Being a pioneer, can, in my experience, be painful. It is for me today.
I just read a piece advocating we all do something that I’ve been doing and promoting for a long time. It didn’t make me happy. Instead I thought ‘what took you so long?’
At the 100th anniversary of the ordination of Constance Coltman to the Christian Ministry (actually tomorrow) I’m confused. Should I be celebrating in some way or mourning?
So many women’s gifts wasted in so many places. All around the world there are still churches who refuse to value the leadership gifts of women. When they finally get it we are supposed to be pleased, grateful even. All I can say is ‘what took you so long?’
A century of crawling progress we are supposed to rejoice over. Dates reeled off one after another as each denomination in turn finally gets it. Each time the same Scriptures referred to, the same arguments rehearsed.
Forty years ago I got somewhat frustrated when speech therapists took what seemed like forever to get the message about the needs of children with acquired speech and language problems (in real life I was a speech therapist and this was my early work). Little did I realise then that the church would be even more frustrating.
This week in Chapel we have been thinking about how ‘in Christ’s family there should be no divisions among you: neither Jew nor non-Jew, slave or free, male or female’. This message came to us two thousand years ago. For goodness sake, we are so slow.
Yes, I know we will be forgiven even that, but do buck up, and let’s not be taking another hundred years to get this sorted. About fifteen years or so ago in Sheffield, speaking at an event about women’s leadership in the church I referred to the record of the United Reformed Church saying how often people told I was lucky to belong to this denomination. I affirmed that saying ironically how I felt so ‘lucky, lucky, lucky’.
One powerful lay woman in the denomination was incensed and made sure I knew it. I should have been grateful and not telling too many truths in the company of other Christians, seemed to be the message. Well, the truth is, luck hasn’t part in it. God requires Justice from us all. If we are not willing to deal justly with each other then we are not the people God hopes we will be. Don’t cover up the churches short comings with sugar sweet stories about how lucky we are. If you do not intend to do justice in the church do not call yourselves God’s people.
I certainly can’t stand it any further. A women wrote a letter to our ‘Daughters of Dissent’ project (this was the title of the book we published about 15 years ago to record the history of the leadership of women in the URC in their own voices). She declined to take part saying she didn’t ‘want to remember the battles’. At the time I didn’t understand. Now I understand more.
But I do choose to remember the battles, while I can, and to hold you, the church, to account for all the ways in which women have been under valued and all the ways in which the wasted energy in those battles could have created the kindom.

In our life and our believing
The love of God

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the ordination of Constance Coltman to the Christian ministry.