“Another book on women in office?” . . . “So what!” Before you turn the page however I suggest you take note of this one as it’s published by our own CRC Board of Publications. Authored by Dr. Gordon Spykman of Calvin College and Lillian Grissen, Dordt College instructor, this book is the result of a proposal suggested by the Committee for Women in the Christian Reformed Church. This organization, as many know, has as its main goal the opening of all CRC church offices to women.

   

The purpose of the book is “to present simply and clearly the primary questions that have risen in the church regarding this issue and the general conclusions reached about them by the study committees appointed by the Synod of the CRC” (p. 7). This is a large task and the authors are to be applauded for their desire to serve the church by making the many pages of difficult text in various Acts of Synod accessible to the “layperson.” But the biased selection and presentation of materials seriously compromises the book’s stated intent of “healing differences” and “promoting a unified and unifying solution to this issue” (p. 7).

Three main areas

First, the Acts of Synod report chosen as foundational to the entire book is the 1973 report on “Ecclesiastical Office and Ordination.” It alone of the many synodical reports is singled out for an entire chapter (chap. 3). We might initially think this emphasis to be expected since one must first lay the groundwork of what church office is all about. But it is significant that Synod’s strong reactions to there port’s imbalance in pitting service against authority and the final Synodical decisions are not even mentioned in the book. The ‘73 Synod not only felt it necessary to somewhat alter the study committee’s conclusions but even added several guidelines as a framework within which the revised study committee’s conclusions might be understood (Acts 73, pp. 62–64). This framework tried to patch up the study of Synod’s advisory committee “did not reflect the fruit of its study of authority” (Acts 73, p. 61). The ‘73 study committee report contains a great deal of helpful Biblical material but in my opinion the adoption of its recommendations uncritically (as the book does, pp. 35–42, 117, but Synod did not do) makes putting women in office a foregone conclusion. We might also add that the 3 Calvin College professors given the privilege of the floor in behalf of the study are all outspokenly in favor of women in all church offices in the CRC (Acts 73, p. 62).

A second weakness of the book is its frequent use of “loaded” questions and statements. Two clear examples may be cited:

1. It seems that we must limit headship (of the man) to marriage alone or apply it across the board to every sphere of society (pp. 92, 94).

That invites the reply: Why may we not limit our concern with this issue to marriage and the church, as Paul and other Bible writers do?

2. Do you agree that Gal. 3:28 indirectly encourages us to consider whether all the gifts of women should not be used? (p. 97) . . . Should we maintain the status quo until the final restoration or should we work toward restoring women to Christian service now? (p. 61)

To that we may answer, “Can we not be ardently for the use of all women’s gifts and against admitting them to church office? Consider the gift of pastoring . . . It seems that all good mothers and/or church school teachers must use this gift! What we are against is the “progressive’s” limiting of the Spirit’s creativity by his or her specifying of the place where the gift must be used even when that specification contradicts the Spirit’s plain directives concerning the requirements for leading and teaching church offices.

Thirdly, much of the book’s argument (especially in the discussion of Biblical passages) leans toward what has been called the “progressive” view favoring putting women into church office. This consistent prejudice comes out in a variety of ways:

1. Conservative interpretations of texts are opposed by heavy citations from the arguments of their opponents, while the conservative arguments are virtually ignored. An example of this may be noted in the book’s treatment of Jesus’ appointment of all male apostles (pp. 80–83). 2. The conservative view is misrepresented–set up as a “straw man.” One notes this procedure, for example, in the argument about Genesis 2 which would have us choose between holding women as inferior or making them equal partners (pp. 53, 54). This doesn‘t do justice to the complexity of the Bible’s teaching about both equality and differences. 3. The argument presents options or conclusions which do not at all adequately present or include the conservative view. 1 Corinthians 11, for example is interpreted to teach only the abiding principle of “order in worship,” while what Paul teaches about the differences between the divinely assigned roles of men and women as traceable back to God’s creation (vv. 8–12; cf. Gen. 2) is ignored (pp. 92–94). The authors mishandled 1 Cor. 14 (p. 91) and 1 Tim. 2 (pp. 92–94) in the same way, pointedly ignoring Paul’s appeal to t he divinely direct headship of the man as traceable back to Genesis 2 and his plain prohibitions of women holding ruling church offices.

4. The book simply fails to do justice to the conservatives’ arguments against placing women in office as the plain requirements of their recognition of and submission to the Bible’s authority.

All in all, I find this book (as I have some others that purported to be “neutral” in dealing with this issue) only partially helpful. It gives an overview of some basic questions, but only partisan answers. We must also question the propriety of the denomination’s official publishing agency issuing a book that favors a practice which is still in conflict with the Biblical convictions of a great part of the denomination. I believe that the way to progress in this issue as in all others involving a search for the Bible‘s teaching is for each side to openly present its position and strongest arguments so that the Christian may test both views by the standard of God’s Word. While he or s he may find helpful and challenging insights in both sets of arguments, it will often become apparent that the over-all thrust of one view will not square with Scripture. I believe that placing women in church offices is such an issue.