This is not Your Father's Dallas Seminary

Published on by D. G. Hart

Another example of how conservatism does not come easily to evangelicals (even fundamentalists):

Because Protestants do not celebrate saints’ days, we miss out on learning about many great women in Christian history. One such example is Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, the 7th-century woman celebrated every November 17. She led a large community of men and women studying for God’s service, five of whom went on to become bishops. She brought the gospel to ordinary people, but kings and scholars also sought her counsel. A missionary, teacher, and educator, she led an abbey that became one of the great religious centers of North Eastern England.

Few writings by and about such women have survived from centuries prior to the printing press. Yet some do remain, including The City of Ladies by 14th-century author Christine de Pizan (c. 1365–1430). Later came defenses of women from one of Quakerism’s founders, Margaret Fell Fox (1614–1702); Tory pamphleteer, Mary Astell (1668–1731); abolitionist Hannah More (1745–1833); and the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797). Most of these writers acted out of a Christian impulse with the relatively unified objective of elevating women to their rightful place.

In the 18th century, the first Great Awakening brought a return to the earliest centuries’ involvement of lay people. Women’s involvement in missions sometimes included preaching, and on the frontier, Christian women experienced increased levels of autonomy. By the 19th century the pro-woman consciousness had a label: “the woman movement,” now called first-wave feminism. Male and female Bible-believers gathered at the Seneca Falls Convention, where the group drafted a declaration addressing the role of women in society.

In the half-century that followed, many believers joined the push for women’s suffrage, and dozens of foreign mission societies sent out women missionaries. The editor of The Message and Deaconess Advocate, Lucy Rider Meyer defended their role in her 1895 defense, saying, “In deaconess ranks to-day may be found physicians, editors, stenographers, teachers, nurses, book-keepers, superintendents of hospitals and orphanages… A bit of history shows that the ‘new woman’ is not an invention of the last decade but that, in the character of Hilda, Abbess of Whitby.”

This “new woman” is not an invention of second-wave feminism either. Betty Friedan did not start the “woman movement;” Christians did. Motivated by the belief that men and women were made in God’s image to “rule the earth” together, these pro-woman, pro-justice believers sought to right wrongs for those who had less social influence.

Who is this author? Does she teach at New Brunswick Theological Seminary? She is Sandra Glahn (PhD, University of Texas at Dallas), professor at Dallas Theological Seminary where she specializes in the topics of gender and women’s issues.

17 thoughts on “This is not Your Father's Dallas Seminary”

  1. Womenfolk — causin’ trouble for at least 7000 years. Good thing no contemporary, big-name PCA pastors or congregations, or celebrity-led movements have any aberrant views on this subject. Deaconessess…what could go wrong?

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  3. Appart from feminism or women’s studies or whatever, since when has All Saints’ Day ever intended to be a “celebration” of individuals and their “victorious” accomplishments? That’s why it’s called ALL, not just saints’ day. And as far as protestants not celebrating it, which usually coincides with Oct. 31, that may be true for evangelicals, but not others. Check with the Lutherans.

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  4. Evangelicals often root around the history box for the ladies who did something and were pragmatic in the sphere they worked. Funnily enough there is rarely any reference to Scripture and the role of women as they enthuse about what the sisters did for the Christian scene. Hilda seems to be just another example perhaps more suited to high church types and shared a strange theology found among her peers. She probably was not as much fun as another Hilda (Baker) who played Nellie Pickersgill of the Pickle Factory in the 70’s, a Northern comedy TV series. Forgive me for a deliberate digression into the eccentric English culture rather than the sprawling American scene.

    Has this post any reference to the Philly PCA Presbytery wanting to look at the role of eldership and women? What would Tim Keller, Kevin DeYoung and the chaps at T4G/GC say? They have opened the door to women’s ordination and eventually eldership by having deaconess in their churches. Their conventions have women speakers (preachers) and the guys presumably sit in on some sessions. Any Scriptural warrant for this? Are these guys still suckering people by claiming to be Reformed?

    Here in England the Church of England evangelical types skirt around these issues of women in ministry by putting them into ‘ministry teams’ where they teach and do pretty much what a minister would do. Any response from any Proclamation Trust fans out there? And if anyone wants a truly huge example of how to trash a church through having women ordained, then check out the Church of England and it’s forthcoming ordination of women bishops.

    Any number of Reformers would have found the evangelical and Anglican ways mentioned decidedly odd, wrong and having no foundation in Scripture and equally the confessions. But perhaps such ecclesiology forming books have little sway in these highly contemporary, pragmatic, modern and people pleasing churches I have mentioned.

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  5. Speaking as a woman who used to be enthusiastic about having women in ministerial positions, all I can say is, everybody stop! In my opinion, the overriding concern for women is: “Are you happy?” I know because I can feel myself doing it. When matters of truth come up, women’s emotional priorities of personal and relational happiness is an unacknowledged judge. For example, my sister told me she once sat behind a woman in church who said to another lady that she was sure it was all right to get divorced because, “I just know that God wants me to be happy.” If you stick up for biblical truth–for the unpopular decisions–somebody is going to be unhappy. It’s not that men don’t sometimes do the same thing, but I see it happening far less often with them. This whole movement is going to weaken the church in whole lot of ways. And if biblical truth is compromised, with *what* are Christians supposed to fight the spirit of the age?

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  6. Garden Hymn,

    Nice comment.

    I always tell my wife that if women ran the world one of two things would happen: Either things would be really nice or there would be cataclysmic thermonuclear war. It wouldn’t be somewhere in between.

    If you doubt me, get to know some middle school girls.

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  7. Yet some do remain, including “The City of Ladies” by 14th-century author Christine de Pizan (c. 1365–1430).

    Not to be confused with similar Grove Press titles…

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  8. Prot. liberalism part Deux, just keeps on coming. So when does fundamentalism stop looking fundamentalist? When they go ahead and let go of inerrancy?

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  9. I wonder what the transformationalists are saying about this. After all, doesn’t every square inch include feminism?

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  15. Man, oh man…. too much time, and way too many one-liners. When you go swimming are you at risk of being harpooned? Do people congregate on your shady side at the beach?

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  16. Pingback: Femingelicals of today celebrating mainline churchian feminists of yore | Patriactionary

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