The Upside-Down Kingdom, PART II. (Women’s Ordination, Laundry and Cigars Again)

There is much talk these days about equality in the church, . . . and here's another confession if you didn't already know it (this time about the Presbyterian Church in America) . . . our denomination does not ordain women as pastors and elders. Understandably so, to many this is an abhorrent notion reeking of inequality and injustice. Yet, I wonder if it would be so abhorrent if we (men and women alike) really understood the Gospel as being about One who did not seek equality, instead "made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant . . . ." I'm a man (and a master of the obvious), and you might think that these things are easy for a man to say. Nietzsche probably would have called this kind of reasoning something along the lines of a teaching purported by those in power to keep people down and subservient. Yet if we really understood the Gospel and the nature of the upside-down Kingdom, wouldn't we all be striving for INEQUALITY? Would those who have the opportunity/role, whatever you want to call it, of submission and service be among those most envied in that world and held up high on a pedestal, rather than those with "authority" and "decision-making power"? As I tell BOTH partners in my many premarriage sessions, in the Kingdom of God EVERYONE is trying to go low, so should both husband and wife in the marriage relationship.

Look, I know the reason this way of thinking may seem outrageous is because we live in a fallen world tainted with injustice, corruption, abuse of power and love of self above love of neighbor. Yet, what if the "entire world" operated in this way where the higher up you go on the totem pole of power and authority, the greater servant you become? Isn't this the Kingdom we are to: 1) pray for in the Lord's Prayer and 2) work at realizing in our marriages, churches and eventually the world? Is it really a terrible world where EVERYONE is seeking to be less equal in privilege, function and prestige to the next guy? and instead where EVERYONE is seeking to uplift, uphold and bring out the best in EVERYONE ELSE (Matt. 20:26)?

C.S. Lewis once said that democracy where all functions and offices are virtually open to all people (at least in theory), is necessary because corruption and sin are present in the world. Yet imagine a world where corruption and sin are being put off and the "world order" being restored where the guy on top is the greatest servant among us. Kind of sounds like a Kingdom where the King is the greatest servant doesn't it? Sound familiar? And what if that world had a certain creational pattern in marriage and in the church that was being restored where, while the husband might be the "Head" in marriage and the church elders might be male in nature, yet Christlikeness was being formed in and among the people of those institutions, that to have authority simply meant "the right to serve the very best interests of those whom one might seek to lead"? This kind of world envisioned is radical, I know. It is so far outside the plausibility construct of those of us who our entire lives have breathed the air of democratic ideals. Can I ask you to consider that perhaps a superior notion rests on the assumption of a world order where a redeemed hierarchy exists alongside Christ-like ideals (we do refer to the vision of this kind of world as a "Kingdom" after all, don't we?). Will you at least consider it as food for thought?

Many of these thoughts have pressed in on me over the years now having been an ordained PCA pastor for ten years. I've been asked a lot over the years if I believe men are more qualified than women to be pastors. Let me just say for the record, that among men and women alike in the church, I believe myself to be the LEAST QUALIFIED to be a teaching elder, i.e. pastor. Why so? Because as head pastor, while I am called to be the greatest servant in my congregation, truth of the matter is that serving others above myself does not come naturally for me (remember my original confession in Part I.?). Yet the amazing thing is that in this arena called the Church, where the Kingdom of God is meant to manifest itself, even Mike Hsu is growing in putting on Christ and putting off sin (did you hear that?! even Mike Hsu is growing! Do you believe in miracles?). After a mere almost twenty years as a Christian, I am beginning to learn how to be a servant.

I've never viewed "having authority" in the church as a "neat thing" or a great opportunity to wield power or a "right to which I am entitled." Rather I've spent countless hours feeling so overwhelmed and broken over the responsibility of being an "undershepherd" over God's flock. No offense my many women friends at Grace Chapel, many of whom I know are pro-women's ordination, but if I told all my women friends in the world that they would never ever have to . . . (fill in the blank with the most feared or despised thing one would just as well never do) how would they/you feel? So for example, what if I came home one day and said to my wife Tanya, "honey from now on you must never ever do another load of laundry again." Would Tanya's first inclination be to appeal to inequality and injustice? Or would it be gladly to give over the function of laundry for ever and ever? I dare say that being an elder in Christ's church is not too far off from laundry as a most inglorious task! Really, there is a sense to me that any gender can have it if they want it, but upon seeing what it is, to account for peoples’ souls and pour over them in prayer with worry and concern, who REALLY, I mean REALLY wants it?

Pardon the really bad illustration, but here goes . . . though not having had one for a long time, I love a really good cigar. You know the cigar that everyone wants right? A Cuban cigar! But why? Because no one can have it (at least until the embargo is lifted). Truth of the matter is that most of the time anymore Cuban cigars aren't that good at all! As far as I'm concerned the best cigar in the world is a Nicaraguan Padron 1964 anniversario edition, see what I'm saying? Maybe the best “functions” in the church really are everything but pastor-elder work, see what I’m saying? This is weird thinking to us, but not because it is weird thinking in itself! It is weird thinking because we are weird. We live in a weird world where pastors are often made to be stars with prestige, power, accolades (and sometimes fame). But maybe in a nonweird world (the Kingdom?), the call of pastor-elder is truly a most inglorious and humble task . . . like laundry?!