If I were a boy...

This morning I was reading a really good blog by one of my fav lecturers, Dr. Mark Keown (read the whole post here: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MarkKeown/~3/OaqRGUs21T0/women-bishops-euodia-and-syntyche.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email).

He was basically talking about how he doesn't understand why there is such a big kerfuffle in the Church of England about making women bishops when they have a Queen, have had a female Prime Minister and are basically ok with women being in charge in every other sector of society.

Preach on preacher man.

Apart from the fact that I completely unreservedly agree with the good Doctor, it also got me thinking about the world if the gender inequality was reversed.

Let's imagine I was a man and women ruled the world.

The church is based around a female God who begot an only Daughter.

For years the church has been run by only women and the subjegation of men is a shame that darkens the church's history.

It is into this world, developed as it is now, at my current age with my job and relationship status the same but my gender reversed, that I now delve into.

What would that look like?

For starters I would be involved in a church that more than likely made me feel somewhat inadequate.

The preaching and teaching would be about a Mother and her Daughter and an undefinable Spirit that I am expected to be able to relate to on all levels despite the fact that this raises it's own barriers. I mean, how can I relate to a female about porn addiction, raging hormones, the male drive to succeed, wet dreams, feaers of being a father and various other male only issues?

Anyway, I want to emulate a male, not a woman, even if her gender is only 'metaphorical' or 'pictorial'.

The female God is waaaaaay too touchy feely for me, I wanna bit of grit and spit and righteous anger in my God thank you very much. This God seems to nag at me and tell me off a lot and not really like men and sometimes I feel isolated from Her.

The bonus would be that at this age in my life (27) I would not have to be deciding if I would like to get pregnant or not! No stress on that one, but in this world not only would my prospective employers ask me questions about when I want to start a family as I am the one who will more than likely stay home and look after the kids once they are born. This can affect my chances of getting a job but my wife would more easily get a promotion and pay rise than I would anyway.

But what I find really frustrating about being a man is that I feel called by God to be a preacher. Now a lot of churches support me in this role but a lot of them don't. Not because I am bad at it, or I am not strong in my faith, or because I am not educated or respected, but because I have a penis.

That's it.

No matter how passionate I am, how much I love God or how much others think I should do it too, there will always be people who tell me that the God who said there would be no inequailty in Her also thinks that my male brain is insufficent for Her ministry.

Now let's flick back to reality.

If this was the way the world was, and I was a woman watching men being less than me, I would feel so sorry for every man who was unable to follow God the way they felt lead to. I would want everyone to support and love them and make room for them. I would feel outraged that this was the norm and would demand change in the face of such unbiblical behaviour.

What would you do?

Are you doing that for women now?

Does the plight of women in these churches and societies make you angry? Does it stir you to action to help, to cry for a biblical, loving treatment of women? To honour them as Jesus did? Does it make you look at the women around you and wonder what they are capable of?

What are you going to do?