Sunday Read: International Women's Day and Biblical Dignity
International Women's Day, observed today since 1911, celebrates women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements while calling attention to ongoing inequality. The day originated from labor movements demanding better working conditions, voting rights, and equal treatment for women who were systematically denied education, property rights, and legal standing in most societies.
Scripture presents a complicated picture. The Bible contains passages used to justify women's subordination alongside stories of women leading, prophesying, teaching, and serving as crucial participants in God's redemptive work. Culture interprets these texts through various lenses, often importing cultural assumptions rather than extracting biblical principles.
Consider the women in Jesus's ministry. In a culture that devalued women's testimony to the point where women couldn't testify in court, Jesus appeared first after resurrection to Mary Magdalene and commissioned her to tell the disciples (John 20:17-18). Women traveled with Jesus and supported his ministry financially (Luke 8:1-3). He taught theology to Mary while Martha worked in the kitchen, defending Mary's choice to learn (Luke 10:38-42). He spoke publicly with the Samaritan woman at the well, breaking multiple cultural taboos (John 4:1-26). He treated women as fully human, worthy of theological discussion, capable of understanding truth.
Paul's writings about women require careful handling. The same Paul who wrote "women should remain silent in the churches" (1 Corinthians 14:34) also commended Phoebe as a deacon (Romans 16:1), Priscilla as a teacher (Acts 18:26), and Junia as "outstanding among the apostles" (Romans 16:7). He declared "there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Context matters - Paul was addressing specific situations in specific churches, not establishing universal hierarchies.
The creation account shows God creating both male and female in his image (Genesis 1:27). Not male primarily with female as afterthought, but both equally image-bearers. Eve wasn't Adam's servant but his "helper" - the Hebrew word ezer used to describe God himself as helper (Psalm 33:20). Sin distorted this equality, introducing domination where partnership was intended: "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you" (Genesis 3:16). This wasn't God's design but sin's consequence.
Throughout history, the church has both championed and suppressed women. Women led monasteries, prophesied, ministered, and served heroically. They've also been silenced, marginalized, abused, and told their gifts didn't matter because of their gender. Both realities exist in church history.
Today's question isn't primarily about political positions but kingdom values. Are women in your church allowed to use their gifts fully? Are their voices heard, their leadership valued, their contributions honored? Or are they systematically excluded from certain roles based solely on gender? Do you see women as equally made in God's image, equally gifted by the Spirit, equally called to use their gifts for Christ's body? Or do you unconsciously diminish their contributions, interrupt their ideas, or assume male leadership is always preferable?
Whatever your theological position on gender roles, start with this: every woman you encounter bears God's image fully, matters to God infinitely, and deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and honor. That should shape how you speak to women, about women, and regarding women's roles. The bare minimum isn't theology; it's basic human dignity.
