Silencing the Feminine

some thoughts on the Spirit and the Voice of Women

My mother and grandmothers are at the top of the list of spiritual influences in my life. They studied and read their Bibles regularly. Their Bibles were filled with markings and marginal notes. If I was ever preaching and saw one of them make a mark in their Bible, I considered it the best compliment I could receive.

But despite their vast knowledge of the Bible. we were raised in a tradition that believed women could not teach in the Sunday worship assembly. Of course, they could sing, and singing is teaching according to Paul, but that’s not really the same thing…right?

Anyway, I have felt for a long time that this prohibition doesn’t make much sense, but I never really questioned it.

Now that I have, I am shocked that the church taught that all women everywhere must not teach in the Sunday assembly.

I’ve already written on this and have done podcasts on it before, so we won’t be returning to those same passages today. Instead, I want to share a different angle with you.

If you have ever watched The Shack, you know that William Paul Young depicts the Spirit as a woman, and this probably was shocking to you. For some, it’s just another reason to dismiss the book or movie altogether.

But there is a reason behind it.

In Genesis 1, the word of Spirit (rûaḥ) is feminine. Similarly, the Wisdom of God is depicted as a woman in Proverbs 1.

Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. Proverbs 1:20\

In the New Testament, the word “Spirit” is neuter, but the word “Wisdom,” which is often used in conjunction with the Spirit is feminine. It’s where we get the name Sophia.

It is true that in John 14-16, Jesus uses the pronoun “he” to refer to the Spirit, but this is because the Spirit is referred to as Advocate, which is a masculine noun. Besides this context, I cannot find a place where a pronoun is used to refer to the Holy Spirit.

This is why Paul Young and other authors feel free to depict the Spirit as a woman. Of course, they aren’t alone. The whole image of Genesis 1 is that of a mother dove hovering over her children, so it’s not that shocking.

Why do I bring this up?

In my tradition, not only did we silence women, but we also silenced the Holy Spirit. By relegating the work of the Holy Spirit to Scripture, we stripped her over her power and limiter her work to the abilities and intellect of the reader.

We have a bad history of silencing the feminine.

When the Holy Spirit was free to work, sons and daughters prophesied, men servants and maid servants did the work of a minister, and women. like Priscilla and Phoebe thrived.

But when the church silenced the feminine, the Holy Spirit and women were shut up.

In Genesis 1, the Bible records, “So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

Male and female are made in the image of God because God has masculine and feminine characteristics. It might be better to say that both male and female together paint a full picture of God.

We live in a world where women can be heard reading Scripture on Sunday or even preaching. That’s a good start. But I want my daughter to grow up in a world where that isn’t seen as an exception. I want her to know that God can use her just as God can use her dad or her brother.

The feminine has been silenced for far too long, and look where that has gotten us. We are more divided than ever.

It’s time for Sophia, the Wisdom of God, and her daughters to have a voice. May us men listen carefully; maybe we can learn a thing or two.

‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams.
 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
        and they shall prophesy.

Acts 2:17-18

Additional Resources

Below are a collection of podcasts and articles I’ve written on the role of women over the years.

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