A NEW COVENANT THEOLOGY OF WOMEN

Dallas M. Roark
Professor of Philosophy
Emporia State University

     The New Testament is more than a collection of books. It declares the beginning
of a New Covenant, a covenant which is radically different from the Old Covenant
 or Old Testament agreement. Jesus instituted, finalized, declared, and explained
 the meaning of the New Covenant in his profound words at the Last Supper
(Mt. 26:26ff.). Much of the New Testament is commentary on the churches' struggle
 to break free of the Old Covenant and enter fully into the freedom and grace of
the New Covenant. The Gospels and Epistles declare a high and lofty new theology
of freedom and grace, an entirely_new relationship between God and humankind, in
contrast to the Old Covenant.
     Not all issues regarding Christian living were worked out in the first century.
In many matters the practice of the early church was slow to catch up with its theology. The issue
of slavery was such a matter. The Old Testament allowed slavery, but limited it to
seven years, though under certain circumstances longer periods were allowed.
    Under the New Covenant, the advice to the Christians comes within a changed concept
 of theology. Theology was slow to influence the practice. Until it did, the Christian
slaves were to be obedient to their masters. But Gal. 3:28 sets forth a theology for
the elimination of slavery. Galatians 3:28 declares that there is no difference in
Christ between slave and free. To Philemon, Paul counsels that Onesimus should be taken
 back as a brother, no longer a slave. The theology is there to destroy slavery in the
 Christian framework. It took time to do it and even Christians were blinded by economic
 reasons to the theology of the New Covenant of Grace concerning slavery. The theology
of the New Covenant is that God has broken down all walls (Eph. 2: 14) and redeems people
 whoever they are and makes them fellow-heirs with Christ. Here we can see, in the case
of slavery, cultural practices being carried over into the Christian era, practices that
 were basically contradictory to the theology of grace and equality in Christ.
    If we view the position of women in the same way, we can make sense out of the seemingly
 contradictory attitudes of Paul toward women. On the one hand, we are told that women should
be quiet in church, should submit, and assume a secondary position to man. But on the
 other hand, we are told that there is neither slave nor free, male or female, we are
 all one in union with Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are the real
descendants of Abraham (Galatians 3).
    If we accept this doctrinal statement as the real truth of the theology of grace under
 the New Covenant, then we can see Paul's advice in Corinthians as a hangover from the
culture of the time. The natural source of the cultural ideas comes from the synagogue
first, and Greek culture second. The church has taken too long to make the transition
from the culture of the past (and present) to the theology of woman expressed in the New
Covenant of Christ.
    If we develop this idea further, we can see the New Covenant bringing about a new being.
 This new creation breaks down the walls separating the Jews and Gentiles. This is
accomplished "in union with Christ." Ephesians declares that "you Gentiles are not
foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now fellow citizens with God's people and
members of the family of God" (2: 19). Fellow citizens does not sound like second-class
citizens. We are warned in Scripture to avoid the return to Judaism, as in Galatians, and
we are warned against continuing to live like the heathen (Eph. 4: 17). The new way is that
 of union with Christ and equality of all believers, including women.
    If we fail to take the position of women seriously as these doctrinal statements do, we
are in danger of adopting either the Old Testament, or pagan ways of viewing women, thus
 nullifying the New Covenant. Ephesians 4:20-24 states:
"That was not what you learned in Christ. You certainly heard about him, and as his followers
 you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. So get rid of your old self, which made you
live as you used to-the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desire. Your
hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is
created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy."
    How ironic and self-contradictory to claim renewal of one's heart and mind, and yet regard
women as unequal. The new beginning for us in Christ is for both male and female.
    Let us see the implication of the New Covenant for women's future. Without doubt, the
 New Covenant gives women a future that is in Christ, a union with him that is no different
from that of a man. Many cultures of the past and present regard women as subordinate to
men. In the Muslim culture a woman's place in Paradise is regarded as a mere toy for men
to enjoy. Even in America we see women treated with inequality. In economic matters equal
 work does not mean equal pay. Sexual promiscuity among men is regarded lightly; among
 women it is judged harshly. Sadly, even in some churches today, a woman is admonished to stay
"in her place. "
    No such concept exists concerning the place of women when we talk about union with
Christ. Jesus indicated that there is neither marriage nor giving in marriage in heaven. Cultural
 marriage always wants to make the woman subordinate and cater to man's ego. The New
Covenant concept is that union with Christ brings spiritual equality and unity in Christ.
 Such shall be the situation in heaven, but it begins with the New Covenant of grace on earth.
    When we consider some normal applications of the New Covenant to statements of the
Epistles we cannot understand them in any normal way without the concept of equality of the
 sexes in Christ. Philippians 2:3b tells us: "Be humble toward one another, always considering
others better than yourselves." Are we to think only in terms of
men to men, and women to women?  No such distinction is possible in the Philippian church.
"Having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and being one in soul and mind" (2:2) is only
possible in Christ where all are one in union with him.
    The question will be raised concerning certain passages of Scripture in which specific
directions are given concerning women in the church. In 1 Cor. 14:33-34 there are comments
 that women are not allowed to speak in the meetings of the church. What is Paul's rationale
for this? He declared that "women are not allowed to speak, as the Jewish Law says, they must
 not be in charge .... It is a disgraceful thing for a woman to speak in a church meeting."
(Good News Translation) This reason is absolutely in contrast to the theology that Paul has
 preached concerning our equality in Christ. In advising the Corinthians in times of crisis, Paul
resorted to something pragmatic, but not theological, and the church has been doing this ever
 since. There are other examples. If Paul wrote Timothy, he does the same thing in justifying the
 subordinate position of women. (l Tim. 2:9-15) In this passage the reason Paul gives for advocating
 the silence of women in church is that it was the woman who was deceived and broke God's law
. This is entirely irrelevant since the theology of the Fall comes in Adam (Rom. 5: 14ff.), not Eve.
 Moreover, putting weight on this reason is like saying that God will forgive man, but not woman.
 The rationale given here is modeled clearly on the Old Covenant, not the New. There is no way
 of going back to the Old Covenant without repudiating what Paul has said in Galatians. We must
see that Paul was not totally clear of the Old Covenant in a number of practical problem-solving situations.
    Another application of the matter relates to ordination of women. If there is neither male
 nor female, then we are forced to view Paul's statements in Timothy concerning bishops
 and deacons in the same light. These guidelines refiect a pragmatic approach to the times,
 very much like the advice concerning slavery. It was a male-dominated society and this
 change could not take place suddenly as in the case of slavery. There was no model to follow
except that of the synagogue. In that case the only possible leader would be a man according
to the culture and the old theology. The theology of the gospel was not carried forward in
application to the organization of the church. There are some interesting issues at hand, but they
 are subordinate to the main issue of a different theology. It may be that women were not educated,
 not allowed to study the Torah, not allowed to teach, and not allowed social equality in
 a number of other ways. All of this was true, but not a sufficient reason for these Old
 Testament applications in the early church. What must become important is that there is
a theology for equality in Christ, regardless of whether one is male or female. Equality
would make it possible, even necessary, to study, to develop one's mind, to make positive
 contributions. The theology is there. The church has traveled at a snail's pace in
 bringing its practices in line with its theology.
    Peter does not improve on Paul's incongruous position. The model for Christian
women is held to be the devout women of the past who submitted themselves
to their husbands. We cannot criticize the Old Testament model, but it is not the New Testament
model. Again, if we are Christians we must live on the basis of the New Testament, or
New Covenant. "If there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, there would have
 been no need for a second one." (Heb. 8:7) "By speaking of a new covenant, God has made
 the first one old; and anything that becomes old and worn out will soon disappear." (Heb. 8: 13)
 "The Jewish Law is not a full and faithful model of the real thing; it is only a faint outline of the good things
 to come." (Heb. 10: 1)
    Apparently, following some of the practices of the Old Testament seemed logical at the time,
 but the Old Testament is not the model of the Christian life. Because of the New Covenant we
 are delivered from the Old, and the New Covenant is given to permeate the whole of the Christian's
 life just as the Old Covenant permeated the life of Israel. This New Covenant must include the new
 position of woman in contrast to the Old.
    If we follow the theology of the New Covenant, the new being in Christ, it is impossible toescape
 the fact that women need the potential of economic opportunity as much as men. Without economic
equality, women are restricted in their freedom, and are reduced to dependency on man. While marriage
 is the ideal set forth in Scriptures, we see many failures. (We cannot help but note that this equality in
Christ demands a new view of marriage which is consistent with the New Covenant.) In many cultures
women have few options; they either submit or are exploited in prostitution for economic survival.
Often in Indian culture, women whose husbands have died are left with few options. The deceased
husband's family does not want her; her own family does not want her. She is an economic liability.
 It is for this reason that in the recent episode of suttee (the wife throwing herself on the burning funeral
pyre of her husband) the young wife was exalted to the status of a heroine. In non-Christian cultures,
the low status of women is lamentable. But in the Christian community where the status of women is
declared as "fellow heirs" in Christ, there is no excuse for keeping women subordinated. It is to surrender
 to a culture that is not Christian in doctrine or practice.
    There are about one billion Muslims around the world, and about one billion Hindus. It is a tragic
 fact that many of the half billion Muslim women and a half billion Hindu women are denied the
use of their minds and abilities, and both cultures are denying themselves a potential that
 cannot be fathomed. It is lamentable that equality of women has only come from two great
 sources in today's world, Christianity and communism. Communism elevated women primarily
for economic reasons. Christianity has the potential, indeed, the obligation, to elevate
women for intrinsic reasons: she is one with man in union with Christ.
    If we are really people of the New Covenant, we must put New Testament theology into practice
and cast off the standards of world culture regardless of whether they came from the Old
Covenant or from pagan practices. If we take Gal. 3:28 seriously, we can never treat women
in any other fashion than being equal in Christ.