We have failed to realize that Jesus founded the Women's Liberation Movement.

By Kris Vallotton

In an interview in recent years with America Magazine, the Pope spoke of his concern for women to find their proper role in the Church. He said, “Women are asking deep questions that must be addressed. The Church cannot be herself without the woman and her role.”

I agree with the Pope. I have an amazing wife, two daughters, a daughter-in-law and three granddaughters that wake up every day to a world of discrimination simply because of their gender. But the most troubling aspect of this oppression is that the Church is often found leading it!

Many believers have developed a theology that proactively uses the Bible to disqualify women from the most formidable roles of leadership, especially in the Church. I am appalled by the number of Christian leaders who are convinced that women are not as qualified, called, and/or gifted to lead as men are. The argument for disempowering women is illogical, and unscriptural.

The Stupidity of Disempowering Women

Let’s take a look at the logic (or lack thereof). For instance, if the devil’s mission is to kill, steal and destroy, then consider this: men commit more than 80% of all crimes in the world! In America alone, 93% of all prisoners are men, while women commit only .04% of all violent crimes. That’s right, men are also responsible for starting most wars, committing the worst atrocities ever chronicled, and have incited nearly ever genocide in the history of the planet.

And it was men who put Jesus on the cross. There wasn’t a single female involved in the crucifixion! As a matter of fact, Pilate’s own wife tried to talk her husband out of crucifying Jesus (Matthew 27:19). Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that women are innocent of wrongdoing. NO! I am simply pointing out that, if we look at history and these facts, men are more likely to help the devil carry out his dirty work.

Disempowering Women is Unscriptural!

Biblically speaking, while ten apostles huddled up in a house trying to save themselves, it was only three women (and John) who stayed at the Cross to comfort Jesus in the dark night of His soul. Although Jesus had been telling His disciples for months that He would be crucified and rise on the third day, it was only two women who visited the tomb on that fateful day.

When the women found the tomb empty and encountered excited angels, they ran back to the village to tell the “world-changers” that the stone was rolled away and Jesus was gone. Yet only Peter and John even bothered to see if there was any truth to their story, while the rest of the apostles refused to believe. In spite of all of this, (in the name of the Bible) many Christians still disempower women and relegate them to the back seat of the bus.

The Curse Died at the Cross

Yet even under the Genesis curse, (which placed husbands above wives), Old Testament women were empowered to be prophetesses, judges, queens, and leaders. When Jesus gave His life up on the cross, He became sin for us and thus destroyed the curse that was propagated against us (including the curse that caused husbands to rule wives) in the Garden of Eden.

But 2000 years later, much of the Church still has only applied God’s redemption to one gender and relegated women to the ball and chain of the Garden tragedy. The fact is that in the last hundred years, many countries of the world have begun to champion women, giving them places of leadership in politics, in business, in education, and in most every realm of society, while much of the Body of Christ won’t even allow them to be elders in a church of fifty people. It’s appalling and we need to wake up!

What’s the Real Problem?

We have failed to realize that Jesus founded the Women’s Liberation Movement. He taught women, spoke to them publicly, protected them from the religious community and empowered them to minister. After many years of research, I am convinced that there are four basic reasons why men and women are not empowered equally in the Church.

1. The devil hates women even more than he hates men because the curse that God pronounced over the SERPENT was that women would be hostile with the devil. Therefore, the spearhead of demonic warfare is focused on women.
2. Most men are insecure; reducing women helps them feel more powerful.
3. Many Christians have misunderstood the Bible with reference to women. Therefore, they don’t want to violate their understanding of the Scriptures to empower women or be empowered as a woman.
4. As a people group, women tend to be less competitive than men, they are not “typically” fighters, they are prone to be more humble and gentle. Maybe this is because they gave birth to everyone on the planet. Men often mistake these attributes for weakness and believe women are not as qualified to lead. This results in women being promoted less frequently than men, or men purposely oppressing women.

The moral of the story is this: we need women to rise up as matriarchs along side of our patriarchs in every realm of society so that God’s full intention for the planet can be fulfilled.

Will You Step Up?

To all the women out there reading this: I want to apologize to you on behalf of anyone who has oppressed you, made you feel less-than or taken away your voice. We need you to rise up and be who God created you to be! You are valuable in the body of Christ, and if we’re missing you we are missing half of God’s attributes!

To all the men out there reading this: It is our responsibility to take a place of respect and empowerment towards the women in our lives. I want to encourage you to cut out any insecurity that may be leading you to hold the females in your life down. Let’s be their biggest cheerleaders!

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