It Boils Down to Submission

A historical marker was set this month for Christendom, as Katharine Jefferts Schori became the head of the U.S. Episcopal Church. Newsweek reports that this makes her "the first woman in American history elected to lead a major Christian denomination." The article continues,

...only two other American women have reached the pinnacle of a religion's organizational chart: Mary Baker Eddy, who founded Christian Science in 1879, and Ellen White, who helped to found the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1863.

...Just this month, the U.S. Presbyterian Church elected the Rev. Joan S. Gray as its "moderator," a one-year position akin to being named ambassador. In recent years, both the Disciples of Christ denomination and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, a major organization of the 1.5 million-member Reform Jewish movement, have elected women leaders. The liberal religious group the Unitarian Universalist Association now has more women clergy than men; 60 percent of its active clergy are female, which is the highest rate in the nation.

The news is being headlined in terms reminicent of Dylan's anthem, "The Times They Are A-Changing." The media interpret these signs as positive steps towards removing the oppression that has existed among women in religion for centuries. And, if submission is always equivalent to oppression, then it looks like we may be escaping the demons of our past.

The problem is, that is not at all the way God views submission. Biblically speaking, submission is a voluntary condition that one chooses for his or her own well being. Jesus humbly submitted to His Father's will, even to the point of death on a cross (Jn. 5:30; 8:29; Mt. 26:39; Phil. 2:6-8). In the book of Ephesians, Paul outlines a set of relationships based on the authority-submission principle: wives are to submit to their own husbands (5:22-33), children are to submit to their parents (6:1-4) and servants are to submit to their masters (6:5-9). However, everyone submits to the Father, the ultimate Master in heaven with whom there is no partiality (6:9). Additionally, there is a sense that we are all to submit to one another (5:21).

Submission does not indicate inferiority or a lack of importance. Although the apostles instructed wives to submit to their husbands, they pointed out that both were equal in the sight of God (Gal. 3:28; 1 Pet. 3:7). In truth, submission, when coupled with the right kind of authority, brings blessings not curses. Is it any wonder that Islam, whose name is interpreted "submission," is the fastest growing religion in the world?

When it comes to a woman's role in the organization of the church, the question is not, "Who is smarter? Or who is more qualified?" The question is, "What does God want?" The New Testament makes it clear that He wants men in leadership positions (1 Tim. 2:11-12; 3:1-13). Those who respect the authority of the Scriptures and the competence of an omniscient God comply with these demands.

It all boils down to submission.