A Woman's Place Is Where?

Woman's place. Those two words can flare up intense controversy whenever they are uttered.

The 20th century began and ended with intense debates on the topic. The polarization continues. Has our denomination reflected on the question of the 'official' place of women, both lay and clergy? Frequently I end my history of Christianity class with the question: So what? So what that centuries worth of stuff happened before we showed up in the Church? Is the history of Christianity in the previous 2,000 years pertinent to our Christian journey today? Does what we know about the past have anything to do with who we are now and will be in the future?

What about doctrinal developments, the rise of movements, and cultural adaptations? Within Church tradition as a whole, different traditions, or branches of Christianity, interpret Scripture differently, think about the world differently, understand doctrine differently—even doctrines as fundamental as salvation. Does our denominational tradition and heritage tell us what to believe today?

This is certainly the case in the issue of gender.

The 'place of women' is divisive, even among Christians.

However, a history and theology does exist that defines our denomination's position on women. From interpretations of the first chapters of Genesis on, through the activities of Jesus, to the teachings of Paul, many people have certainly tried to articulate God's view of women. These interpretations have also been debated for centuries.

Is the issue still up for debate for Nazarenes? If we take our history seriously, then it is not. The Church of the Nazarene finds its roots in two primary sources—the theology of John Wesley and the 19th century spiritual awakening known as the Holiness Movement.

First, John Wesley's life and thought shows a strong advocacy of women, an exception compared to church leaders of his era. Women of early British Methodism received opportunities in the church that were rare in the 18th century. Wesley encouraged women preachers. He believed that God would use extraordinary means to accomplish extraordinary ends in extraordinary times, and he finally made preaching by women an 'official' position of Methodism.

However, Wesley saw all the women within his movement, not just the preachers, as co-laborers in the cause of the Methodist Revival. He depended on them, appointed them to positions of significant leadership, considered many to be his closest friends, and counted them as his true equals, and even his spiritual guides. Wesley interpreted Scripture in such a way that women were seen as fully gifted, qualified, called, and truly needed in the life and ministry of the Church. Out of Wesley's Methodism the Holiness Movement was born.

The Holiness Movement arose when Wesley's theology of sanctification merged with the American situation. Methodist preachers (including women), using the new methods of revivals and camp meetings and in the vitality of the new American optimism, called people to 'full salvation' through lives fully surrendered and devoted to God. People were challenged to radically change through the Holy Spirit's power, similar to the disciples' experience on the day of Pentecost.

Holiness theology emphasized the unlimited power of all sanctified believers. This was explicitly directed toward women, with the implication that a person was only limited by his or her own disobedience. Ordinary women were told they had equal access to 'Pentecostal power' available through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they were equally capable and equally responsible to testify of their experience and serve the world. These 'Holiness folks' applied this radical hope for change not only to their individual spirituality or even to the Church, but also to society and its social 'evils.'

To be a Holiness person in the latter part of the 19th century was to be active for causes of social justice, working on behalf of those in need. It meant being against slavery and any kind of social oppression. It meant being an advocate for the lower class, for the poor, and for women's rights. It's no coincidence that denominations arising out of the Holiness revival, including the Church of the Nazarene, ordained women from the beginning and afforded laywomen leadership opportunities.

Their theology demanded actively pursuing human equality that cut across race, class, and gender. However, a couple of movements in the 20th century have muddied the clarity about women we once celebrated. The first is the rise of Fundamentalism. In reaction to 'liberalism' in the early decades of the 20th century among mainstream Protestantism, those advocating for complete loyalty to a list of Christian 'fundamentals' turned, not only from the theological 'left' but also from the center, and radicalized a set of beliefs. Unfortunately, this forced those who held to Wesleyan theology into theological oblivion.

Many forgot that a person really could be an Evangelical without being a Fundamentalist. People attending churches such as the Church of the Nazarene (which fits this description of being Evangelical without being Fundamentalist) were highly influenced by the Fundamentalist worldview, even though our Articles of Faith do not affirm all of the 'fundamentals' propagated. Fundamentalism has a specific way of interpreting Scripture that supports a subordinate view of women in general, and denies female ordination specifically.

Nazarenes influenced—knowingly or unknowingly—by Fundamentalism began to question what had not been questioned since Wesley's time: the place of women in the home, in the church, and in society. Though a significant percentage of Nazarene pastors and evangelists had always been women, this percentage began to rapidly diminish after 1940. Doors that had always been open were closed. The fluidity of female roles and the stress on human equality that made the Holiness Movement distinctive began to become rigid in the minds of many Nazarenes in the mid-to-latter half of the 20th century.

This problem was not helped by the 'second wave' of American feminism. The 'first wave' was thoroughly stamped with the values of Christianity and was strongly supported by people of faith. (For example, the first Women's Convention was held on July 19, 1848, in a Wesleyan Chapel in upstate, New York'a place known as the 'burnt over district' because the fires of holiness revival had spread throughout the region with great influence.)

However, the 'second wave' of feminism that arose in the 1970s was intensely secular, and called Christianity its enemy. As a result, we have experienced a backlash against feminism in general. Without remembering the Christian roots of the 'feminist movement,' it is easy to lump all forms of feminism together and call them anathema! But 'feminism' itself is not a dirty word. A Wesleyan-Holiness feminism might be characterized by the following beliefs:

1. Women's subordination was a result of the Fall, and not a part of God's original de-sign.
2. There is "no male or female" for those who are in Christ (Galatians 5:23).
3. God calls both men and women to all forms of Christian ministry.
4. Each person is called to uniquely express his or her gifts and graces in the world and workplace as representatives of Christ.
5. The Spirit of Pentecost will empower the devoted, both men and women, to accomplish more than 'humanly' possible.
6. Women are of equal worth in home, church, and society.

This is by no means an inclusive list, but it represents our denominations historic spirit on the issue of gender. Despite the diminished opportunity for women to find places as pastors of our churches in the later part of the 20th century, God continues to call women to such ministry.

Presently, more women are preparing for ordained ministry than at any other time in our history. Places to serve for women—in lay and clergy settings—are becoming available as the denomination has consciously reminded us of our heritage, our theology, and our position on gender. For many, this sets hope 'ablaze' for what God intends for our women in the near future.

The Church of the Nazarene affirms women in all their places of influence, whether at home, in the church, or in the workplace, and should question any unjust treatment of women.

Women have not only had trouble in the pulpits. Even today working women are often paid less for equal work. Are we willing to declare that women are to be treated with equal dignity and respect, no matter the context?

With a theology that affirms full mutuality for those who are in Christ, and the potential return to 'Eden' by a transformation available through God's sanctifying work and the power of the Spirit of Pentecost, our denomination should offer women, and all people, a place of full acceptance as co-citizens and co-laborers in God's kingdom. Despite a quite different message that is sometimes heard in our midst, our heritage affirms the full equality of women, in every sense of the word.

Diane Leclerc is a professor of historical theology at Northwest Nazarene University. She is an ordained elder and has pastored two churches.

Holiness Today, July/August 2006

Please note: This article was originally published in 2006. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.