has counseled women the world over who have a passion for using their God-given gifts to advance His kingdom but feel stifled by the church鈥檚 limitations based on gender.
Take, for example, Haddad鈥檚 two friends 鈥� a man and woman 鈥� who are college ministers on a secular campus. Only the man is allowed to preach because of the denomination that sponsors them.
Or the young international student Haddad met at the who said she never wanted to marry because in her home country, her husband would have final authority over her. She was completing her doctorate in law and wanted no part in that injustice, Haddad said.
鈥淭hese are issues that the world is watching,鈥� Haddad said.
The Center for Biblical Leadership invited Haddad, president and CEO of , for its Executive Leadership Forum centered on the topic 鈥淲omen in Leadership: Gender and Justice.鈥� Her talk Tuesday evening was entitled 鈥淓qual but Different: Men, Women and the Gospel.鈥�
Historically, the church has taught that men and women are created as equal in being but unequal in role. 鈥淩ole鈥� really means authority, Haddad said, questioning how two people can be equal in worth without being equal in authority.
Haddad said that notion is tantamount to the 鈥渟eparate but equal鈥� argument used in an attempt to justify segregation of schools, public transportation and other public places in the U.S. The in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
Inequality in role can only be coherent if there鈥檚 an inequality of being, Haddad said. It 鈥渋mplies an essential inferiority.鈥�
In the creation account in Genesis, the only part described as 鈥渘ot good鈥� was that Adam was alone. He needed a strong helper. A patriarchal view is one that men and women are unequal in being and unequal in role, Haddad said, whereas an egalitarian one is that they are equal in role and function.
鈥淧atriarchy is a consequence of sin,鈥� Haddad said.
Haddad has a doctorate in historical theology from the University of Durham, England. She said after Christianity became legal in the Roman empire, men scrambled to the top, particularly in philosophy. But women have played critical roles in advancing the church since its beginning, including martyrdom, selfless service and scholarship, Haddad added.
- In the second century, a , stacked a pile of wood outside the city gates and threatened to burn her alive if she refused to renounce Christ. She chose death.
- Catherine of Siena in Europe during the 1300s, saving many lives through her compassionate care.
- studied medicine to prepare for service as a medical missionary to China in the 1800s. In the course of her service, she began to identify Bible passages that were translated poorly, to the detriment of women. Specifically, some women鈥檚 names were intentionally mistranslated into men鈥檚 names.
The apostle Paul silences women only when they鈥檙e domineering, chattering or distracting from the preaching of the gospel, Haddad said. 鈥淎part from that, he鈥檚 the great advocate.鈥� The heart behind his commands in is for Christians to submit to one another.
To underscore this point, Haddad asked for a volunteer from the audience, and Area Coordinator Dan Read stepped forward. She asked him to describe his relationship with his best friend. Then she asked how the friend would react if Read suddenly decided that he was going to make all the decisions because he was best-suited to be the head of the relationship.
He wouldn鈥檛 take it well. Haddad dug a little deeper: If you wouldn鈥檛 do that to your best friend, why would you do that to your life partner?
You wouldn鈥檛, Read said. You would care for that person want what鈥檚 best, perhaps even more than they want it for themselves.
During the Q&A, one male student asked how to be an ally to women. Haddad answered, 鈥淲hen women come forward with complaints or observations, it鈥檚 really important to suspend critique. Hold it, sit with it as if it were your own.鈥�
She continued, 鈥淛esus did the ultimate empathy-building exercise. The Creator of the universe takes on our flesh. Believe your sisters when they talk to you.鈥�
After Haddad鈥檚 presentation, the Jerms McGraw Second Chance Scholarship was awarded to 海角在线 Orlando student Mehlin Philippe. Tim McGraw presented the scholarship named in memory of his late son, a 海角在线 alumnus and Marine Reservist who was killed during a training accident in 2009. If you鈥檇 like to support the scholarship, make a gift .
