Alison

Mara,

Their fear is on one thing: that they will lose their status as the “leaders” of their churches and families. That fear has roots in only one thing: pride. Some of these men are so threatened by women having access to the deeper things of God that they are willing to deliberately and egregiously sin in order to prevent such access, and in so doing, they are attempting to quench the Spirit. This doesn’t occur to some of them (as in the “Semwives” program at The Masters’ Seminary), since they figure such programs are enough to qualify as the women’s “good portion”, and the not-so-subtle message is, “This is the half a loaf you’re going to get, and to reach for any more means you are not content with how God designed you, and by reaching for more, you are insulting His wisdom”.

It’s really sad, since they’re the ones who are insulting God. By deciding what the women’s “good portion” will be, they have abrogated His wisdom (that they claim to so highly value), and set their traditions in His place! I know it’s frustrating, but until their sin is revealed to them directly and repeatedly, they will not be willing to sit down at the table with us and be willing to learn from us. All we can do is continue to pray, study Scripture, and be willing to deal with such men with openness and love. Perhaps I’m naive, but that will show them that our “good portion” is authentic, and is not a threat to them, but a cause for celebration.