WOMEN, ARE THEY SECOND CLASS CITIZENS?

I believe that many women have fallen into the institutional trap of thinking of God's people only in its assembled sense and places of corporate gatherings. Its a false attitude and it does more harm than good. The heresy of Churchanity says that all important work is done within the realm of the "Holy Church Building". The highest brownie- points go to those who perform during the sanctified assembly time, called the "Worship Service".  Ultimately, church work is reduced to the maintenance of the institution. Instead of being fishers of men, we have become mere keepers of the aquarium.

Our minds, both men and women, need a spring cleaning. We need to realize that Jesus isn't primarily interested in our programs or our services. He cares about people! The sphere of work to which He then directed us, is into the world. One problem I see, is women wanting to serve God more fully and yet the male dominance in the Churches has kept them from doing anything except sewing, mopping, ironing, cooking and a number of other menial type of chores.

For centuries women have been restricted to work within the house, secure, surrounded by family, but not being allowed to develop and intermingle to a large degree with the outside world.  Many of them yearned to break out of the walls that kept them in bondage. But now there seems to be a mass exodus of women wanting to be free of house. I can almost hear Satan laughing.....These folks are never satisfied!

Women disturbed over their allotted role in life may never realize that they are no longer ugly ducklings, but beautiful swans!  From what standpoint are women looking? If the concern is really service, is it for serving the church, or for them to reach the lost of the world. That's where the real need is and this is something we talk long and hard about but seldom ever do! The word 'minister' in its simplest form, means 'servant'! Any servant of the Lord is a minister, male or female. Women need to consider themselves such. God has deemed women worthy enough to step outside the safe surrounds or home and family. Women only need to take the risk and grow. As always with God, what seemed at first to be defeat, turned out to be victory.

God's view of the Christian woman as the Galatian correspondence says, "You are all sons/daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for we are all one in Christ Jesus." We have no problem understanding that racial, social or economic prejudice, is no part of Christianity. Why must we not also see that the same applies to sexual prejudice and discrimination? Why, oh tell me why; For who, did Jesus die ???

Yours for Truth and Freedom.....Horace Hooper