Exploring the Fullness of Faithful Testimony: Why Women’s History Month Matters for the Church
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Today in the U.S. we begin National Women’s History Month, which was first celebrated in 1987 as the result of an act of Congress. Although this is a secular celebration, it provides opportunity for the church to reflect upon the women across the centuries who have provided examples of faith, leadership, and determination.
Some might question whether such introspection is necessary. After all, we don’t have a month designated to celebrate men’s history. Many women would respond, “That’s because every month is men’s history month!” Week after week women hear sermons about Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, and other male biblical characters. According to the UMC’s General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, less than 15% of all the named characters in Scripture are women. This is not surprising, given the patriarchal cultures in which these stories arose. Perhaps, given those cultures in which men were the heads of households and the leaders in their communities, it should surprise us that so many women rose above cultural expectations to provide a strong public witness for God! Nonetheless, even when a balanced approach to Scripture is taken, a preacher will naturally focus on the stories of named men. Likewise, when we consider church history, many of our history books focus on key figures like Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jacobus Arminius, and John Wesley. We should study these great figures of the Christian faith and their important contributions to theology and Christian life. But often overlooked are the great female theologians and preachers throughout history, such as Mechthild of Magdeburg, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Margery Kempe, Argula von Grumbach, Katharina Zell, Teresa of Avila, Susanna Wesley, Sarah Crosby, Hannah More, Sojourner Truth, Phoebe Palmer, Catherine Booth, Fanny Crosby, Pandita Ramabai, Katharine Bushnell, and others I will mention below.
We deprive the church of rich resources for ministry and theology when we fail to consider the contributions of faithful women throughout the ages. In addition, half of our church population (or more, since women tend to attend church more frequently than men) appreciates seeing examples of leaders like themselves. Indeed, women need to see these testimonies, because these stories give evidence that God calls both men and women to ministry, God equips all people for ministry, and God delights in the faithful response of those whom he calls. Certainly, all of our church population can learn from people of faith, regardless of whether they are male or female. I confess my disappointment a number of years ago at a Christian educator’s conference when I discovered that my presentation on “The Top 10 Women in the Bible” was listed in the Women’s Ministry section of the program rather than the Bible section. As if only women should learn from these examples of faith!
As we enter Women’s History Month, I urge you to explore the faith of some of the lesser known women who have devoted themselves faithfully to serving God. We have heard of Rahab and Ruth and Esther, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus, but the women outlined below also have stories to tell.
In the first chapter of Exodus, we meet Shiphrah and Puah, two women who—like many women in patriarchal societies—find subversive ways of taking back power. Long after the death of Joseph, the Hebrews in Egypt had become so populous that Pharaoh felt threatened by their presence and the potential for uprising. Although Pharaoh oppressed the Hebrews to control them, they continued to multiply. He ordered the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill male Hebrew babies as they were birthed. Pharaoh allowed the female infants to live. (Pharaoh certainly misunderstood the threat posed by the girls; after all, they grew up to bear many male children who might threaten his kingdom!) In a striking statement, we see the wisdom of Shiphrah and Puah: “But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live” (Exod. 1:17). The greatest political power of the day—mighty Pharaoh—had given them a direct order. But these wise women understood that the God of slaves was far more formidable than any Pharaoh. And so they disobeyed. When Pharaoh confronted them, Shiphrah and Puah lied. They told Pharaoh that the male babies were birthed before the midwives could arrive, and thus the midwives were unable to carry out Pharaoh’s order. As a result of their loyalty in the face of extreme danger, God blessed Shiphrah and Puah and gave them families (Exod. 1:21). These bold women risked their own lives in order to honor God and preserve a people for his name.
Some women are more direct in confronting power. The five daughters of Zelophehad found themselves the victims of injustice, and they confronted Moses publicly in order to right the wrong. The Lord had ordered that a census be taken of those who were preparing to enter the promised land, and the inheritance would be divided equitably among the tribes of Israel. Since in that culture only males received inheritance, the five daughters of Zelophehad argued that it was not right that their father—who had no sons—should have his name blotted out from the inheritance of the clan of Manasseh (Num. 27:4). They brought their complaint before Moses, Eleazar the priest, all the leaders of Israel, and the whole congregation at the entrance to the tent of meeting—an intimidating setting! The women presented their legal case and asked to inherit their father’s land. When Moses brought this complaint to the Lord, God responded that “the daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying” (Num. 27:7). God affirmed the logic of these bold women! And so a new rule was instituted that inheritance could be passed to women if there were no sons. Zelophehad’s name would live on. (In Numbers 36, a rule was added that these women must marry within their clan so that property would not transfer out of the clan of Manasseh. The women abided by this rule.) Thus the five daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—not only preserved their father’s name, but also made a name for themselves.
Women are often in “the room where it happens” (to quote Hamilton), but rarely receive the acknowledgment. Numerous women traveled with Jesus and his disciples and thus regularly heard the Gospel teaching of the Lord and witnessed his miracles. Some of these women were wealthy enough to provide for the needs of the group out of their own resources (Lk. 8:1-3). After the resurrection, these women were the first witnesses of the empty tomb, and they were commissioned by the angel to preach the good news of the resurrection to the disciples (Matt. 28:5-7). After Jesus ascended to heaven, while the disciples awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together in an upper room in Jerusalem. The women were among them (Acts 1:14). When the Spirit descended upon the believers, these women were present and received the same gift as the men (Acts 2:1-4). When Peter explained the phenomenon to curious Jews in Jerusalem, he declared that the event was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, who proclaimed that in the last days the Spirit would fall upon all people, men and women alike (Acts 2:17-18). God did not exclude women from the room where it happens.
This is certainly true of both Phoebe (Rom. 16:1-2) and Junia (Rom. 16:7). After Paul wrote his letter to the Roman churches, he handed the manuscript to Phoebe and sent her to Rome to deliver his message. Phoebe was a deacon in the church in Cenchreae, and thus knew the Gospel well enough to be in leadership. She was a woman of wealth an influence—a benefactor in the Greco-Roman system of patronage. She had previously used her influence on Paul’s behalf and continued to do so in Rome. As Paul’s trusted emissary, she served as Paul’s interpreter: any questions posed by the Roman believers after hearing his letter Phoebe answered in Paul’s stead.
Likewise, Junia was a woman of great influence in the early church. Her name is easy to overlook because it falls among the various greetings Paul offers at the end of his letter to the Romans. But what he says in that single verse is of great import. Junia and Andronicus (who many scholars think was her husband) had been Christians for many years and even had been in prison with Paul, their relative. Paul’s description of this couple is astonishing: they were “outstanding among the apostles.” John Chrysostom, who became archbishop of Constantinople in the late fourth century, described Junia thusly: “[H]ow great the wisdom of this woman must have been that she was even deemed worthy of the title of apostle.” Her anonymity among modern believers may be the result of confusion regarding her name. New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham argues that Junia is the Latin name for Joanna, whom the gospels identify as the wife of Chuza, a steward in Herod’s household. (Bauckham suggests that Andronicus was Chuza’s Greek name, since it was common for Jews to assume Greco-Roman names.) If Bauckham is correct, then Junia was among the women who traveled with Jesus (Lk. 8:3) and bore witness to the resurrection (Lk. 24:10). Her experiences well qualified her to serve as an apostle.
The strength and chutzpah of women boldly to proclaim the Gospel continued beyond the pages of the New Testament, despite often caustic opposition. One of the great leaders of her time was Hildegard, a German abbess in the twelfth century. Not only did she lead her convent, but she also wrote music and poetry, as well as medical manuals based on her observations of plant species at the convent. When she was in her forties, she had an overpowering vision that compelled her to write down the vision and many others that followed. She sought approval from the church to write, and Pope Eugenius III encouraged her to do so. Hildegard begins her book Scivias by recounting God’s command to her to record the visions: “Burst forth into a fountain of abundance and overflow with mystical knowledge, until they who now think you contemptible because of Eve’s transgression are stirred up by the flood of your irrigation. For you have received your profound insight not from humans, but from the lofty and tremendous Judge on high….” These are bold words indeed, especially considering Hildegard’s position in a culture on the verge of the Inquisition. Yet Hildegard would not be deterred; her visions provided insight into a variety of theological concepts: the sin of Adam and Eve, the origin of the Devil, the incarnation of Jesus, the omnipotence of God, and the importance of virtue, to name but a few. She regularly confronted church leaders whom she believed had misused their power, facing a great deal of controversy in the process. But she refused to back down from God’s leading.
If we look to the early days of Methodism, we will find still more women who were filled with the Spirit and preached the Gospel in powerful ways. One of these women, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, grew up in a wealthy family in Leytonstone, England, but shunned her life of privilege after she turned to Methodism. She and her friend Sarah Ryan established an orphanage, where they led weekly public meetings at which they read and discussed Scripture. Another early Methodist preacher, Sarah Crosby, helped in their endeavors. Mary sought support for her preaching from John Wesley. Although he was reluctant at first, Mary convinced him that she had an extraordinary calling: “if I did not believe so, I would not act in an extraordinary manner—I praise God, I feel him near, and I prove his faithfulness every day” (1771 letter to John Wesley, cited in Paul Chilcote, She Offered Them Christ). Wesley agreed and declared that “the whole work of God termed Methodism is an extraordinary dispensation of His providence,” thus allowing her to preach (The Letters of John Wesley, June 13, 1771). In his journal Wesley described the effect of Mary’s speaking at class meetings: “[H]er words were as fire, conveying both light and heat to the hearts of all that heard her” (Works of John Wesley 24:8). When Mary was in her early forties, she married John Fletcher, one of the leaders of early Methodism. They were married less than four years prior to John’s death in 1785. Mary continued to fulfill her extraordinary calling, preaching the Gospel until she died in 1815.
Another nineteenth-century preacher, Jarena Lee, faced opposition on two fronts: she was a woman, and she was black. As a child she struggled with deep feelings of sinfulness, and at times felt suicidal as a result. After she came to know Christ, however, she prayed for sanctification and discovered profound joy when she received it. Nearly five years after this experience, Jarena heard God say, “Go preach the Gospel!” Although Jarena replied, “No one will believe me,” the voice responded, “Preach the Gospel; I will put words in your mouth, and will turn your enemies to become your friends” (Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee). When she first approached her pastor to ask for permission to preach, he refused. Jarena reasoned, “If the man may preach, because the Saviour died for him, why not the woman? seeing he died for her also. Is he not a whole saviour, instead of a half one?” Nonetheless, she waited to receive approval to preach. She married a Methodist pastor in 1811, but he died in 1818, leaving her with two small children. Jarena returned to her earlier pastor (now the bishop) and again asked for permission to preach, and this time he allowed it. Jarena Lee thus became the first official female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Her itinerant ministry led her throughout the Northeast, preaching wherever God called her.
The limited space here does not permit me to tell further stories of women who heard the call of God to preach the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But time does permit you to speak to your congregations, to tell the stories of the faithful women who have preached the Gospel, and to encourage the women in your midst to do the same.
Dr. Suzanne Nicholson is Professor of New Testament at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. She is a Deacon in the United Methodist Church and serves as Assistant Lead Editor of Firebrand.