Introduction

Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth

"So God created humankind (adam) in his image... male and female he created them" (Gen 1.27).

"There is no longer male and female; for you all are one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3.28).

In the church we often quote such verses, but in practice we deny them. Gender stereotypes are still upheld by many Christian communities. In many congregations women outnumber men, but they are often excluded from decision-making and assigned "jobs" which are seen as an extension of home life - flower-arranging, cleaning, preparing meals, teaching Sunday School, fundraising and charity. Many Alliance churches still do not ordain women. Male ministers, elders, deacons and theologians continue to shape Christian thought and practice. Women are relegated to the sidelines. Their visions, voices and values, which emphasize compassion, caring, cooperation, economic justice, diversities among women, and respect for human rights, are not included.

This has a great influence on how society treats women. Their contribution to growth and development is often not recognized. Women are still denied the more prominent roles in church and society, and there is little investment in their advancement. Today there is in many countries a greater awareness of sex discrimination and women's rights, but there are still many barriers to be broken.

"Community" or "partnership" of women and men was affirmed by the 22nd general council (Seoul, 1989) when it resolved to appoint a staff member to address the injustice experienced by women in church and society. The 23rd general council (Debrecen, 1997) established a department of partnership of women and men to provide a platform for dialogue and action.

"That All may have Life in Fullness" (Jn 10.10) is the theme of the Alliance's 24th general council, which will be held in Accra, Ghana in 2004. This theme speaks to the need for gender justice. "All" commits us to include women who are marginalized and denied fullness of life. But our concern is not just for women, it is for women and men, for the church as a whole.

Life in fullness for all demands that churches take seriously the discussion on gender, theology and the church. In this Reformed World, writers from Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean and North America reflect on the general council theme with a gender perspective.

Colleen Greyer writes as "a white, middle-class Australian woman". Her focus is the experience of women, but she considers "the innate, God-imaged language of life that is possible for all creation in a world reconciled to God in companioned relation."

Dale Bisnauth (Guyana) focuses on the diversity of Caribbean societies, of which gender differences (and the inequities attendant on them) are just one aspect. Wholeness, reconciliation and fellowship will come when people can "assert their needs and demands as people of particular faiths, races, ages, gender and culture, while seeking to understand and to be with and for others who are different from them in significant ways".

In a longer version, the article by Musa Dube (Botswana) was presented earlier this year to a consultation addressing the most urgent question in sub-Saharan Africa today. "Can you hear Mother Africa weeping for her children? Can you hear the sound of her tears? Do you understand why she refuses to be consoled? I say to you, let the church that is gathered here know, understand and repent from the patriarchal structures embedded in your families, your churches and your societies, which are sentencing millions of women and girls to death by HIV/Aids."

Writing against the background of September 11, Jane Dempsey Douglass (USA) reflects on "the church as the new community of hope which models for the world God's intention for human community and gives direction to our efforts at community-building", and highlight the role of women in building community.

Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar (India) looks at the impact on women of an economic globalization pursued by the rich for the rich. The cost is the "flesh and blood" of the vulnerable. A patriarchal, capitalist, consumerist society sacrifices women and children on the altar of this globalization. People "do not hesitate to use members of their own kind, as long as faces remain invisible."

For many decades women have been struggling to reclaim Christianity, to free the word of God from patriarchal packaging, and to explore their own spirituality. It is difficult to untangle the knot of cultural conditioning, motivations and politics which underlie the assignment and acceptance of gender roles.

The Alliance perspective on gender is based on gender equality and has justice as its goal. Building gender awareness is important in challenging Christian worldviews which centre around men and exclude women. Major goals of the department of partnership are to introduce gender sensitivity within the churches and the communities they serve; to re-read scripture with gender-sensitive eyes, helping churches to hear anew the biblical witness about community and partnership; to ensure that women's perspectives are valued in covenanting for justice in the economy and the earth; to eradicate sexism in theology and practice and promote gender awareness; and to recognize the gifts and talents of women for ministry and leadership. Regional workshops on gender awareness and leadership development aim to engage member churches in discussing gender relations within society as a whole (with special attention to churches), and to work towards gender justice through conscientization. The overriding objective is the renewal and transformation of gender relations in an inclusive community of faith, in order to meet the needs of church and society today.

Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth is the executive secretary of the department of partnership of women and men in the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.