specific situation, not an edict for eternity. God had laid the foundation in my life by giving me a hunger to study the Word so much, that I would push past literal summations.

Upon this foundation were laid the experiences of being in ministry with women. Hearing the Word proclaimed, being challenged in discussion groups, and praying with female colleagues, confirmed what the scriptures had prepared me for; that we are all co-laborers in God’s vineyard with each bringing our unique set of charismata (gifts) and life-lessons. If God is big enough to use any one of us for God’s purpose, then God is surely big enough to use all of us, as different as we may seem to one another.

I support Women in the Pulpit Sunday because the journey is not over. Being intentional about how our tradition honors the Scriptures by making a place for women, on an equal basis with all others in ministry, makes us confront the misled biases of our culture. Hopefully most of our churches have moved beyond simply giving recognition to women in ministry just on “their Sunday” in the year. Hopefully we are moving to where the ministry of women is expected and encouraged rather than excused. Celebrate the gifts of women in ministry on Women in the Pulpit Sunday, and hopefully, we will get to where the new norm of inclusive service replaces the old norm of privilege.