Underground Church Movements: the Surprising Role of Women's
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Proceedings of the ISFM 2004 Meeting: Insider Movements Underground Church Movements: The Surprising Role of Women’s Networks by Rebecca Lewis Introduction have become increasingly convinced that a key to winning the Muslim world to Christ will be through strategically reaching Muslim women. I As I’ve studied how God has used women in societies quite similar to the Muslim world, I’ve observed three characteristics of such societies: 1. the seclusion of women, especially from men; 2. an oppressive, hierarchical social structure that minimizes female leadership; and 3. persecution of believers and opposition to Christianity by the government. One might expect that it would be counter-productive in such settings for large numbers of women to come to faith first, independently of the men. However, my studies so far suggest otherwise. If anything, God seems to use women to help create movements to Christ in precisely such societies. Still, working through women, as a specific strategy, has been largely overlooked in Muslim outreach. I hope this paper will encourage further discussion of this possibility. To the Male First? When my husband and I first went to Morocco at the beginning of the 1980’s, the literature on Muslim evangelism was clear: Seek to win male heads of house- Rebecca Lewis grew up in holds. While that works well when it can be accomplished, I began to notice some Guatemala. After receiving a BS in patterns during our seven years in North Africa. First, many who were being won History from the California Institute of Technology in 1977, she and her to Christ were not male heads of households at all, but unmarried young men. husband Tim helped found Frontiers Quite frequently, these men would revert to Islam when they got married. A few and led a team of 40 adults to reach key men did continue in their faith, and went on to become leaders among the Berbers of North Africa. few believers in the country. Curiously, these men often had believing mothers During their field years she also helped develop a home-schooling program who had been won to Christ by women missionaries years earlier. for field workers calledSonlight Later, as I studied the rise of the early church in the first few centuries, I Curriculum. She is currently working on a one-year integrated college noticed the same thing. Several key men, such as Constantine and Augustine, program called INSIGHT (INtensive had believing, praying mothers who had tried to guide them into the faith. Study of Integrated Global History I became intrigued by the often unseen role of women in the spread of the and Theology). See www.uscwm.org/ insight for more details. gospel and the establishment of the church. International Journal of Frontier Missions 21:4 Winter 2004•145 146 Underground Church Movements: The Surprising Role of Women’s Networks Rebecca Lewis 147 In this preliminary study, I will first ne of the ways early believing women look at how women impacted the rapid spread of Christianity in the spread the church was through marrying Greco-Roman world. Next, I will show how women’s movements have non-Christian men. thrived under similarly trying cir- Oreflecting the great attraction of the well. In his epistle to the Romans cumstances (especially in Korea and gospel message for women. Ancient (chapter 16), Paul greets 33 individu- China), contributing to spectacular historical sources “simply swarm” als by name, of whom 15 are women. church growth. Finally, I will discuss with stories of women becoming Considering that Paul had never why I believe similar patterns could believers. Among the upper classes visited these believers, his knowledge lead to movements to Christ in the especially, women were much more of what so many of these women were Muslim world. likely than men to follow Christ. doing is noteworthy. Women and Luke 8:1-3 reflects this. Mary In this study, I am not as concerned the Rise of Christianity Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and with the “official status” of women In his book The Rise of Christianity: many other upper-class women not in the church as I am with the roles How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus only supported Jesus and the twelve they played its rapid expansion. Movement Became the Dominant out of their own personal resources, Again we turn to Scripture first. In Religious Force in the Western World in but they also traveled with them. In the New Testament we find women a Few Centuries, sociologist Rodney Acts 17:4, 12, a number of “prominent ministering in important and varied Stark sheds light on the role of women women” are among the new believers ways. For example, women extended in the early spread of the Church. In in Thessalonica and Berea. Historians hospitality by opening their homes. the Greco-Roman world of Christ’s Henry Chadwick and Peter Brown Luke 10:38 tells us that Mary day and for the first two centuries, have both noted that Christianity and Martha hosted Jesus and his men greatly outnumbered women. seemed to penetrate the upper classes disciples in their home. In Acts Citing population statistics done by through wives and concubines. These 12 (the story of Peter’s miraculous J.C. Russell, Stark shows that there “prominent women” first became release from prison), many people were 40% more men than women in believers, then influenced their hus- have gathered to pray in the home Italy, Asia Minor (Turkey) and North bands and sons. of a woman—Mary, the mother of Africa. This imbalance reflects regu- John Mark. Later, in Acts 16, Lydia lar recourse to the legal and culturally Why did more women become believers than men? persuades Paul and his traveling acceptable practice of female infanti- companions to stay in her home. The status and treatment of cide. In letter written in the first year In addition to hospitality, women women was substantially better in BC, a husband gives his pregnant wife led prayer meetings (a women’s the Christian community than in these ominous instructions: “If it is a group met with Lydia); prophesied society at large. Christian teach- boy, keep it; if a girl, discard it.” (Phillip the evangelist had four ing prohibited infanticide, forbade daughters with prophetic gifts); and Women in Greco-Roman culture incest, and condemned bisexual- did evangelism (the woman at the enjoyed low status. They were ity, homosexuality and divorce. well). Scripture also lists women as considered property, and virtuous Moreover, girls were married at a apostles (Junias) and as traveling women were kept secluded from men higher age. According to one study, missionaries (Priscilla). other than their husbands. In part 48% were over 18 years of age. And because women were scarce, girls as Chadwick notes, marital fidel- Women win people to Christ were usually married before the onset ity—which was normally required through marrying non-Christians of puberty. Plutarch tells us that the only of wives—was expected of While not a “church planting strat- Romans “[gave] their girls in mar- husbands as well (a fact that did not egy” per se (nor a necessarily recom- riage when they were twelve years escape the attention of Galen, the mended practice), clearly one of the old or even younger.” Shockingly, famous Greek physician). ways early believing women spread these marriages were immediately The church also looked after the church was by marrying non- consummated. The famous biogra- Christian men. In I Pet 3:1-2, Peter pher deplored this practice, lament- widows. Indeed, a letter written in 251 to Bishop Fabius of Antioch by gives explicit instructions to Christian ing “the hatred and fear of girls women whose husbands are not forced contrary to nature.” Cornelius, bishop of Rome, reports that more than 1,500 widows and believers, and in I Cor 7:13-14, Paul Seclusion and poor treatment in soci- distressed persons were being cared declares that “an unbelieving husband ety do not seem to have kept Greco- for out of a church membership of is consecrated through his wife.” Roman women from becoming around 30,000. In the church, where women far believers. Indeed, the early Christian Not only were women a significant outnumbered men, many Christian church became significantly more women had to marry non-believers, female than the general population, majority in the early church, they filled important leadership roles as if they were to marry at all. Records International Journal of Frontier Missions 21:4 Winter 2004 146 Underground Church Movements: The Surprising Role of Women’s Networks Rebecca Lewis 147 abound of Christian women mar- Sons, because of their role in ances- things they did was to establish rying upper-class men who were tor worship, were greatly desired. schools for girls. They taught women not (yet) Christians. The results are Female children, by contrast, were and men to read, and translated the striking. Most historical sources not poorly treated. As one Korean Bible into Korean. All this brought only indicate that it was common for woman lamented: “There are two dramatic changes to the lives of unbelieving spouses eventually to be times of regret in a woman’s life: women, who now became involved converted, but reversion to paganism when she is born and when she is in evangelism and education outside was rare. married.” In Korean culture, hus- the home. bands were not supposed to show Historian Peter Brown calls Christian Korean women—excluded as they (or even have) affection for their women a “gateway” into unbelieving were from the all-important rituals wives. In fact, women often were families. These women, “the wives, of ancestor worship—were surprised never called by a name, but merely servants and nurses of unbelievers” and grateful when they were encour- referred to as “so-and-so’s daughter” (quoted in Stark, p.