A woman taking Australia’s top job
As Adventist leaders and representatives from around the world sit down to determinedly not talk about recognising the contribution and calling of women to church leadership and ministry, Australia has its first female prime minister. Julia Gillard has successfully challenged the standing prime minister for leadership of the governing party and has been sworn in as leader of the nation.
Hailed by many as a significant moment for the recognition of women in Australia's history and public life, I was listening with interest to public news radio as the leadership challenge unfolded and the result emerged. Of course, the politics of the situation are rarely clear cut-and extend significantly beyond issues of gender--but one of the aspects of response commented on a number of times by the radio host was the difference in opinions between the different media formats.
The more traditional form of phone-in callers were split in their response between support and criticism of the new prime minister, text messages were more supportive, and comments on the program's Facebook site were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about a woman taking Australia's "top job." The suggestion was of a significant demographic differentiation in their initial responses to this news.
And it's that same demographic grouping--and to an extent, generational grouping--that will now be asking the question of their church in Australia about how a woman can be a leader of the nation but continues to be barred from being the national leader of the church.
Increasingly, there are generations and demographics within our church for which our continued denial and non-discussion of full recognition and empowerment of the calling to ministry and leadership of women in the church. And while the church continues to fail on this issue, the perception of the relevance and importance of the church and its message will continue to be damaged.
The damage of entrenched patriarchy and its associated ideologies, awkwardly propped up by poor use of Scripture, to the cause of the kingdom of God should not be underestimated: "The debilitating DNA of patriarchy-hierarchical organisational structures and their marginalisation of the powerless--is tenacious, and to shake it loose will take an enormous amount of intentional, humbling work. But shake it we must, because the reality is this: hierarchy (command and control) fails to move the reflexive souls of new world citizens, regardless of gender or race. It simply ensures their absence. And in case we haven't noticed, there are now a plethora of spiritual experiences waiting for them outside the cloning parlours of big churchdom" (Sally Morgenthaler, "Leadership in a Flattened World: Grassroots Culture and the Demise of the CEO Model," An Emergent Manifesto of Hope).
The election of Australia's first female prime minister as a reminder of our responsibility to recognise women in leadership is not about the church rushing to be like the world. Rather it embarrasses us, when we remember we should be leading the world in championing and demonstrating inclusiveness, equity and opportunity for all people. As many in our societies work to remove walls, we need to ensure the walls we maintain as a church are based solidly on the best of our biblical understanding, not on power, politics and cultures of the past.
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 | Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown is a book editor and former magazine editor for the Adventist Church in the South Pacific, based just out of Melbourne, Australia. He has degrees in law, literature and English. He is married to Angela and they have two mismatched dogs and sponsor kids in a number of countries. Nathan is the author of four books: Pastor George (2010), a biography of the first Australian Aborigine to be ordained as an Adventist pastor; a novel Nemesis Train (2008); Seven Reasons Life is Better with God (2007); and the thought-provoking Relevation (2006). He has also edited a number of books, most recently Ordinary People-Generous God (2010). |
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Re: A woman taking Australia’s top job
Nathan,
You might find the history of the Right Honourable Kim Campbell of Canada instructive in the case of your newly minted PM, Julia Gillard. It seems to me that in politics, women are usually given the chance to lead when the ship is going down and none of the boys want to be the captain who goes down with it. Time will tell if Ms. Gillard can survive the downturning fortunes of the Labor Party (or whether she can leverage the atrocious reputation of the Liberals).
But it seems to me that this kind of politicing has little place in the church. In the church we should be about empowering people for success in God's work rather than setting them up for failure. Women in ministry leadership played an important role in founding Adventism, and I believe they will yet have an importation role before the end.
David Hamstra
Re: A woman taking Australia’s top job
What do worldly politics have to do with the Adventist church? Or the Bible? Or salvation? Absolutely nothing. I really could care less if they made a kangaroo the PM down under. This topic is utterly boring and means nothing.
Excitement Concerning Politics
Those who teach the Bible in our churches and our schools are not at liberty to unite in making apparent their prejudices for or against political men or measures, because by so doing they stir up the minds of others, leading each to advocate his favorite theory. There are among those professing to believe present truth, some who will thus be stirred up to express their sentiments and political preferences, so that division will be brought into the church. {CCh 316.1}
The Lord would have His people bury political questions. On these themes silence is eloquence. Christ calls upon His followers to come into unity on the pure gospel principles which are plainly revealed in the word of God. We cannot with safety vote for political parties; for we do not know whom we are voting for. We cannot with safety take part in any political scheme. {CCh 316.2}
Those who are Christians indeed will be branches of the true vine, and will bear the same fruit as the vine. They will act in harmony, in Christian fellowship. They will not wear political badges, but the badge of Christ. {CCh 316.3}
What are we to do, then?—Let political questions alone. {CCh 316.4}
There is a large vineyard to be cultivated; but while Christians are to work among unbelievers, they are not to appear like worldlings. They are not to spend their time talking politics or acting politics; for by so doing they give the enemy opportunity to come in and cause variance and discord. {CCh 316.5}
God's children are to separate themselves from politics, from any alliance with unbelievers. Do not take part in political strife. Separate from the world, and refrain from bringing into the church or school ideas that will lead to contention and disorder. Dissension is the moral poison taken into the system by human beings who are selfish. 570 {CCh 316.6}
Re: A woman taking Australia’s top job
Moreover, the Bible does not teach that women are to be in ordained leadership positions in the church. Please see my article at:
http://everlasting-gospel.blogspot.com/2010/06/women-in-ministry-biblical-perspective.html
Gen 3:16 To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.
Gods order for the family and church is that the man should lead an govern. Shame on the men who do not step forward and lead according to their ability and call.Re: A woman taking Australia’s top job
"What do worldly politics have to do with the Adventist church? Or the Bible? Or salvation? Absolutely nothing."
An odd statement coming from an Adventist. Ever been to a prophecy seminar on the image of Daniel 2? Ever read in the Bible who it is that sets kings up and takes them down? Presumably that also applies to queens? Prime ministers?
I'm not such a prophecy fan anymore, but you sound like you might be, so might want to brush up on what the Bible says about governments/politics and also what EGW says about God's role in it. If God is behind the appointment of women into government positions, maybe we might want to rethink what His views are of the role of women in society, family and yes, the church.