Keynote Address at the Inauguration Speech of Women's Programme in UTC
THE CHURCHES' PARTICIPATION IN THE WOMEN'S REVOLUTION
Dr. Mercy Amba
Oduyoye
Deputy
Moderator, WCC
There is a social revolution on the ground, it is
the voices of women against domination. It is women struggling
against sexism, poverty and invisibility. It is women acting to
combat marginalisation and the detrimental results of androcracy-the
rule of men. There is a social revolution in the air, it is like
a challenge of slavery and racism that ruled and, to a certain extent,
continues to rule the lives of people in many communities. What
does the church do, where does the church stand? where the church
benefits from the structures, the cultural domination and social
marginalisation of women-the church does nothing. The church
becomes part of the problem. Why then am I associating the
churches with the revolution in which women are challenging a status
quo in which the church participates and to which it contributes?
I come from a matrilineal culture and know how the
church undermines and disempowers women, but I am a church woman, with
faith in God's domination-free project for human community. I
stay in, with and an part of the church because I know the church is
God's agent and cannot but come round to God's view of women and of
humanity as a whole. My stance is that the church participates in
the women's revolution to ensure God's liberative project-it is not
always evident, but at least there is one visible attempt to associate
the church positively with the women's revolution, a revolution aimed
at a community of women and men, in which mutuality reigns and in which
human dignity is upheld by all.
After the faith and order commission in 1974, the
World Council of Churches (WCC) launched a four-year study on community
of women and men in the church, which culminated in a global conference
in Sheffield; a report was written. Then the churches were put on
trial. Do the churches constitute such a community? After
the result had been reported to its Central Committee in Dresden
together with recommendations for bringing about such community, there
were mixed feelings. Some breathed a sign of relief, other wished
or prayed the issue would go away. Some were happy for the
continuation by the Commission on Faith and Order by the way of another
study on "Unity of the Church and the Renewal of Humankind; as long as
it remains a study it cannot hurt. Other felt this study does not
respond to the question raised, much less the expected commitments that
the report to Dresden called for. Yet other felt making haste
slowly we could get there and worked vigorously on women's
participation through quotas.
The challenged did not go away, the challenge in
society on more and more visibility, women's group multiplied on every
conceivable issue. The United Nations Decade stimulated this and
with the "end of Decade celebrated in Nairobi" the churches were put on
trail once more. The Ecumenical Decade "Churches in Solidarity
with Women" is the trial of the church before the courts of the God of
compassion and of justice. It is interesting that connection
between the two parts of the statement is left flexible.
Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with women allows the
churches that see themselves as being in solidarity with women.
The challenge is for the church to make the solidarity visible.
It could be a question: "Are Churches in Solidarity with women?" or
even a statement of surprise: "Churches in Solidarity with
Women!" After two years it had become clear that we are talking
of the "of statements. Several member churches of the WCC had
become concerned, others involved, some were anxious but a few were
examining themselves while others were acting positively to demonstrate
solidarity with women and with the world view women are struggling to
promote. Come 1988 the churches will have to put themselves on
trial. Imagine the last judgment beginning with "I was a women
and you..." who is on trial, the churches or church women?
Today we inaugurate a Women's Programme of
UTC. When tomorrow I get the regular question "How is the Decade?
I shall reply confidently," it is a faring well, the churches are full
of good will, things are moving, only yesterday UTC inaugurated a
women's programme." Ecumenism calls for the breaking down of wall
of hostility and it sow the seeds of hope that there will be one new
humanity (Eph 2:1-4). This college itself is a symbol of this
ecumenical hope and that is why for this inaugural I recall before you
Paul's image of the new humanity.
Paul's letter to the Ephesians, which gives us our
image of One New Humanity, contain very strong picture that call his
debate with himself a Jew called to be an apostle to Gentiles. He
describe the Gentiles as without God, outside the covenant, no hope, no
promise, not circumcised; simply put by comparison with the Jews, the
Gentiles were not people. Often the rules, the regulation,
ecclesiastical discipline and other man-made decrees make churchwomen
compare themselves with the Gentiles of the New Testament-without hope
in the church. We note, however, that we do not have a parallel
description of Jew by Gentiles nor do we have a description of Gentiles
by Gentiles here. But the picture is striking enough. The
two are far apart. When Churchwomen show solidarity with Gentiles
in this description, they are revealing the sorry state of the church
when its exclude women, as some of the apostle wanted to exclude
Gentiles.
Paul was in good position to write to the Ephesians,
so they might know the cost of the reconciliation that had made it
possible for them to be in one body with the Jews. Reconciliation
was achieved by the blood of Jesus-the Gentiles did not have to shed
their own blood in a physical circumcision, and the Jews had to learn
to accept them as Sister and Brother in Christ. Breaking down the
hostility that stood like a wall between the two Groups was a costly
enterprise. In Christ those far apart are brought nearer, then
reconciled and being together in Christ they experience peace.
The two become one and can go before God in the One Spirit and grow
into one holy Temple. This wealth of imagery is what the Decade
is calling the churches to live out. For our reflection on the churches
'solidarity with women, we focus on four of the images in Ephesians
2:12-22:
- Alienated from God
- Reconciliation through the Cross
- Access to God in one Spirit
- Membership of God's Household
I have opted to draw my illustration from Africa,
though similar events and challenges are present globally and doubtless
you will have Indian equivalents.
Alienation
Women all over the world and in all Christian
communions have expressed their feelings of alienation from the
structured church. Often this is the result of church rules and
regulations that ignore the presence of women or positively
discriminate against women. For many, however alienation from the
church has not meant alienation from God. Time was when the
official leaders of the church did not even notice the pain of women;
they too, were alienated from women members, taking them for granted or
ignoring them totally.
This lack of awareness has definitely affected the
development of the church into household of God Built on the foundation
of the saints with Christ as the cornerstone. In the first half
of the Decade women have known and have expressed the reason for their
sense of alienation. What is being done to remove the obstacles
so that women may be at home in the church? The brickwork of the
dividing wall of hostility has been analyzed brick by brick, but the
sense of official church enmity towards women remains in some churches
and I several parts of the world. Even where churches are open to
the issue of the Decade, churchman speak as if it is up to women to
make a difference. Let me illustrate with two speeches made
by African church leaders (both men) at a meeting to inaugurate the
Decade. One of them said: "The world will be eager to see what
the sister will have achieved at the end of ten years set aside for
them by the church" (Sam Kobia, General Secretary of the national
Christian Council of Kenya, NCCK). The other said: "With 10 years set
aside for christian women the world over, our religious sister have
ample time to prove the national, regional and international
communities their practical capabilities towards church development"
(Jose Chipenda, General Secretary of the All African Conference of
Churches, AACC). This was after the latter had pointed to the
need of churches and secular institution to support women in their
efforts to developed, because where poverty, famine and war exist it si
women and children who suffer most.
Here is either a genuine misunderstanding or an
illustration of the alienation within the church. There si a lack
of communication when the issue have to do with women. First, it
is the churches that are on trail, not women. Will the ground
rules change so that women could contribute effectively? secondly, the
Decade seeks solidarity with all women, not just those in church
membership roles. Issues affecting women's humanity go beyond
church. They permeate the whole of life as the church, too, is
expected to do. This our 3-day seminar has affirmed.
- the unequal status of men and women in marriage
- lack of respect for human dignity and silence in
the face of torture of women
- nonchalance towards sexual violence and lack of
understanding of human sexuality.
Reconciliation through the cross
At its 5th Assembly the WCC highlighted the theme of
reconciliation with the imaginary of "break down the wall that separate
us, and unite us in single body." Before the 7th Assembly, the
Berlin wall dividing Europe into socialist and capitalist worlds was
broken down and a piece donated to the WCC. Breaking down walls
is a dramatic and prophetic act, but it is not without its cost.
For the curtain separating the Holy of Holies to come down, it took the
earth-shaking event of the death of Jesus on the cross. When the
Decade calls for reconciliation within the church and everywhere
between women and men, it is calling for a willingness to die that
God's will may be done on earth. If this will of God for humanity
is that we be reconciled to our divine origin, then one place to begin
could be the recognition of the image of God in the other.
The churches that are in solidarity with women have
to die to androcracy, submit to the healing powers of the Spirit of
Unity that they may be cured of sexism. This painful admission to
sin in the church is the only way to repentance, forgiveness and
reconciliation. The women whose resignation to injustice
enables sexism to flourish in the church have an important part to play
in this process. We have seen in the past five years women
standing up to say "no" to sexism and working hard to demonstrate the
nature of patriarchy and the unjust relations that grow out of that
world view. Patriarchy has been identified as a world view that
needs to be abolished that we might in Christ become one humanity,
enjoy peace and be reconciled to God in one body.
A passage in the letter to the Hebrews warns us that
reconciliation is costly, it entails "hard struggle with sufferings,
public abuse and persecution either directly or as being in solidarity
with those so treated" (Heb.10:32-34). If a church becomes
"enlightened" enough to see the plight of women and to work for the
breaking of whatever shackles women, it can expect to be challenged by
other churches and bodies who are yet to be convinced of women's full
humanity and its implication. We have examples of churches going
through painful relationships because of the issues of
ordination. The women who were ordained, the members who are for
ordination and those who are against, are all going though this
pain. Last night, on BBC news came the news of the successful
vote that will open the way for women to be priested in the Anglican
Church. Praise God.
This way of the cross will become redemptive and
lead to reconciliation only if all are ready to listen to the
Spirit. Maybe we have not studied together enough, learned to
listen, to appreciate the other, to challenge traditional and
entrenched positions. Maybe we are not ready to be led in new
directions or are simply blinded by privilege. Maybe we do not
see disciples as following in the footsteps of Christ, as bearing the
cross of doing the will of God, as working with God in the mending of
creation, as restoring human communion where it is broken. If we
are open to such costly acts of reconciliation we shall be witnessing
to our reconciliation through the cross and completing in our own
"bodies" the pain that Christ bears for us.
Access to God
Our Bible passage (Eph.2:18) points to the peace
that Christ proclaims. Through Christ "both of us have access in
one Spirit to the Father." Both of us, whatever the dividing line
is- Jews and Gentiles, Black and White, men and women, we are no longer
strangers. We have evoked the Spirit in all that we have thought
and planned in and for the Decade. Imagery from Paul's letter to
the Corinthians on spiritual gifts (1 Cor.12) has inspired a lot of
mediations given by both men and women. The One Spirit that gives
us a variety of gifts for building up the Body of Christ also becomes
that which gives us access to God. What then is the nature of a
humanity that has access to God? We should in this Decade look
for the fruits of the Spirits, for where we can find those who may be
certain God is at work there.
The churches launched a decade to be in solidarity
with women while women struggle for freedom and love and recognition of
their humanity. Where human beings allow the Spirit of God to
take possession of their relationships, the Spirit of justice
prevails. The Decade call is for churches to take the side of
women as they struggle against injustice in society by speaking out
against endemic evil by which society does injustice to women. In
Africa the challenge of poverty and unrelenting conflict situations
does violence to all, but especially to women and children. If in
this decade the churches would confront this situation it will be
evidence of the Spirit of God moving within them. A church
working towards the coming into being of the New Humanity will speak
out for tomorrow's world, will publish and inspire a vision of this
world and the relationships that it demands, will work with people
towards God's domination-free order.
The affirmation that the Spirit of God is available
to all, challenges the churches to live out their self-understanding as
the dispensers of the grace of God. The Spirit is poured on all,
and those who cooperate with God are endowed with graces that the
Spirit brings to those on whom it falls. If this is our faith,
then we have no reason for the gender-based prohibitions by which women
are confined, limited and prevented from operating the graces that God
endows them with. Whatever such prohibitions exist, the body of
Christ is disturbed and its ability to manifest the grace of God
limited. Churches in solidarity with women manifest the gifts of
the Spirit, thus showing that they have been restored to good
relationship with God, as both the men and the women in the church are
in the One Spirit.
In such a church, what others label as women's
issues, becomes the issues on the agenda of the whole church and the
concern of both men and women. Such a church will ensure that
women are involved in all aspects of human endeavour and that they are
granted the legal rights necessary to be able to operate to the best of
their ability. The churches themselves will show a new quality in
their cooperate life as well as in their efforts to participate in the
transformation of society. The gifts of women are for the
building up of the household of God, and God awaits patiently for the
churches' cooperation in this design. Having been restored to
relationship with God we all need the possibility to manifest the gifts
of the Spirit with which by grace we have been endowed.
God's Household
Women and men in Christ can no longer behave like
aliens and strangers who have accidentally met at an airport, or worse
slaves owners on a cane plantation. Paul tells his Gentile
hearers: "You are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with
God, members of the household of God." Men together with women
are God's kin, participating in the Kingdom of God under the single
domination-free rule of God. The Decade highlights various
aspects of participation, which does begin with presence so that each
may bring his or her gifts to the alter of God directly. Over the
years we have come to identify other aspects and implications of
participation. The churches show solidarity with women when they
demonstrate openness to transformation of structures, "orders",
liturgies, styles of decision making, approaches to work methods of
work, perception, language and other means of communication. The
Decade calls for partnership in the Household of God where all are
called to be servants, serving one another in mutual love. We
share who are and what we are as citizens of the same realm. This
shared life in the Household means that we struggle together to become
a real community. As a community of faith we share in struggling
against all that diminishes life, and for the enhancement of the means
of entering into fullness of life.
The Decade aims at encouraging the churches to help
and not to hinder women's participation in church and society.
The solidarity of the churches is being solicited not only for women
who are members of churches, but for all women in their effort to live
a full life in the total human community. Church women are
calling the churches to open their eyes to what is happening to all
women.
In Place of two
The Pauline model is that when the dividing wall
which is hostility has been broken down we shall got one humanity in
place of two. Physical sexual manifestations remain as nature has
planned, but the cultural creation called gender will be no more.
We shall become one humanity with gifts that transcends our sexual
being. The one "new" humanity will be humanity as God created it
- both male and female being in the image and "likeness" of God.
It will be like in the vision of Isaiah:
Weak hands shall be strengthened
Feeble knees shall be made firm
and men and women shall stand together in hope for the coming of the
day when
Water shall break forth in the
desert
And burning sand shall become a pool.
But when shall these things be and what are the
signs of hope? What we do here today is such a signs of hope,
hence we are bold to say, these things are happening now, before our
very eyes.
No more the running away from the ordination of
women is a symptom of sexism, a disease troubling the whole church and
not only the male clergy. It lats into the thinking of many men
and not a few women of the church are paralyzed by it. So this
programme should declare:
1. No more hiding behind culture and tradition.
2. No more generalizations about women.
3. No more silence on the violence against women and
girls.
4. No more the self-appointed defense of the body and
blood of the Savior from mistaken notions of
pollution.
5. No more jokes that trivialise issues about which
others feel deeply.
The Programme we inaugurating today, calls for reshaping. We
imagine
- action that will build up the self-esteem of women
and girls.
- action that will heal compulsive batterers and
hecklers of women and the violators and murderers of girls.
- action that will build up the self-esteem of women
an girls.
- action that will make us all the responsible
custodians and bearers of the divine image - WE HAVE BEGUN - WE TRUST
GOD TO MOVE ON US.