A quick scan of a theology book—or even a list of the human authors of Scripture—can leave women wondering if Christianity is a male religion. Much of the time, the story of Christianity seems to have been written and told by men all the way from the pages of the gospels to the pulpit of the megachurch downtown.
But a closer look at the entire timeline of the faith, from creation to the current moment, shows God regularly empowering women to play essential roles in the life of the church.
Take Lydia, for example. Described in Acts as "a merchant to expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God," Lydia was the first convert to Christianity in Europe. She was baptized and, devoted to her newfound faith, welcomed Paul and fellow believers into her home as a home base for their apostolic ministry. When they moved on to other cities, Lydia became the first host of the Philippian church.
In the following centuries, women made up the vast majority of the church’s population. In fact, by the early 400s, Augustine stated that "any old Christian woman" was better educated in spiritual things than many philosophers. Around that time, Christian women began to channel their faith into social service, as seen in the stories of believers like Fabiola who founded Europe’s first Christian hospital.
The influence of women in the church has in no way diminished in more recent history. In the 1900s, for
example, the Mexican Pentecostal movement relied heavily on the faithfulness of devoted women who raised money, cared for worship spaces, and served despite their lack of access to preaching credentials. Their contributions were so significant, in fact, that religion professor and author Lloyd Barba told Religion News Service, "To do a material history of this Mexican Pentecostal movement is to do women’s history."
Stories of faithful women who have shaped the life of the church abound.
We may have to look for them a bit harder than we wish, but may we remember that God sees every act of worship and service from the dawn of time to today.
