Let’s Not Miss Our Opportunity!
Women make up at least half the church; and in many places worldwide, more than half! Carolyn Custis James has written a stimulating and thoughtful book regarding the conditions under which women labor and the roles to which they have been confined. She addresses interpretations of scriptures that have straightjacketed women from fully realizing and becoming the image bearers of God they are called to be. She does this in a balanced way, explaining why both women and men are called to lead together and live as co-image bearers of God. And she skillfully ignites a passion in the reader to do something, to take action, to make the world around them a better place. The following are two excerpts from this important book.
I believe the church of Jesus Christ should be first in line to champion the empowerment of women and girls throughout the world to become contributing members of their societies. In fact, the community of God’s people should be the epicenter of human flourishing—where men and women are encouraged and supported in their efforts to develop and use the gifts God has given them wherever he stations them in his world. The church of Jesus Christ should be such a dazzling showpiece of female and male flourishing that the world will take notice.
God never envisioned a world where his image bearers would do life in low gear, or be encouraged to hold back, especially when suffering is rampant, people are lost, and there is so much kingdom work to do. He wants his daughters to thrive, mature, gain wisdom, hone their gifts, and contribute to his vast purposes in our world. We should be the first to celebrate the news that the doors of education and opportunity are opening to young girls who are emerging as leaders and who are blessing their communities and improving national economies. Isn’t this at least part of what it means for God’s will to be done on earth?
I have sat in women’s conferences, where Christian women are soothed with messages telling them they matter, that God thinks they’re beautiful, and that they need to carve out time alone with God. I’m all for encouragement and I’m passionate about challenging women to go deeper in the study of God’s Word. But that message must be accompanied by the call to step out, to engage this world, and to make it better for all.
God created his daughters to be kingdom builders—to pay attention to what is happening around us, to take action and contribute. Commands to multiply image bearers, to live productive lives, to rule the whole earth, and to subdue the enemy’s efforts are aimed at women, too. Let us not miss God’s original vision, namely, that he is raising up his daughters to be leaders. That idea is explicit in his command to rule and subdue—a command that doesn’t leave out a single square inch of this earth. In the beginning, God envisioned a world of leaders and hardwired leadership into his image bearers’ DNA—the DNA of his daughters, as well as his sons.[1]
God is shaking his daughters awake and summoning us to engage. His vision for us is affirming and raises the bar for all of us. We cannot settle for less. We have work to do. There is a kingdom to build, and what we do truly matters. Our compass is fixed on Jesus. We can no longer listen to those who call us to love him with less than our whole heart and soul and strength and mind. We may not have titles, position, or power in the eyes of others, but leadership is in our DNA. The call to rule and subdue places kingdom responsibility on our shoulders. Conflict draws us out. And as we answer God’s call, our brothers will be first to benefit.…
One hundred years from now, may it never be said of this generation … that we folded our hands and left God’s kingdom work to others. May it never be said that we ignored the cries of the helpless and focused on ourselves. Let it instead be said that God used those cries to awaken a sleeping giantess and filled her with a terrible resolve—half the church, angered and outraged at the unchecked forces of evil in God’s world. That we made up our mind to do something, that our efforts forced the darkness to recede, and that we left the world better off than we found it. May we be remembered as a generation who caught God’s vision, faced our fears, and rose up to serve his cause.[2]
I encourage you to purchase this book! You may experience what several of us have experienced while reading it. We couldn’t put it down! As a result, we feel the urgent need to become more informed and to act on the compassion and passion God is stirring within us. It is time. Let’s not miss this opportunity!
[1] Carolyn Custis James, Half the Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 76–77.
[2] Ibid., 192–193.