What's the deal with tongues? In this article, Jesse Medina recounts his experience in an Assemblies of God church with a high value on speaking in tongues. But what about the weirdness? Can we throw tongues out altogether? Read and Interact
Are Men Better Than Women?
Posted By Anonymous on/at 7:57 AM
Written by Jesse Medina
When I became a Christian my freshman year of high school, I became part of an Assemblies of God church. Amidst the other unique things about the A/G is that they see women as equal to men – they can and should do all the same stuff men do, notably, the 3 Ps: pastor, preach, and pee standing up.
Fast forward a few years and I am attending an A/G school called Vanguard University where I meet my friend Jon. Jon is Southern Baptist and, unlike us A/G folk, they believe that women cannot and shouldn’t do all the same stuff men do. For them, pastoring is a role reserved for men, only God calls men to preach, and any woman who attempts to pee whilst standing is guilty of great sin.
We had many a good talks about this and I’m not sure where I stand at this point. But there are some things to consider for those who are interested in diving into this subject themselves.
Women had a strong presence in the Bible
Granted, it is a somewhat balanced presence. For every Eve there is a Mary, for every Jezebel a Ruth. On the one hand we might say that this works neither for or against women, but consider how many of the men in the Bible screwed up…try all of them. Well, except Jesus, but that’s only because he found the right code before playing that allowed him 100% man and 100% God status. Some consider that cheating.
It was not good for man to be alone
Do I need to say more? Not really, but I will because by saying more we can be enlightened! Some scholars believe that the fact that Eve was created from Adam’s side is symbolic of their relationship and their roles. That is, man does not rule over Eve (as if she were made from one of his toes) and neither does she rule over him (as if she were made from a hair or something). Rather, they are equal, side-by-side. Further, the word used to describe Eve as Adam’s helper is the same used for the Holy Spirit later on.
Different not Better
An important possibility to consider is whether men and women, though equal in personhood, are not intended to serve the same purposes and roles. For example, women are able to have multiple orgasms – something men are not permitted. Sucks, right? Except that women also have to endure pregnancy and childbirth – a privilege that men are happy to concede. Likewise women, short of amazing talent and also a bit of weirdness, cannot pee standing up like we men can. Is it possible that the same is true for the Kingdom of God - that men should occupy roles that women are not permitted to and vice versa?
I mean, we all have different gifts, right? So the eye can’t say to the ear, “Hey, you weird looking, side-of-the-head-sitting freak, I don’t need you!” The preacher’s role isn’t better than the hospitality person – they are just different.
But I’m a man, so I definitely want to be better. And when it comes to board games, fixing stuff, and the speed with which I can get ready in the morning, I definitely win. But when it comes to making sure there is food in the house, back scratches, and making our house livable in terms of cleanliness, my wife destroys me.
I don’t know…what do you think? Is one better than the other? Are there roles that should only be occupied by one or the other, but they're still equal?
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