Americans have developed a bad habit of turning social experiments into policy and code. Do you know what I’m talking about?
A social experiment arrogantly opposes God’s created order. It has the look and feel of liberty but, in reality, puts human life at risk. Abortion and the “marriage” of two men or two women are social experiments. So is the political correctness of putting women into combat. Social experiments are reckless and foolish.
Let’s Think About It
During His life on earth, Jesus honored and elevated women in remarkable new ways. Certainly, He could have chosen both men and women to serve as His apostles. He did not. Jesus was not only aware of the created differences of male and female (after all, He was present at creation Genesis 1:26), but of their differing yet complementary roles and vocations. Equality does not mean that everyone does the same thing, but that male and female each have the opportunity to serve God and others according to their design.
Q: How might the Christian woman consider serving in combat in this light?
A: We might begin with some personal introspection. I know that God created me. I am His design for His purpose. But, like Eve before me, I am tempted to doubt the Creator and, in fact, position myself as lord of my own life. My choices are too easily influenced by personal feelings, circumstance, convenience, pride, envy, short-sightedness, and search for identity.
Dr. Leroy Vogel, retired U.S. Navy chaplain and professor emeritus at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, writes, “While it may be argued that there is no specific Scriptural passage that forbids a woman to serve as warrior, the apparent accommodation of some within the Church to the spirit of the age that turns warrior into a unisex role would appear, at a minimum, to be a departure from the divine wisdom of the Creator regarding the differentiation of the sexes.”
Q: What is the issue – sexual equality or ordered equality?
A: Dr. Vogel notes that when we ignore the Biblical account of creation, sexual differentiation and roles are viewed as “social constructs and, if society has created the distinctions, society can abolish them.” To overturn the created order of differentiation and roles is to abandon Biblical faith. “Scripture is clear,” writes Dr. Vogel. “God made two sexes [genders], equal but with assigned roles. Sexual equality is not the issue; ordered equality is. Scripture and the tradition of the Church assign to man the role of defender, protector, warrior. To woman is given the role of life-giver, nurturer, sustainer.” Dr. Vogel offers a curious Hebrew interpretation of a Deuteronomy 22:5 (NIV translation): “A woman must not wear men’s clothing . . . for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.” Dr. Vogel submits that this verse is about more than cross-dressing. He explains that “men’s clothing” in Hebrew is translated keli-gerber. Keli denotes “equipment,” specifically a soldier’s equipment. The Hebrew noun geber denotes “mighty man” or “hunter” or “warrior.” So, writes, Dr. Vogel, “a legitimate translation of the phrase uses language of a decidedly military flavor: ‘No woman shall put on the gear of a warrior.’” It seems that the church fathers John Calvin and Martin Luther agreed. “Luther knew Hebrew,” writes Dr. Vogel, “and comments on the verse as follows: ‘A woman shall not bear the weapons of a man . . . it is improper . . . Through this law [God] reproaches any nation in which this custom is observed.’” Why, you ask? Dr. Vogel answers, “Because God created male and female with specific and complementary characteristics. It is in their relationship with one another that the two constitute the full expression of humanity.” (“Women in Combat: Two Views,” The Lutheran Witness, May 2003, p. 16-20.)
Q: What is the significance of Genesis 3:20 for this issue?
A: Woman’s glory is found in her God-given role as life-giver and nurturer. Dr. Vogel paraphrases Luther, saying that “women were created not to kill and destroy, but to be a vessel for life.” A culture that encourages women to destroy life is a culture that rebels against God’s design for His creation. A culture that doubts the created differences between the “defender” of life (male) and “bearer” of life (female) is a culture that has been deceived by Satan’s question: “Did God really say . . .?” (Genesis 3:1).
Q: George Gilder writes, “The ancient tradition against the use of women in combat embodies the deepest wisdom of the human race. It expresses the most basic imperatives of group survival: a nation or tribe that allows the loss of large numbers of its young women runs the risk of becoming permanently depopulated. The youthful years of women, far more than of men, are precious and irreplaceable.” (Men and Marriage, p. 135). What brings a society to the place where it forgets or ignores this truth? What does the future hold for such a society?
A: There are two worldviews: God’s and all others. The Christian who trusts God’s Word can be confident that the Creator of life has a way that things of life work best. Consider the words of God to Job (Job 38-41). God speaks His worldview to us through His Word – from Genesis to Revelation. He speaks His Word to us through Jesus Christ who, literally, is the Word become flesh (John 1). But, perhaps, when we are blessed with resources and exist without threat of enemy at our door, we can become complacent and self-absorbed. At such times, might our hearts and minds be influenced more by the foolishness of the world than the wisdom of God? What does 1 Corinthians 1:16-30 say about wisdom? What does the future hold for people who seek after personal desires or the world’s view? “. . . [T]he world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
Before moving on to Part 3, here’s something to ponder. Edwin Feulner, president of the Heritage Foundation, writes, “The reason we all know the idea of women playing pro football is absurd is because we’re serious about football. It’s tough game, and if you allow yourself to be distracted by irrelevant issues like ‘sexual equity’ when you should be making your team the toughest it can possibly be, you’re going to get creamed. So why are we letting feminists impose ‘sexual equity’ on an area that makes football look like a tea party; something that is not a game, but a matter of life and death for our nation as well as for the ‘players,’ namely, our military?”
“Bearers and Defenders of Life” is Lesson 11 of
Men, Women, and Relationships first published in 1999 and revised in 2004.
If you’re curious about this collection of 12 studies on
Biblical manhood and womanhood, please contact
Lutherans For Life or Concordia Publishing House.
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