Women, Creation, And The Fall

WOMEN, CREATION, AND THE FALL WOMEN, CREATION, AND THE FALL Mary A. Kassian CROSSWAY BOOKS • WESTCHESTER, ILLINOIS A DIVISION OF GOOD NEWS PUBLISHERS C O N T E N T S Women, Creation, and the Fall Copyright © 1990 by Mary A. Kassian vii ix PREFACE INTRODUCTION Published by Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Westchester, Illinois 60154. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law. Cover illustration: Michael Carroll First printing, 1990 PART ONE: 1 The Created Order 2 Born Cursed 3 Authority and Submission PART TWO: 4 5 6 7 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 89-81256 ISBN 0-89107-552-6 Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations are taken from Holy Bible: New International Version, copyright © 1978 by the New York International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. 8 9 10 11 12 13 SCRIPTURE INDEX INDEX 49 59 63 75 GOD’S ORDER IN THE CHURCH The Role of Women in the Church Headship and Head Coverings Verbal Participation Offices for Women Feminism Towards a Concept of Ministry NOTES 13 21 31 GOD’S ORDER IN THE HOME The Institution of Marriage The Male Role in Marriage The Female Role in Marriage Stereotypes PART THREE: Printed in the United States of America GOD’S ORDER IN CREATION 87 92 105 123 142 160 173 185 189 P R E F A C E Christian ideology has contributed no little to the oppression of women. Simone de Beauvoir T T he penning of these words by Simone de Beauvoir marked the beginning of the era of women’s liberation. Her questions about the role of women in secular society in the sixties became the topic of discussion for the religious community in the seventies. Since that time, a myriad of books and articles have been published on the Biblical role of women. Yet, much confusion remains. This book reflects my own personal struggle in coming to grips with the Biblical role of women in contemporary society. My thoughts have crystallized in this form, for in my studies I have found the bulk of writings on the Biblical role of women irresponsible in their handling of the Bible. The ones sound in their exegesis were few and far between and often were so technical they made tedious reading. I have thus attempted to broach the subject responsibly, employing the literal (grammatical-historical) method of interpretation, and then to present my conclusions in a readable manner. The topic of women’s role and ministry is volatile. Though eager to deal with it, I fear misunderstanding and misapplication of what I say. Therefore, I need to lay out some basic premises for the book. First, the concepts presented apply specifically to the Christian community. They cannot be applied to society in general. People who have not experienced the Holy Spirit’s regeneration are incapable of understanding or applying Biblical principles, for it is only through the power of God’s Spirit within us that we are freed for obedience. Second, I believe the spirit or intent of our actions is viii WOMEN, CREATION, AND THE FALL just as important as our actions themselves. Following the Biblical model of the role of women without Christ-centered heart motivation produces only legalism. As far as I am concerned, rigidly applying Biblical teaching, while neglecting a spirit of freedom, unity, love, and understanding among believers, is a greater mistake than that of theological error. In writing this book, I have attempted to pre