Menstruating females barred from Water Baptism and attending Church

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BACKGROUND

This research comes as a result of the author‟s Master‟s Thesis, which dealt with one part of the problem concerning the leadership of women, which was the experience of men who serve under women leaders. The other part that could not be ignored is the destructive behavioural pattern of male subordinates towards their female Pastors, which the author is researching in his Doctoral dissertation. The research on the topic “The experience of men who serve under women leaders” revealed that most men who serve under women leaders are not supportive to their female leaders due to their cultural upbringing, and their faith that is influenced by patriarchal concept which is depicted in some Bible passages and religious manuscripts. It is shocking to learn how discriminating and destructive the prayers of male Jews were. According to the teaching of Rabi Yehuda, men should praise God daily and must include the following words in their prayers: “Praise is to you that you have not created me a heathen, a woman and not a slave.” (De Bruyn, 1998: 1) Concerning this discriminating and destructive prayer, Bennet has this to say: “Orthodox Jewish men still say this Morning Prayer: „Blessed art thou O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has not made me a woman.‟” (Bennet, 1974: 68) The African teaching regarding female leadership is anchored on the old and destructive Setswana idiom, which is still upheld by those who are anti-female leadership Tsa etwa pele ke e namagadi di wela ka mangope meaning; led by a female they fall into dongas.
This idiom instils fear into the people who believe in it, that when a female leads, misfortunes are inevitable. The Christian teaching and belief regarding female leadership connotes with the said idiom in the sense that, sin befell the world because of the inability of a woman (Eve) in opposing deception and sin, because of that, all human race became sinners. Therefore, females cannot be trusted with leadership. So much is desired regarding the articulations of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to Timothy, which is used as the base to the negation of female leadership. He gave this instruction to Timothy: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” (Timothy 2: 11- 15) Two other Pauline letters that are used as reinforcement to the concept of non-female leadership are the letters to Ephesians in which he said: “Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which is the saviour.
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” (Ephesians 5: 22-24) And to the Corinthians he said: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.” (1 Corinthians 14: 34-35) The author finds these letters in concord with one another in the sense that they devalue the status of females as compared to that of males, and declare their unworthiness to speak and to teach in the church. A point of concern is the plausibility that males are portrayed to be all knowing because of the ability to clarify whatever concerns or questions females may have.
Yet questions from females should not be done in the church but at home. Another point is whether all women in the referred churches were married, and having husbands who faithfully attended the church. If not; whose husbands were they supposed to ask? According to the outcome of the author‟s Master‟s Thesis, five of the six women participants revealed that male subordinates do not support them. Rather they make their work difficult, while the sixth woman has the support of some of the male subordinates, because she recognises their headship. See Sekano, 2007: 70- 81. Being a Pastor (shepherd) is being a leader (head) of the congregation you are heading, and that goes along with authority and power of that office. A leader advises, directs and protects. Yet, the position that these female leaders find themselves in, confuses and frustrates them, because they submit to some of the very people they are leading or supposed to be leading in order for them to be accepted and accommodated. In the case of the sixth female leader, the reader will realise that such female leaders are used as dummies or scarecrows, because they are what they are not.

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

• Declaration
• Dedication
• Acknowledgement
• Key Terms
• Abstract
• CHAPTER ONE
  • 1.1 About the research
  • 1.1.1 Background
  • 1.1.2 Introduction
  • 1.1.3 Value of the study
  • 1.1.4 Problem Statement
  • 1.1.5 The Aim, Objective and Relevance of the study
  • 1.1.6 Research Gap
  • 1.2 Preliminary Conclusion
• CHAPTER TWO
  • 2.1 Research Methodology and Methods
    • 2.1.1 Introduction
    • 2.1.2 Brief historical background of Feminist Liberation Theology
    • 2.1.3 The concept of “Feminist Theology”
    • 2.1.4 Main focus and aim
    • 2.1.5 Important themes of feminist theology
    • 2.1.6 Search for usable past and usable future
  • 2.2 Brief historical background of shepherding
    • 2.2.1 The emergence of Shepherding Motif
    • 2.2.2 Concept of shepherding
    • 2.2.3 Main focus and aim
    • 2.3 Brief Historical Background of Qualitative Method
    • 2.3.1 Concept of Qualitative Research
    • 2.3.2 Aim and focus
  • 2.4 Preliminary conclusion
• CHAPTER THREE
  • 3.1 True Stories
    • 3.1.1 Introduction
    • 3.1.2 Trepidation of an elderly clergy man
    • 3.1.3 Menstruating females barred from Water Baptism and attending Church
    • 3.1.4 Traditionalism: A stumbling block to progress
  • 3.2 Preliminary conclusion
• CHAPTER FOUR
  • 4.1 The divinity of the Holy Spirit, His power, authority and function in the lives of female leaders and a comparison of three different views: Biblical, Cultural and Political leadership of males and females
    • 4.1.1 Introduction
    • 4.1.2 The divinity of the Holy Spirit
    • 4.1.3 The power of God the Holy Spirit
    • 4.1.4 The authority of the Holy Spirit
    • 4.1.5 The function of the Holy spirit on the lives of female leaders
    • 4.1.6 Comparison of three different views: Biblical, Cultural and Political Leadership of males and females
    • 4.1.7 God in support of egalitarian style of leadership
  • 4.2 Preliminary conclusion
• CHAPTER FIVE
  • 5.1 Data presentation on the experience and feeling of female Pastors
  • 5.1.1 Review of the outcome of the author‟s MA Thesis “The experience of men under the leadership of women”
    • 5.1.1.1 Introduction
    • 5.1.1.2 The review of the author‟s MA Thesis outcome
    • 5.1.1.3 Connection of the two studies in MA and PhD
  • 5.2 The author‟s reflection on the responses of the female Pastors
  • 5.2.1 Introduction
  • 5.2.2 The author‟s reflection on the responses of the Gauging female pastors
  • 5.2.3 The author‟s reflection on the responses of the Free State Province female pastors
  • 5.2.4 The author‟s reflection on the responses of the Limpopo Province female pastors
  • 5.3 The provincial outcomes, comparison of the outcomes, consolidation of outcomes and the general outcomes
  • 5.3.1 Introduction
  • 5.3.2 The outcome of Gauteng Province
  • 5.3.3 The outcome of the Free State Province
  • 5.3.4 The outcome of the Limpopo Province
  • 5.3.5 Comparison of the outcome of the three provinces
  • 5.3.6 Comparison of the outcome of the three consolidated Provinces and that of the North West Province
  • 5.4 Preliminary Conclusion
• CHAPTER SIX
  • 6.1Pastoral counselling and counselling tools for female Pastors, male subordinates and congregants
    • 6.1.1 Introduction
    • 6.1.2 Pastoral counselling for dehumanised female pastors
    • 6.1.3 Counselling Tools and Strategies for female pastors
    • 6.1.4 Counselling tools for male subordinates
    • 6.1.5 Counselling Tools for the local church
  • 6.2 Preliminary Conclusion
• CHAPTER SEVEN
  • 7.1 Conclusion and Recommendation
  • 7.1.1 Conclusion
  • 7.1.2 Recommendation
  • 7.2 Local church monitoring tool
  • 7.3 Concluding Summary
  • 7.4 Annexure A
  • 7.4.1 Questionnaire
  • 7.5 Annexure B
  • 7.5.1 Answers of twelve participants from three Provinces:
    • Gauteng, Free State and Limpopo
    • 7.5.1.1 Answers from Gauteng Province participants
    • 7.5.1.2 Answers from Free State Province
    • 7.5.1.3 Answers from Limpopo Province
  • Bibliography

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