Is this a problem? Before their current ascent, women were equal to men in importance if not in role. What task is more unique and awesome than the bringing into the world of a new human being? Who is more important to the ongoing progress of a civilization than those who train young people in the home, one life at a time, one day at a time? Who is more important to a man than his best friend and support?

But these tasks have now been viewed as inferior, part of the servant class. Women generally want to be freed from this notion of servitude, and are hungry for power of a different sort, though their power ruled the world in just as significant a way as any man. Now women want to do the work traditionally assigned to males. They want to leave the home. They want to be somebody. And in that home, there is no one to take their place.

Children are raised by inferior parents. Grandmas were not meant to raise little ones. They do their best, but something is missing. Worse, many children are being left to raise themselves. And no child was meant to do that either. The product of chaos is in the society in which we now move.

And with women in the workplace, where do all the men find jobs? Let us give our due to women who absolutely positively must work outside the home. Our hearts go out to you. But let us be quick to add that this group is greatly inflated by situations that ought not to be. For example:

• The woman who becomes pregnant before marriage, before a man has truly committed himself to her, is setting herself up for a life outside the home.
• The couple whose material appetites are such that the desired income is too great will be causing Mom to leave her family soon.
• The restless housewife who feeds on television's fantasies of love and romance, grows tired of her husband and will eventually be out taking men's jobs .

I say all this as an observing citizen of a society which has gone into chaos. Unfortunately, however, the phenomenon of women in wrong roles has reached the church. Much of the church seems to follow all the trends of society instead of leading society to God's paths. Women teach men. Women rule men. Women are pastors.

Hear this. I know well that our Lord changed forever the status of women when He was raised from the dead and appeared to women. All the first appearings, whether by angels or Jesus Himself, were to women. The women were the ones looking for Jesus on that first day of the week. Where were the men? All the first messengers of the resurrection were women. And all the unbelief of that day was expressed by men. How God loves women. Their searching, their caring, their needing.

But nothing I have said changes the roles of women. And those roles are myriad. But they do not include leadership of men, or teaching of men in any official public way. Our women need to sit down. Those who continue ruling are encouraging others. As the world's culture changes, Heaven's is to remain the same, as a signal of an unchanging God.

I have written and spoken elsewhere on this site about the role of women, and I refer you to that message. In fact, here are two other references which will be helpful.

The role of women in the church

Rise of women pastors

But the greatest reference I can offer is the Spirit of God Himself as he spoke through the Apostle Paul, in reference to this very subject (I Corinthians 14:37-38):