UCG Struggle With Women Writers, Is It Even Part Of The Law That Women Remain Silent?

Church of God News had a blog entry the other day quoting my posting about UCG's battle over women writers in their publications.  This is all in response to the over-delicate and over-sensitive men who just CANNOT  get over the myth that women must remain silent and subservient to them.  After all, God's mightiest holy apostle laid down the law that there is a power structure in the church with women at the bottom, just above their children and animals.

GOD

Jesus

Herbert Armstrong

Evangelists

Paid Ministry

Non-paid Ministry

Retired Ministry

Men

Women

Children

Animals

Rest of creation

This is what Church of God News posted:

Rex Sexton began the session (3mins.) by reading from a “public form letter that is sent out when people write to UCG here and ask about women writing.” He read from the form letter, quoting v.34: “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law of God says.” 

The Freudian slip of adding the phrase “of God” to this verse reveals the subconscious mind set of church leaders - who know that this statement of the role of women in church (or rather lack of it) cannot be found in the law of God. 

In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul begins to address “the things of which you wrote to me.” The first of these is (v.1-2): “It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.” 

Paul expresses his ideal view in v.7-8: “I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am.” 

How can it be good for them, if a “law of God” hampers their learning, as they do not have husbands to teach them at home? (14:35) 

The ISV also adds to the literal text of 14:34: “The women must keep silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak out, but must place themselves in submission, as the oral law also says.” 

The translators of the ISV realized that the law referred to here is an oral law of Judaism, which the Orthodox Jews continue to observe today. Only men may speak in the churches (synagogues), only men may sing. Women were segregated and must remain silent. Women were expected to marry when young, and their husbands (who had received religious instruction as boys - which girls did not) were expected to teach their wives at home - “if they want to learn something”. 

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is another of “the things of which you wrote to me.”

In v.36 he gives a disdainful response to their “law” with this rhetorical question:

“Did God's word originate with you? Are you the only people it has reached?”

UCG's men are so conditioned by HWA, Meredith and others postulating on the role of women that their responses are automatic.  They think it is true because the Apostle said it.  Never have these men really studied into the background of Paul, why he wrote what the did in the way he did.

Assumptions have always been the foundational model for Church of God beliefs.  Due the cherry-picking and proof-texting that the church uses, doctrines and church teachings have been decided by men who are without much theological education and who are incapable of sound research methods.

It's time for women to start teaching the men because so far the men have done an extremely poor job.

UCG Women: Be Seen, Don't Preach, Be Silent and Above All Don't Write In Case A Man Reads Your Article

It's hard  believe in 2016 that UCG still can't get its act together in regards to women writing for church publications.  The patriarchal hierarchy of UCG seems miffed that women are writing better than they are.  It continues to be such a sore spot that it had to be brought up AGAIN by whiney little men in the church.

From the latest Council of Elders Report:

Role of Women in Media—Rex Sexton 

Rex Sexton, the chair of the Media and Communications Committee (MCC), led the discussion on the role of women authors in media publications. The discussion began on March 1 and is continuing as a discussion with the Council to see if there is anything to be remanded to the MCC or not. The genesis of this discussion was raised by someone on the committee during a standard editorial review.

Mr. Sexton began by mentioning the importance of God’s love and God’s laws. God’s laws are to guide in making correct judgments.

Since when?

There is a form letter response that the home office has been operating from for over 15 years, and the discussion today was to find out if further official review was warranted and if it would possibly be remanded to the committee for recommendations, including the possibility of a policy statement. There was much discussion from the media department to give their input and, there was discussion from the Council as well.

Scott Ashley, as a key member of the media department, explained his review process for many years and shared a letter written by one of our women contributors regarding why and how she wrote.

Why do women have to write letters to DEFEND why and how they wrote something?  Has any man in UCG ever had to do that????

There was discussion regarding the possible “blurring” of what is doctrinal and what is “Christian living” type of articles and appreciating the fine line that needs to be considered by reviewers in regards to editorial contributions submitted by women.

Silly women!  How dare you "blur the line" between doctrine and Christian living!  How theological immature and bankrupt that kind of reasoning is, but that is what UCG does all the time.

Robin Webber thanked everyone for their comments. His personal thought was to avoid a policy at this time. We currently have a form letter that is in place, and we have a structure that has oversight in the standard review process, which includes the Council at this time. Mr. Webber emphasized placing trust and confidence in the administration and not to create a policy at this time.

Bill Bradford commented that guidelines were mentioned, but he isn’t sure that those guidelines are understood. The Council should be able to create a policy based on God’s laws, and it can be done if we need it done in the future.

The Council settled for simply the discussion, and no formal action was rendered beyond the ongoing editorial review with every article that is submitted by everyone, whether man or woman.

Rex Sexton thanked everyone for their discussions and input. This discussion is very valuable to clarify for everyone on the editorial team what guidelines we are following and the process when questions come up.

Mr. Webber felt that both discussions on this subject were useful in moving forward towards adhering to biblical principles as well as appreciating the contributions of women.

The Council went into scheduled executive session to discuss ordinations for about an hour.

Book: Bad Faith When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine

Official web site

The Churches of God have a dark history of deaths caused by lack of proper medical treatment because of the extreme devotion to "faith healing."  Scores of children and adults have died as a direct result of this belief system, many who could have been saved by the simplest of procedures.  But pressure from the ministry or other church members prevented many from seeking proper treatment.

This is not isolated to Armstrongism though, it is a belief held by many conservative religious groups and cults.

This book looks into the mindset of the people who refuse medical treatment for themselves and their children.

When Jesus said, “Suffer the children,” faith healing is not what he had in mind. 

In recent years, there have been major outbreaks of whooping cough among children in California, mumps in New York, and measles in Ohio’s Amish country—despite the fact that these are all vaccine-preventable diseases. Although America is the most medically advanced place in the world, many people disregard modern medicine in favor of using their faith to fight life-threatening illnesses. Christian Scientists pray for healing instead of going to the doctor, Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions, and ultra-Orthodox Jewish mohels spread herpes by using contaminated circumcision tools. Tragically, children suffer and die every year from treatable diseases, and in most states it is legal for parents to deny their children care for religious reasons. In twenty-first century America, how could this be happening? 

In Bad Faith, acclaimed physician and author Dr. Paul Offit gives readers a never-before-seen look into the minds of those who choose to medically martyr themselves, or their children, in the name of religion. Offit chronicles the stories of these faithful and their children, whose devastating experiences highlight the tangled relationship between religion and medicine in America. Religious or not, this issue reaches everyone—whether you are seeking treatment at a Catholic hospital or trying to keep your kids safe from diseases spread by their unvaccinated peers. 

Replete with vivid storytelling and complex, compelling characters, Bad Faith makes a strenuous case that denying medicine to children in the name of religion isn’t just unwise and immoral, but a rejection of the very best aspects of what belief itself has to offer.