Digital Commons @ George Fox University Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations 1-1-2018 Towards Women Leaders in the Palestinian Evangelical Church Madleine Sara [email protected] This research is a product of the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at George Fox University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Sara, Madleine, "Towards Women Leaders in the Palestinian Evangelical Church" (2018). Doctor of Ministry. 249. http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/249 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY TOWARDS WOMEN LEADERS IN THE PALESTINIAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF PORTLAND SEMINARY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY MADLEINE SARA PORTLAND, OREGON FEBRUARY 2018 Portland Seminary George Fox University Portland, Oregon CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ________________________________ DMin Dissertation ________________________________ This is to certify that the DMin Dissertation of Madleine Sara has been approved by the Dissertation Committee on February 19, 2018 for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Spiritual Formation. Dissertation Committee: Primary Advisor: Deborah Loyd, DMin Secondary Advisor: Mary McCracken, DMin Lead Mentor: MaryKate Morse, PhD Copyright © 2018 Madleine Sara All Rights Reserved. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New International Version Bible, copyrighted 1973, 1978, 1984, by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ v ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 Vignettes ................................................................................................................. 1 Context: Church History and Hermeneutics ........................................................... 8 Two Prominent Views ................................................................................ 9 Hermeneutics ............................................................................................ 10 Desired Outcomes ................................................................................................. 11 Women in the Palestinian Arab Context ............................................................... 12 A Discussion of Women in the Spheres ................................................... 16 History of Women’s Leadership in the Palestinian Evangelical Church .............. 19 Exposing the Myths Taught by Traditionalist Fathers .............................. 20 Impact of the Inferiority Complex ............................................................ 22 The Leadership Role of Women in Church History ................................. 24 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 26 CHAPTER TWO: BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION ........................ 28 Women in Church Leadership .............................................................................. 28 Evangelical Debate on the Leadership Role for Women ...................................... 29 God’s Feminine Characteristics ................................................................ 31 Women and Moses’ Law .......................................................................... 32 In the Beginning — Women in Creation .................................................. 34 Women Leaders in Ancient Israel ............................................................. 37 Women in the Ministry and Teaching of Jesus ......................................... 38 Women in the Early Church ..................................................................... 40 Women in the Writings of Paul ................................................................ 44 Other Major Texts Concerning Women in Ministry ................................. 48 Headship and Submission ..................................................................................... 51 Dress in an Honorable Way ...................................................................... 52 Authority and Headship (kephale) ............................................................ 52 The Priesthood of Women .................................................................................... 55 Ordination ............................................................................................................. 59 What is Ordination? .................................................................................. 62 Ordination and Gender .............................................................................. 64 Ordination and Culture ............................................................................. 65 Ordination and Church Authority ............................................................. 69 Women and the Authoritative Offices ...................................................... 70 Redefining Leadership .............................................................................. 71 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 73 CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 75 CHAPTER FOUR: LEADERSHIP, RELATIONSHIPS, AND GENDER ..................... 90 Men and Women Model Redemptive Gender Leadership ................................... 90 Gender and Leadership Roles ............................................................................... 92 Evidence of Leadership Labyrinth ........................................................................ 93 iii Human Capital .......................................................................................... 94 Gender Differences in Leadership Styles and Effectiveness .................... 94 Prejudice ................................................................................................... 96 Gender and Psychological Differences and Societal Influence ............................ 97 Gender - Divine or Human? .................................................................... 101 Women and Men Are to Serve Together ................................................ 103 The Example of Jesus Including Women in a Male Dominant Culture . 104 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 107 CHAPTER FIVE: METHODOLOGY AND DATA ANALYSIS ................................. 110 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 110 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 110 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 139 CHAPTER SIX: SUGGESTIONS ................................................................................. 141 Why Education, Equipping and Training are Essential ...................................... 144 Suggestions for the Palestinian Church .............................................................. 145 Break the Bondage and Abolish Lies Women Have Believed for Many Years ....................................................................................................... 146 Create a Role Model Based on Deborah’s Leadership ........................... 146 Engage Male Leaders in this Change ...................................................... 147 Build a Healthy Community of Both Men and Women ......................... 147 Give Affirmation to Women ................................................................... 148 Create and Offer a Platform for Others to Serve .................................... 150 Facilitate the Calling of Women with Mentors ....................................... 150 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 152 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 155 APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................. 163 APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................. 168 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Deborah Loyd, for her comments and prompt feedback that helped me refine each chapter, kept me on track, and encouraged me to achieve my goal. I am also very grateful for my editor, Beverley Timgren, who journeyed with me through the entire writing process, editing each chapter, commenting, and encouraging me. I would like to thank my prayer team Cohort LSF1: Jacqueline Bland, Pam Hiscock Braman, Janene Zielinski, and Brenda Nagunst for their