[GUEST POST BY FELICITY DALE]
Tony and I used to have a dog named Sugar—a
faithful and loyal companion, though of dubious parentage and limited
intelligence. We live in a house with a fenced yard and an electric gate across
the driveway. Sugar used to hide, lying in wait until a car went through the
gate. Then, just as the gate was closing the final few inches, she would make
her bid for freedom. She would return several hours later, exhausted but very
happy.
We live near a busy road and eventually decided
to put a stop to her adventures. We installed an invisible fence (which works
by giving the dog a small jolt of electricity if it approaches too close)
across the driveway. After a couple of, shall we say, shocking experiences,
Sugar learned to stay within the confines of our yard. In fact, long after the
battery in her collar had died, Sugar would sit, wistfully gazing at the
liberty that lay on the other side of an open gate without making any attempt
to escape. She had become conditioned to her limitations.
As women, we too, have become conditioned
to live within boundaries. Even within the simple/organic/house church
movement, where there are no boundaries for what a woman can do, women still
rarely take the initiative. There’s an inbuilt misconception that we have to
wait for a man to step up to the plate.
But imagine what might happen if women
really understood that they are free to make disciples, baptize, start
churches, teach…. They can function as apostles, prophets, evangelists,
shepherds and teachers. What might happen if men and women partnered together
for the harvest?
The
Black Swan Effect, a book I recently compiled, presents a vision for what can
happen as men and women work together in the Kingdom of God. The authors (both male and female) encourage
men to champion women as equal co-laborers and partners in the harvest. They
give women permission and inspiration to follow the Lord—to reach their own
full potential and encourage others to fulfill God’s call. The Black Swan
Effect equips both men and women to bring an informed and positive contribution
to the increasingly crucial conversation on gender in the church.
This book was written for men as well as
women. Fourteen different authors
contribute to these themes in The Black
Swan Effect, each of them writing from their own area of passion and
expertise, the whole being woven together into a single narrative. Encouraging
stories of women who are doing marvelous things for God today accompany each
chapter.
If you are like most Christians, one of
three primary motivations might propel you into a discussion about women in
ministry:
§
Many Christians have come to the conclusion that there is no
better way to increase the size of God’s missions workforce than to fully
deploy women to use their spiritual gifts and God-given capacities.
§
Some are asking theological questions. They are investigating
how the Bible portrays women, especially women leaders. How did Jesus treat
women? Were the New Testament writers—in particular, the apostle
Paul—misogynists? Are there alternative interpretations for some of the really
difficult passages of Scripture?
§
Others are drawn to this discussion because of issues related to
justice and human dignity around the world as well as in the church. As they
study Scripture, they are assured that God creates all men and women in his
image, and they can’t even imagine a God who would discriminate against women.
What might happen if men and women worked
together, side by side, for the Kingdom?
Does our traditional view of the
Scriptures concerning women overlook something powerful?
Could the role of
women be crucial to the church’s future?
Are we on the edge of a new era in
missions history?
Change is coming. Get ready!
