“Brothers, We Are Not All Brothers” – Jen Wilken

I have to say that it personally irks me when a Christian speaker addresses a mixed congregation and addresses them as “brothers.” It makes the women there, even if they are a minority, appear invisible, irrelevant, and unwanted. If you don’t believe me, try asking them! So remember: “Brothers, we are not all brothers.”

Now, I can understand the reasoning for androcentric forms of address. If you start acknowledging that women exist, then they might start filling their heads with all kinds of crazy ideas like they have value and they can contribute something to the kingdom of God (as if giving birth to Calvinistic boys and running the creche is not sufficient enough!). Then they might start “aspiring” to things which are inappropriate for them like a sense of purpose, seeking a career, and finding God’s call in their life. And from there it is a slippery slope and the next thing you know your church is being run by an ultra-liberal hairy arm-pitted lesbian from Vanderbilt all because you made the mistake of acknowledging women exist. And let’s face it. Can women really do everything men can? If women are just as capable as men, then why can’t they oppress an entire gender like we men can? Maybe being the sweet smelling foam in a sea of men is the best they can dream of!

Please note the hyperbole. I’m not saying that conservative speakers deliberately set out to make women feel invisible, but to many women, this is how it feels when male-centered language is used by speakers.

This of course relates to a broader question of how more needs to be done to promote the contribution of women in our churches. On this topic, Jen Wilken has a great article over TGC on More Pressing than Women Preachers, where she calls for more recognition that women have something to contribute in church and senior pastors need not be frightened by it:

I am not interested in the pulpit. But I cherish the hope it will one day yield up a sermon on the priesthood of all believers: “Brothers, We Are Not All Brothers.” Treasure the brotherhood of the pastorate, but for the love of the church, invite your sisters to take a seat at the ministry table, a seat you may reflexively want to fill with a man. Debate the question of women preaching until Jesus returns if you must. But when he does, may he be greeted by a church whose practice affirms its belief that the equal value of men and women was never open to debate.