When Eve sinned, a seismic shift occurred in her soul though she was yet unaware. The quiet departure of the Holy Spirt from her heart devastated her conscience, but the emptiness was not felt as yet. She hastened to Adam luring him to partake of the forbidden fruit. He followed her. A fundamental transformation then occurred in the human family. The genetics of men and women were forever altered after Adam sinned. The robe of light was lost and they knew that they were naked – devoid of the Spirit of God. The only legacy they could now leave to their prodigy would be that nakedness. Eve could now only bequeath to her daughters a legacy of succumbing to the same temptations that caused her own fall. Thereafter the tendency for women to yield to the longing for independence to forge new paths would cause her daughters to wander from God’s roles for them. Women would tend to be seduced into spiritualism and occultism as an attempt to become like god. Women would be disposed towards sensuality to entice men to submit to their desires.
Sin had upset their union and ever after there would be this yearning for oneness, but to it unnaturally coupled a struggle for dominion. She would desire him, she would long for him because his affections had been estranged from her as we discern from the Genesis narrative. I can only imagine the searing tears she must have shed as she heard him say of her, “the woman whom Thou gavest to be with me”. Where was the tender poetic endearment “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh? “ She was now ‘yours’ not ‘mine’. Sin had marred the sacred oneness. However, merged with her longings would be strivings for supremacy. She would continue to essay for that feminine dominance that had lead Adam to follow her into sin. Control over Adam tasted good, it was an exquisite elixir, and she would always want more.
As had Eve when she offered Adam the fruit, so women would attempt possession of dominion by the subtle wiles within her power – stealth, sensuality, and manipulation. However, her attempts to usurp dominion would not work. As God had spoken, He would rule. Her efforts to take over would result in chaos, the disintegration of the family and further spiritual declination. Think of Rebekah’s control over Jacob in order to subvert Isaac’s intention to bequeath the birthright to Esau. She got her way, but never saw her beloved son again. Think of Abraham and Sarah, and her misguided plans resulting in the birth of Ishmael. We are still reaping the baleful effects of her usurpation. Only the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can save women from reentering the same dark path toward the trees of the knowledge of good and evil with which we are presently surrounded.
We have been told a startling fact about the female nature. In ‘Fragments of Old Testament History’, we read the unnerving statement, “Satan chooses women, for he can use them more successfully than he can men”.-(1) A humbling appraisal for all women to contemplate in light of the assertions made by some that women are superior to men. It may be that women succumb to Satan’s ploys more readily because hers is a more emotional and relational mind. Perhaps the dialogue with the Serpent at the forbidden tree opened Eve’s mind to the occult and imprinted that ‘openness’ or susceptibility in the female gender. I just do not know for sure.
However, we do know that statistically women are far more likely to use spirit mediums than men are. The American Federation of Certified Psychics and Mediums report these interesting statistics (2-6):
Percentage of men who admit to have contacted a psychic: 39%
Percentage of women who admit to have contacted a psychic: 69%
Approx. number of women in the United States who have spent more than $1000 for psychic reading in 2011-2012: 575,000
Approx. number of men in the United States who have spent more than $1000 for psychic reading in 2011-2012: 95,000
Approx. number of women in the United States who have spent more than $5000 for psychic reading in 2011-2012: 375,000
Approx. number of men in the United States who have spent more than $5000 for psychic reading in 2011-2012: 5,000
Approx. number of women in the United States who have spent more than $10,000 for psychic reading in 2011-2012: 275,000
Approx. number of men in the United States who have spent more than $10,000 for psychic reading in 2011-2012: 300
If the trend they report is accurate, women are far more likely to invest large sums of money to receive help from psychics.
As discussed before, the Edenic power struggle was replayed in the lives of Sarah and Abraham, Rebekah and Isaac, as well as Jezebel and Ahab. Today the debate in our churches over Women’s Ordination is but a repetition of that struggle for female dominance. It does not however stand alone. We see also the emergence of an intriguing trilogy – women’s ordination, homosexual rights and the emergent church. It is no coincidence that these three rise together. Like smoke swirling from the same bottomless pit, this ‘three-fold union’ compasses a broader invasion into our religion and darkens our horizon.
Where does this stuff come from? Culture, but not just any culture…the trilogy rises out of a feminized culture. These thee phenomena are a result of the feminization of the culture and subsequent feminization of the church.
Wikipedia defines feminization: (7)
“In sociology, feminization is the shift in gender roles and sex roles in a society, group, or organization towards a focus upon the feminine. This is the opposite of a cultural focus upon masculinity.
Strong male icons in American culture like Ward Cleaver and John Wayne have been replaced in recent years by strong female icons and weak male icons like Homer Simpson.
It can also mean the incorporation of women into a group or a profession that was once dominated only by men.
Potential examples of feminization in society can include: The feminization of education – Majority female teachers, a female majority of students in higher education and a curriculum which is better suited to the learning process of women.[2]
On the other hand, the scriptures describe a patriarchal culture. A society is either a patriarchy or matriarchy; it cannot both or neither. Egalitarianism is a deceptive myth of our modern age honed into prominence by the women’s movement. Nevertheless, God declared in Genesis that dominance had been given to the masculine gender. So it is and ever will be while we live in this world.
Satan is attempting to remove the patriarchy and replace it with his own governmental form. He himself attempted an upheaval in heaven to remove the Divine patriarchy of the Godhead, and he would like to inspire us to do the same. When women seek to replace men and become the heads of the church the image of Christ and His church is turned upside-down. According to Ephesians 5:22-32 women represent the church and men represent Christ, therefore the symbol of male headship must be regarded as sacred, for it reflects the divine reality.
Satan seeks to subvert the authority of Christ in the church using women as important vassals. We have paragons in our midst, which have epitomized the feminine, the ultimate purpose of which is the replacement of the masculine by the feminine. At first glance, it would not appear that the Catholic Church is a feminized church because of the preponderance of a male priesthood, but on closer inspection, we note that the religion is dominated by the mother worship of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary actually supersedes the position of Christ. The New Age Church and Buddhism are feminized religions, which offer among their panoply of idols the worship feminine deities. Shall we allow the swirling smoke of paganism and ecstatic experience to engulf us as well?
Eden repeats itself throughout the ages in our cultures, our churches and in our hearts. Women’s ordination is our new forbidden fruit, promising unity but portending only deeper apostasy.
Will we eat of that forbidden fruit again?
References:
1) Satan’s Use of Women.–“And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat” (1 Kings 21:23-24). To the guilty king the prophet delivered a message of fearful import. {10MR 76.1}
“Thus Satan used an unconsecrated woman to sway the heart of the king, and through the king to cause all Israel to sin. It is a terrible thing to be an instrument in the hands of Satan. Satan chooses women, for he can use them more successfully than he can men.”–Ms. 29, 1911, p. 13. (“Fragments of Old Testament History,” November 17, 1911.)
2) American Federation of Certified Psychics and Mediums
www.americanfederationofcertifiedpsychicsandmediums.org/
3) http://americanassociationofpsychics.com/
4) http://www.americanfederationofcertifiedpsychicsandmediums.org/statistics.htm
5) The American Federation of Certified Psychics and Mediums Official Handbook
https://books.google.com/books?id=FQTiAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=number+of+female+vs+male+mediums&source=bl&ots=5lVbKwK_we&sig=O0TIbt6-MRsByBaFaSfLokcGmXM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rrqGVbvrGIbhoAT14biACQ&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=number%20of%20female%20vs%20male%20mediums&f=false
6) All Women Are Psychics Paperback – January 1, 1988 by Diane Stein
7) Feminization (sociology)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminization_(sociology)
Hi Teresa, Thank you for this web site and your testimony at Fulcrum7. My eyes were re-opened to biblical roles in 2008 by Dr Eggerich’s “Love and Respect” DVDs. Then in 2012 I wrote “That the Word of God Be Not Blasphemed” based on the Bible and the writings of Ellen White. You can find it at OrdinationTruth.com.
Block, in the Bible Jesus says that when the comforter comes he will testify of Me. That means that the Holy Spirit will testify in accordance with the truths found in the Bible. The truths on ordination and headship are more than clear in the Bible, so if the spirit is telling some woman that she is being called to be a pastor or elder, it is not the Holy Spirit, but some other one, as it does not testify of Jesus.
Teresa, your article is just so awesome and pointedly clear, and nailing down facts few of us think of. You are an example of a lovely woman being given gifts by the Spirit, and putting them to a proper and valuable use. Thank you.
Very insightful, Teresa–Biblical and secular history bear out the truth of your assertions in this article. In my personal life, I can see how these dynamics have played out, too.
Our home Bible study group is going through Judges. We just went through the fall of Samson, through Delilah’s wiles, which he was apparently blinded to. This theme recurs all through Scripture. What a miracle that God was able to find Mary to be the mother of Christ! Before Eve fell, she quoted God’s prohibition of the tree to the serpent, even adding “touch not” but then she “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes…” in other words, she based her decision on her senses. Instead of a rational being, she opted to be a sensual being, forfeiting the higher reasoning God had placed in her mind through her conscience, informed by His Word. Women often pride themselves on having “womanly intuition” but more likely it is that same degraded sensual-emotional decision-making which we are doomed to emulate since Eve.
In contrast, when the angel came to Mary to announce she would bear the “second Adam” she wanted to know how it would all come about…but her attitude was 180 degrees different than Eve’s. She couldn’t understand the mystery of a virgin birth, yet she said, “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” She didn’t try to improve upon God’s plan; she obeyed the divine instructions. So she was fit to bear and raise a Son who would meet the same serpent Eve met, only in a different disguise, and Who would answer only with the sword of Scripture: “It is written…”
We women have a choice to make. We have God’s plain Word. When considered as a whole, the Great Controversy theme and final solution are clearly shown. Will we follow Eve, and trust our feelings, pretending that the “Holy Spirit” is leading our rebellious choices? Or will we be like Mary, saying, “Be it unto me according to thy word”?
The leprosy of Miriam gives me pause whenever I am tempted to nudge aside the men in my church. Sometimes they do things poorly; they hesitate to lead; I may think I can do it better. I may be gifted. But what does God intend my gifts to be used for? The Bible answers that question, too. Titus 2:3-5 says aged (gifted?) women may “…teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” I have found that when I invest time in the women around me, I am blessed. We exhort and encourage and mentor and guide one another. We pray for the men in their God-given roles. As they serve, they grow. We are all learning to trust God’s way. No, I would not want to up-end God’s symbols, despite our poor representations of God and the church. Ultimately, His plan will triumph, and I would not hinder it.
Great insight! I would add to this: men will not like to compete with women in church.when women lead, men will leave. To understand this fully one has to be male.
I have to confess… With an email inbox filled to overflowing…I have gotten in the habit of deleting before reading scores of emails to get to the essentials.
This morning God directed me to read this email. He prepared my heart and mind to be open to reflect upon these statements. I was raised in a matriarchal home. My grandmother lived upstairs and ruled the roost. My dad had buried himself in his work. I longed for more of his presence and leading. I went from this home setting into one abusive relationship to another. Looking for love. Love from a strong male figure because this was missing in my home. I found a man to fit this bill. He was like my grandmother… Only physically as well as emotionally abusive. Following the release from my marriage to my daughter’s father. ..my coping mechanism has been to seek to be in charge and in control of my relationships with men. I would not have admitted this yesterday. The Lord gave me an experience yesterday that He was able to use to speak to my heart as I awoke this morning. Then I read your article and the comment that followed it.
I can only say that your article was well thought out and filed with references. The comment was an accusation attacking your content without a shred of evidence in support of the accustom to support the verdict: fear mongering.
Being an acquaintance of yours.. I have never been witness to such behavior in you. You are well educated and well thought out. A doctor extraordinaire.
I can only speak from experience on this topic. I have definitely experienced and taken part of the bitter fruits of a matriarchal dominated culture. I can also see that the opposite is not desirable either. We need compassionate and Christ like leadership from men that love women like Christ loved the church. Loving the way Christ loved. Focused upon His kind of sacrificial love. Willing to die to self to achieve what is best for their union with women. With God as their first focus filled with His desire to minister to others. Submission of women is so often the focus. My advice to women is to look for the kind of man that will best reflect Christ’s love to them. And my advice to my church is to find these same men to lead us. They will serve as wonderful role models and help to restore us into the image of Christ. How could we as women have a bone to pick with such men? They would be as God’s messengers to breathe life into our tired and dried out bones. They would help to flesh us out as the bride of Christ. To be bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh….
This entire essay provides not a shred of any serious biblical materials for careful consideration. Ellen White calls for “careful research and prayerful reflection” of Scripture! And not the type of ideas promulgated in this essay. Sadly, like so much fear-mongering today (especially evident among those who have turned their backs on the Holy Spirit), this is essay simply does the same. My Bible is crystal clear that the Holy Spirit is the one who decides which gifts to give, and they are gender inclusive. Thankfully, the Adventist Church has accepted (and even includes it in its Fundamental Beliefs) that these spiritual gifts are gender inclusive. And, as found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4, these gifts include apostles and pastors (both men and women). Hence, if we are willing to accept the Holy Spirit’s decisions, we as a Church need to simply move forward and recognize that it is God who calls and equips people for service. When will we wake up to that reality? May our gracious God forgive those who have been rejecting the Holy Spirit — for this could lead to the unpardonable sin . . .
Gifts of ministry by the Holy Spirit are most certainly gender inclusive, but gifts are not equivalent to role delineations or leadership qualifications. We see gifts poured out upon the early church yet the leadership of the church was distinctly male. This is no affront to women at all. We cannot deny that Biblical order is patriarchal. The requirements for church leadership outlined in 1Timothy 3 follow a patriarchy consistent with the entire Biblical pattern.
The word ‘pastor’ in Ephesians 4:12 is translated from the Greek word, ‘poimeen’ and it means ‘shepherd’. ‘Poimeen’ is translated as ‘shepherd’ in John 11:1, Hebrews 13:20, and 1 Peter 2:20. In these verses, Jesus refers to Himself as ‘the good Shepherd’, ‘the Great Shepherd of the sheep’ and ‘the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls’. We can then see the connection between earthly shepherds as seen in Ephesians 4:12 and Christ, ‘the Great Shepherd’. Ephesians 4 also allows us to understand that there are earthly shepherds as well as our Heavenly Shepherd. How can we know who these earthly shepherds are to be? Elsewhere in scripture, we are given qualifications for the shepherds of the church. 1 Peter 2:20 connects ‘Shepherd’ with the word ‘Bishop’. This leads us right back to 1Timothy 3 which defines the qualifications of a bishop as ‘the husband of one wife’. The word ‘bishop’ in both texts comes from the Greek word, ‘episkopos’.
But for me Ephesians 5 as mentioned in the article provides for me one of strongest Biblical arguments against women’s ordination. In it, we see that male and female symbolize Christ and the church. Women have been given the privilege of presenting the church in that order. We do not have the authority to reverse God’s order at will. Nor can we ignore the marked demonstrations of His will for male church leadership when the church was being established.