Different genders, Different purposes

I may be about to tread on controversial ground, but here goes...

A recent article in Newsweek quoted the following statistics:

• "Women make up 61 percent of all Americans who attend religious

congregations, but they still struggle for their place..."
• "Only 12 percent of the clergy in the 15 largest Protestant

denominations are women."
• "Some 112 million Americans belong to denominations that don't

ordain women at all..."

The article concludes by referring to "the stain-glass ceiling"

and that it has yet "to completely shatter." (Newsweek, July 10,

2006. "Beliefwatch: God's Girls)

I am all for advances for women. I am all for equality between the

sexes—that is to say, that each partner is equally important in

his or her role. I know great leaps have been made over the past

100 years in the treatment of women. For all of these things, I am

extremely grateful (especially when it comes to mon mari washing

the dishes or changing a diaper).

But this article is wrong in assuming that all women want equality

in all things (in this case at the pulpit). I am not against women

pastors as a matter of principle. (Sidenote: I will admit that as

a matter of choice I am in favor of male pastors; however, I would

not deny an entire gender the opportunity to preach God's Word).

My argument here is that a secular news magazine should not put

itself in the position of assuming it understands the individual

faith of millions of women and then make a sweeping generalization

based on those assumptions.

For those women who "struggle for their place," I sincerely pray

that God fulfills His call in their lives. As for me, I can see

the "stained-glass ceiling" and can marvel at its beauty: That God

created men and women each with different roles and different

purposes but that they may be equal as children of God.

originally published by Angie from PW,USA