Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: smithjh@argus.CS.ORST.EDU (Jeremy Smith) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: St Paul and Women Message-ID: Date: 14 May 91 03:51:02 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Oregon State University -- Math Department Lines: 31 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) writes: >Well, perhaps it's rare among scholars, but it's not so rare among a >number of lay women I know. (Especially Roman Catholics.) ... >They've been convinced that these snippets (some of questionable >authorship) are Paul's only thoughts on the matter of women, and so they >won't read a wonderful work like Paul's letter to the Romans, where they >might get a more balanced view of the man. The church has done a vast >dis-service to its women and to Paul by using these extractions to "keep >women in their place". This frustration is not without cause, but Paul's words are not without reason. Unfortunately, people interpret "man is the head of a woman" to mean "women are second-class citizens." Women are no less precious than men. Women are no less important than men. Having said this, let us not have the eye do the work of an ear in the body of Christ; let us not have the feet do the work of hands. To deny men their place and calling from God does not achieve God's will. To deny women their place and calling from God does not achieve God's will. Paul instructs us that God desires certain differences between men and women are to be recognized by the church. Even though our current popular myths would have us believe that this is evil sexism, we know that only God's formula for conduct will bear fruit. Let us lay down this bickering, and concur in our will to God's authority to make the rules. Let's stop treating women like second-class citizens and treat them as God commands. Let's stop trying to second guess God's rules and have faith(pistis). Peace and Grace, Jeremy.