Biblical Equality

What is Biblical equality? It is the belief that people are equal before God and in Christ. All have equal responsibility to use their gifts and obey their calling to the glory of God. God freely calls believers to roles and ministries without regard to class, gender, or race. We believe this because the Bible and Jesus Christ teach it to us. That is biblical equality.--ALAN G. PADGETT

John Wesley's support of women in leadership

The heartbeat of the whole [Wesleyan] movement was personal religious experience and its power to transform both the individual and society. Wesley was ready to adopt and adapt any idea that might further this cause. His chief purpose was to help the Church proclaim the gospel more effectively. The spirit of the movement and the vision of the founder contributed both to the acceptance and encouragement of female leadership. Wesley pioneered and sustained the revival. Women, as well as men, were allowed to express themselves freely.

She Offered Them Christ: The Legacy of Women Preachers in Early Methodism, Paul Chilcote. (Abingdon, 1993, 24)

Women-in-Leadership Scale

You might want to take a look at Keith Drury's Women-in-Leadership Scale. Sorry, I was unable to embed the URL, but try copying and pasting the URL below to take a look. Let me know what you think.

http://www.drurywriting.com/keith/women.as.leaders.scale.htm

From the The Wesleyan Church Position Statement on Women in Ministry:
However, we believe that all pertinent Scriptures need to be interpreted in the light of their immediate contexts, as well as in the context of Scripture as a whole. We also believe that no passages of Scripture clearly prohibit women from holding positions of authority. The passages that on the surface appear to do so are often twisted by interpretations stemming from biased readings of the text. In some cases there are faulty or biased translations. And in others there is evidence of localized situations that required special treatment that was not intended for general application. We believe that God has progressively revealed in the Scriptures His purpose to call, equip and empower women for full opportunity of ministry in the church. Galatians 3:28 states that in the Christian era "There is neither . . . male, nor female." This is a general principle of Scripture. Any Scriptures that at first appear to contradict this general statement must be understood in light of the general principle of Galatians 3:28. Clearly the spiritual and heavenly identity proclaimed in Galatians 3:28 has precedence over the earthly, administrative identity.
http://www.wesleyan.org/em/women_ministry

The discussion regarding whether Scripture allows for women to be leaders in the church always centers around how we interpret Scripture. If one supports Women in Ministry, then he or she is accused of using Scripture to support their position. The assumption is that to not support Women in Ministry is the correct interpretation of Scripture. Those who oppose women in leadership assume they do not bring their own belief or pre-conceived idea with them as they search Scripture as well.
Often the assertion is made that women who respond to God's call interpret Scripture to their advantage. It would seem that men who oppose Women in Ministry might also interpret Scripture to their advantage and it could also appear that this interpretation might be self-serving as well.
Just a thought for discussion…

Separate Authority?

Equality in ability does not mean equality in authority. An attorney may be twice as qualified as any one of the partners in his firm, but this does not mean he determines the strategy with which the most important cases are handled. A physician may be skilled in surgery far beyond her chief of staff, but this does not always result in her choosing the procedures of the hospital. To say separate authority has been given to men and to women does not demean either
gender.

Do you think this is a legitimate argument as to why women should not be ordained ministers in The Wesleyan Church?
If women cannot have access to the same level of authority as men, does that not demean them?
Please let me know what you think.

A successful woman preacher was once asked what special obstacles have you met as a woman in the ministry? Not one, she answered, except the lack of a minister's wife. Anna Garlin Spencer

Trafficking and Exploitation of Women and Children

I just returned from a conference 'enlightening' us on the reality of Human Trafficking. It is surprising to learn how much goes on here in the United States. Of course, those trafficked are mostly women and children. I believe that one of the reasons it is so commonplace to traffic young girls and women is that there is such a low value placed on the female person. One of the chapters in our study guide was on the biblical foundation for the church's response to this evil. Another was on the biblical basis for valuing women. Although I found the text helpful for discussion, I found it also somewhat disturbing that such a chapter would even be necessary. It, of course, makes me think about how the low valuation of women is also a reason why people oppose Women in Ministry. Another interesting thought to contemplate don't you think?