The role of women in the Christian church has expanded increasing in the later half of the 20th century and should grow even more extensively in this new millennium. Justification for this, especially among the self-proclaimed liberal theologians, is the supposition that Paul's instruction was indeed to the early church and was true for its time but not for all time: it was social doctrine rather than theological dogma.

Biblical justification for this can be found in Paul's instruction to slaves, who were members of the church. "Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ, not in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good any one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is slave or free." (Ephesians 6: 5-8).

Without question this was a social doctrine, required for the time, and not theological dogma. Paul, in fact says as much, immediately, thereafter, in his epistle to the Ephesians by instructing the Christian slave owners on how they are to treat their slaves. "Masters, do the same to them (the slave), and forbear threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him (God). (Ephesians 6:9)

The lack of partiality of God toward his creation also would appear to apply to women as well. In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul said, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither slave or free, there is neither male or female; for you all are one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:27-28)

As Paul said in his epistle to the Corinthians, Christ's death on the cross changed everything. "Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he (and she) is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

But I have come to understand that with God nothing is all that simple. God's ways are not our ways, as much as infinite transcends finite. And, in addition to God's profoundness and complexity, God apparently likes riddles and measures the servants of God, to a degree, by their passion to wrestle with the hidden meanings of the mysteries of God.

"For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor." That's what Paul said in Timothy. Definitely somewhat of a riddle and taking issue, to a degree, with the impartiality of God so far as how God views the role of women and men.

It got me thinking that with the fall of Eve, God perhaps presented women with a unique role in the world; one that seemingly has been overlooked by most Biblical scholars and teachers. And one that seemingly is unknown to most women though, once suggested to them, nearly all readily acknowledge.

One of the unique curses that God imposed on Eve, and all women since her fall, is that Satan, the evil one, and women will have a singularly antagonistic relationship until Christ reigns on the earth and all curses are removed.

"And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman..." (Genesis 3:15)

My interpretation of this curse is that women, since the fall, have a built in instinctive awareness of what is evil. An insight, in this regard, that is greater than that of males. Why did God impose on all women this special discernment and not give a similar ability of discernment of evil to men? To understand this riddle I think you have to appreciate God's sense of irony and the way God instructs those who are fallen but still created in the image of God.

Eve was deceived by Satan. Adam was not. Adam sinned, fully aware that he was sinning, out of his love and regard for Eve. He placed Eve before God.

"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor." (1 Timothy 2:14)

Because of this, apparently, the curse God imposed on Eve and all subsequent women is that they will be more discerning of evil than their husbands. Never again will they be deceived by Satan. If they fall to the wiles of the evil one, this time, it will be knowingly-which can make them a lot more culpable than the first time around in the Garden of Eden.

We who are married to women, to a man I bet, will concur that our wives seem to have a so-called sixth sense for knowing who we should not trust. Every married woman I've asked also has acknowledged that they somehow seem to be more aware than their husbands as to who he should trust and who is untrustworthy.

Unfortunately, so far as women go, another curse that God placed on Eve, and all subsequent women until all curses are removed with the establishment of Christ's kingdom here on earth, is that she shall be subservient to her husband and "your (the woman's) desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." (Genesis 3:16-17)

In other words, women, since Adam, will be more knowledgeable concerning good and evil than their husbands yet they will be joined flesh to flesh with a man who has authority over them while he is more ignorant than they concerning good and what is evil. I assume that God smiled or even laughed when God thought up those circumstances for women. But it also is in keeping with God's great understanding of how to change the heart and soul of God's fallen creation.

Out of a woman's need for patience to educate her husband in what is good and evil, while being subservient to his authority, she will fully become aware of the great sin Eve committed when she enticed her husband to be sinful along with her. Also, the daughters of Eve, having endured this indignant state for millenniums will be ever watchful never to let it happen again.

Many women today are rebellious to the curses of God. Some justify this by saying that the curses of God ended with the salvation of Christ and his new creation. But scripture appears to be very clear of this point. In Zachariah14:11 it states that the curses remain until the Messiah sets up his kingdom on earth with the beginning of The Millennium. Also, in Revelation 22:3, the New Testament makes the same point.

Although women's rebelliousness to the curses of God is a recent phenomenon, it was prophesied that this would occur in the latter days prior to the advent of the Anti-Christ. "My people...children are their oppressors and women rule over them." Isaiah 2:12.

Women fill our churches today because, I believe, they are more aware than men of the evil in the world. Because of this unique, God-given ability, they can bring salvation to their husbands. "Likewise, you wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, when they see your reverent and chase behavior." 1 Peter 3:1-2.

I also have observed that strong women in the church and some who are actually in the ministry often are married to rather meek men. Might it be that their development of their own leadership qualities inhibit the spiritual leadership growth of their husbands? I also have observed that women and men grow spiritually in almost direct proportion to their obedience to God's commands. It would appear that those uniquely selected by God to warn men against the Evil One are rejecting their high office as God ordained it. Their rebellious state is further attested to by their rejection of bearing children. As Genesis states and the Apostle Paul repeats the woman "shall be saved in child bearing."

The rebellion is a spiritual rebellion. It has little to do with the rightful demand by women to be equal to men in terms of legal, political and economic position and choices. Many times women and men equate this social doctrine of equality, which is totally justifiable before God and humanity, with theological dogma involving God's curses imposed on his fallen creation.

This spiritual rebellion of women should alert all us, women and men, to how critical are the times of today. These are times when the special gift of discernment that God has bestowed on women is most needed in society. It is exactly in these times that many women are forsaking their duty. "Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice, you complacent daughter, give ear to my speech." Isaiah 3:39

Without doubt there is no partiality with God toward women and men. Through Christ he made us children of God-women and men. But Christ accomplished this by sacrificing himself for all of us-- women and men. He tells us to take up the cross and be imitators of him. The law of the Old Testament no longer applies to us but the curses of God still bind. We have a certain amount of liberty. "Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow becomes a stumbling block to the weak." (1 Corinthians 8: 9)

I am certain that women should be teachers and preachers in Churches today. But God offers them a higher calling. The way of sacrifice and humility is always the way of the higher calling.

END

---Stanford Erickson holds several university degrees and has been a reporter for several newspapers and an editor for McGraw-Hill, Hearst and Knight-Ridder. He has been a publisher for The Economist magazine and CEO of Farm Journal. He is a member of 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. He now lives in Annapolis, Md. and attends Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Servana Park, MD.