A Subtle Crisis

For my recent graduate seminar, I did a paper on “Women in Missions.” Along the research period, I was tempted to change my thesis title to one related to this. I was inspired by what I discovered. Saddened to observe the foolishness of the fallen human nature. Why? Because when gender difference caused a discrimination that forbids one gender from serving in some ministry capacity, the work is stunted by half. My research took me to explore books written as early as in 1929 where authors (men) were already rallying for gender equality. These books were written by Western authors and just as we may think gender discrimination is becoming less in the West, surprise…surprise! Even until 2003, which was the latest book I consulted on women in ministry, women authors are advocating gender equality…

Those in my graduate seminar are “top guns” in their own capacities/ministries. I’ve heard their comments. But I would like to hear from the members at large. Is this thing of gender discrimination prevalent in the church today? In this nation? I must be careful to add that certain denominations are “more conservative” than others.

I remember someone coming into my office & saw a book by a lady mission historian & he brushed it aside, asking me why I would read a book that promotes “feminist theology.” Honestly, I do not understand why men are so fearful to accept women as their equal. In Women in the Maze: Questions and Answers on Biblical Equality the author raised several thought provoking questions. I’m glad I came across this book. Among many topics, it talks about the power of Jesus’ resurrection. That if Jesus had come, we human species no longer are under “the curse” (Gen. 3). If we truly believe Jesus had come, we can go beyond the curse. So, why still live under the bondage of the curse. This is mere foolishness to me. I know there is a school of thought that believes “leadership is male” & I would say these people are pretty ignorant. There is a difference between roles and functions. Personally, I am convicted that with the resurrection of Jesus, the church now can strive towards the original order of creation. Not to perfection – as long as we are on this side of heaven – but as near as we can.

Jesus saw both genders as equal in “value” to the Kingdom. Paul saw both genders as equal partners in ministry. They were radicals, won’t you say? But how about today in the 21st century? I remember quoting a caption of chorus from a song by ZZ Top. I don’t remember the title but I sure remember well one phrase that stood out “18th century brain, in the 21st century head.” And this is true in many circumstances. The church with its strong male adherence literally is pushing women to serve in the mission field where she can use her God-given gifts to serve. My challenge to the skeptic is to study history & to discover for yourself how we owe women who strongly persisted in using their gifts to serve God.

William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army with his wife Catherine commented that “My best men were women.”[1] Leaders like D.L. Moody, A.B. Simpson, and A.J. Gordon believed in encouraging women's gifts for public ministry. Both J. Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, and Fredrik Franson, founder of TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission), saw the need to recruit and send women to evangelize cross-culturally. In 1888, Taylor wrote, "We are manning our stations with ladies."[2] Throughout its initial history, his mission expected women, both single and married, to carry out all the missionary duties, including preaching and teaching. (extract from “Women in Missions” research paper)

The names quoted above are “big names” in history & they saw the value of including women in ministry…the result? Just read history.

In the midst of equality concern within the church today, this is a challenge. It is a challenge of and for the church to show in its life that it believes the gospel – that women as well as men are created in the image of God, that women as well as men are saved and set free by Jesus Christ and that because women and men are baptized into one Lord Jesus Christ, distinctions between women and men disappear and should not affect the life of the church. God calls the church to share in the struggle for liberation of all people, especially women. The church can only do so when it ceases to oppose its own members and let those of its members who suffer oppression in society direct its mission.[3]

That was my concluding paragraph. (I’ll be glad to oblige any request for further bibliography) In the corporate sector, women has to be twice as good to be accepted as an equal but in ministry, women just has got to be three times as anointed to be accepted as an equal. And it still puzzles me – if we truly believe the Bible & its teachings, if we truly confess faith in Jesus, why? Why the discrimination? I cannot comprehend. And I still fail to understand. For the next generation – the present generation of the so-called young adults – if they have lady bosses in their offices, if they themselves are bosses, the church has certainly lost its relevance if she still wants women to stay silent in church and refuse women the same opportunity as men to lead.

When women say that they feel left out or like second class citizens, they are often labeled radical feminists, aggressive or just plain unspiritual[4]

Am I promoting a “feminist theology”? No, on the contrary, I am appealing a return to Biblical teachings that must be extracted from cultural practices. It is the failure of the church if we do not disciple a believer until he/she experiences a transformation of worldview – from his/her old worldview to that of a Biblical worldview. And again, let me stress here, that a Biblical worldview is distinct from Biblical culture.

Read this quote,

Imagine the possibilities such a combination [cooperation of both genders] might create: strength working in tandem with stamina, the male’s laser-like focus expanding to take in the female’s quest for meaningful connections enriching the male’s determination to get things done. In theology, business, education, and communications; there is an emerging recognition of a different vision, a different voice, a different viewpoint – a female one, neither inferior nor superior, neither right nor wrong, neither better nor worse, but one that may open up new and unexplored possibilities for both sexes.[5]

It is truly my prayer that the church will rise to be the community she ought to be. Talk about love, talk about unity but beneath that is this issue of gender equality that we must confront now, in the 21st century.



[1] Marguerite Kraft “Distinctly Female” in Frontline Women (Pasedena, CA: William Carey Library, 2003), pg 76

[2] Marguerite Kraft and Meg Crossman Women in Missions http://www.thetravelingteam.org/2000/articles/women2.shtml

[3] Virginia Fabella and Sun Ai Lee Park (eds) We Dare to Dream: Doing Theology as Asian Women (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1989) pg 153-4

[4] Lorry Lutz Women as Risk Takers for God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books 1997) pg 241

[5] Diane Hales Just Like A Woman: How Gender Science is Redefining What Makes Us Female (NY: Bantan Books, 1999) quoted in Marguerite Kraft “Distinctly Female” in Frontline Women (Pasedena, CA: William Carey Library, 2003) 337

Ministry Update – January/February 2007

I’m feeling miserable…I was invited to preach this morning in a church that has a super early service. It was a strong message wrapped in royal icing. I did the usual preparations – rehearsing its delivery at an average of 10 times before the actual preaching…but I’m miserable. I did not deliver the message as good as I should. I left the church & complaint to myself in the car… “you delivered the message better last night rehearsing it than just now!” Surprisingly, the congregants thought otherwise…I don’t know if I should rejoice over this. But I placed a higher expectation on myself. My God deserves the best…I should always offer the best to Him.

It was a busy week. A whole week of classes – our graduate seminar. Somehow studying in class from 9am till 4pm is more tiring than working at my desk from 9am till 5pm! But I praise God that it was very insightful. Two more courses to go besides the thesis & I’m done for my study program. I’m looking forward to that. Because beyond this, study is more flexible. Next Tuesday I’m standing in for a colleague to teach at her class, then repeating the syllabus for the orientation class of new intake on Saturday. The YA group is meeting for a planning retreat at a beach apartment this weekend…I don’t know how much I can trust them to “truly plan” (honestly). Maybe, I just need to learn to allow others to make their own mistakes…then I won’t need to worry so much.

Then there’s the youth meeting we are planning to launch. Pray for Michael S. & myself to discern God’s direction in this work. I’m glad to have found someone sharing similar passion for youth work. I do admit that the attempt last year was pretty much a failure. But working in partnership with someone with similar passion…now that is more promising.

February is full of festivity…a whole week off for CNY. Yea, I enjoy “work” so much, holidays seem to just get in the way…but I need that break, just like everyone else, we need to take breaks. And God knows how I need to be a “Mary” once in a while & not get carried away at being “Martha.”

March already sees two major activities. One, is the morning prayer meeting with the students in campus. Gosh, it’s at 7am! I’m a night person…not a morning person, help! But it is a privilege to lead a group with the opportunity to spur the passion to pray…a group that may ultimately be a catalyst to a much larger group. Then, there’s my “debut” of teaching the Bible in BM! Gosh, I am looking forward to that…but do pray for me.

Busy But Fun

It's been busy but fun. Because I'm someone who enjoy having a lot of things to do. Coming up next is a week long graduate seminar (22-26 Jan) followed by a preaching engagement (28 Jan) then taking a class session for a colleague, so she can attend a course (30 Jan) and a session of orientation for new students intake of a department (3 Feb). Following that will be CNY break - it'll probably be a working break for me (as always). 12-16 March will be another week long class but for this one, I'm the one teaching - I'll have to make sure I don't fall asleep in the middle of my own lessons!

Church activities - aiyo, still pending - the launch of our youth meeting @ South. YA (S) having a planning retreat at first weekend of Feb. & YA (Central) as I've been understood, is planning for a mission trip (PTL!). VN church - ps has arrived Png & now in process of settling down.

New Year, New Challenges

I was visiting GBC Central yesterday and it rained after the first service. While waiting for the rain to stop, I mingled with several “old friends.” Many of them still asked me – how is the church in Air Itam? Or you’re still with the church in Air Itam? Hey, I was thinking, that was so yesterday! I left the pastoral office, like 2 years ago?! Okay, okay, so I’m now at GBC South & not often seen in Central, so they are still thinking I’m still in the pastoral office in that Anglican church.

Though I only spent something like 5 years as a pastor, it was truly a learning experience for me. Now I know why God sent me to a very difficult church. It was a “crash course” in practically every aspect of pastoral ministry! And it is these experiences that are helping me to minister effectively and practically in my present ministry (in MBTS especially & maybe perhaps at CCM too). During the pastoral years, I was disappointed to discover that there actually are people becoming a pastor for all the wrong reasons! I never thought there could be any case in MBTS – hey, this is MBTS you know!? – but I was wrong. There are people entering ministry for all the wrong reasons here, too & I suppose, everywhere else. Probably because, we are just fallen human beings, inheriting a fallen nature. And we are often numbed from hearing God. If there’s one accomplishment I can say I achieved during my pastoral years, it is building the team, not any team but THE team. And here’s a big thank you to ST, Nix & HA. You guys are a great team! I truly value how we worked together and able to correct one another because we share the same vision to grow spiritually – something that can only be achieved through team-work, like the one we had.

I was serving in the pastoral capacity from end of 2000 till beginning of 2005. 2005 was truly a difficult year for me with many major adjustments. First obvious change was leaving the pastoral office – when you are the pastor of a small church, Sunday morning is so “full” compared to coming to church (a big congregational church) as a member with nothing to attend to except to enjoy the worship – that’s a huge change. Also, in 2005, I returned to student life – signing up for the ThM/PhD program with AGST majoring in Education. (Thank you AGSTers, though it was a brief meeting, I’m glad the Lord brought our paths together) But clearly the Lord wanted me to do something else. I’m never one to give up on something I started, so it was a great struggle having to quit the program after two modules & entering into another program. At the second half of 2005 I officially left AGST program & enrolled into MBTS’ ThM (Missiology) program. I’m hoping to complete this program by this year. I hope to pursue further to PhD (Missiology). I pray that the Lord will provide all that is needed. Why I need to continue pursuing degree after degree? Well, because I’m fully convicted that God deserves the best & I can only offer Him as much as I have. If there’s an opportunity to be better, of course I want to grab that chance so that I can keep giving Him the better each time. Right now, I have the privilege to learn from one of the most renown missiologist of our generation in this campus.

Another change I experienced in 2005 was the nature of my ministry – from pastoral to (mainly) administration. I juggled my time among 7 different portfolios. In 2006, the scope of my responsibilities became more focused & I attend to 5 different portfolios. After the hiatus in 2005, I just can’t wait to get my hands into ministry. Towards the end of the year, I was praying hard – Lord, it’s time I fill my hands with “work.” And truly, the Lord opened doors. I started a “testing the waters” ministry among the younger youth in GBC South (I’m not sure if this has a future), I was asked to oversee the Young Adult CG, I offered to serve in the CCM (Cross-cultural Ministry) work at Bayan Point. For the first half of the year, I was in the BM church and for the second half, led to the Viet work. What 2007 has in store as I suspect is not only a mere continuation of what has been established the previous year but a greater intensity of spiritual fervency in these ministries. I’m growing in my ministry – the challenge to teach the Bible in BM, initiating spiritual awareness/prayer needs, and most of all, the vision of a spiritual revival in campus. While there are ups and downs in ministry, I must confess that I’m having a time of my life! Praise the Lord! I enjoy looking forward to the frequent invitations to teach/preach in other churches/Christian organizations. And I’m enjoying that exposure…

Looking back during my years in the pastoral office, I realize that at every “milestone” of (spiritual) progress, I’ve always experience “problems.” During my first years in the pastoral office, I noticed how the devil managed to divert my focus from God through many “sickness” he brought upon myself or my car. For about (first) 6 months continuously, the week before I was to preach, I always encountered a “problem.” It can be a simple case of sore throat, flu or some mechanical/electrical problem with the car and that often distracted me. Well, my God is great – I’ve grown from an amateur preacher to a good one. (Okay, I should not sound “boastful” but I do know I’m a good preacher, after all God is the One who anointed me to teach & to preach, so if I am good, it’s because of the source of that goodness – GOD!) Yet, the funny thing is, I’ve preached in almost every kind of congregations, except my own home church!

Why I bring this up? Well, I’m experiencing some “disturbance” right now. My car is the victim this time – it’s in the workshop right now & I don’t know how much its repairs will cost. But prior to that was a series of (spiritual) depression – one that actually made me so disillusioned I was nearly giving up. I’m also recalling how I sprained my toe just before going to the Viet Christmas last Dec. Yea, maybe that’s due to my own clumsiness but the pain was so piercing even while I was speaking before the crowd. Coming home that night, I removed my shoes to find a black toe! Yeap, it was black! And the next two days, I iced it often enough to reduce the swell & the bruise.

New year, new challenges – I’m ready for it because I know God is ahead of me. Halleluyah!

Entering into the New Year

Stepping into uncharted waters...we have not been here before. No one knows what 2007 has in store - for better or for worse. No one knows except One who knows the beginning and the end. With confidence, we step into 2007 - just as how the Israelites entered into the promised land

Joshua 3:6
Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people

Joshua 3:11
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan

As long as God is ahead, we can step into the new year with confidence...