I have an amazing wife, two daughters, a daughter-in-law and three granddaughters (not to mention thousands of other spiritual daughters) who wake up every day to a world of discrimination simply because of their sex. The most troubling aspect of this oppression is that the church of Jesus Christ is often found leading it! Somehow, many believers have developed a theology that proactively uses the Bible to disqualify women from the most formidable leadership roles, especially in the church. I am appalled by the number of Christian leaders who are convinced that women are not as qualified, not as called and/or not as gifted to lead as men are.
Were you aware that men commit more than 80 percent of all of the crimes in the world? In America alone, 92 percent of prisoners are men, while women commit only four-hundredths of a percent (.04) of all violent crimes. Men are also responsible for starting most of the wars, committing the worst atrocities ever chronicled and inciting nearly ever genocide in the history of the planet. It was Hitler who slaughtered the Jews, men who massacred the Native Americans and men who enslaved the African-American. Men account for most of the rapes, serial killings, thefts and even white-collar crimes. And it was men who put Jesus on the cross. Not a single female was involved in the crucifixion. As a matter of fact, Pilate’s wife tried to talk her husband out of crucifying Jesus.
Now, do not get me wrong. I am not saying that women are innocent of sin or are somehow inherently righteous. I am simply pointing out the fact that if the devil’s plan is to steal, kill and destroy, then men are at least five times more likely to help him fulfill his devious mission.
Furthermore, while ten apostles huddled up in a house trying to save themselves, it was three women (and John) who stayed at the cross to comfort Christ in the dark night of His soul. Although Jesus had been telling His disciples for months that He would be crucified and would rise on the third day, it was only the two women who visited the tomb to check out the story. When the women found the tomb empty and encountered excited angels, they ran back to the village to tell the hiding world changers that the stone was rolled away and Jesus was gone. Yet only Peter and John even bothered to see if there was any truth to their story, while the rest of the apostles refused to believe. It was Mary Magdalene who first encountered the risen Christ, and she was the only person who touched Jesus before His ascension. It was Christ who instructed her to go tell His disciples that He had risen.
Long before that, under the Genesis curse that placed husbands above wives, Old Testament women were empowered as prophetesses, judges, queens and leaders. The book of Proverbs even depicts wisdom as “female.”
Yet in spite of all of this, in the name of the Bible many Christians have disempowered women and relegated them to the backseat of the bus in society and in the church. When Jesus died on the cross, He became sin for us and destroyed the curse propagated against us—including the curse that caused men to rule women. But for some reason, two thousand years later much of the Church still has only applied His blood to one sex and has relegated women to the ball and chain of Eve’s deception. In the last hundred years, many countries of the world have begun to champion women, giving them places of leadership in politics, business, education and in every realm of society, while most of the body of Christ will not even allow women to be elders in the church. What we have failed to realize is that Jesus founded the first Women’s Liberation Movement.
After years of research, I am convinced that there are four basic reasons why men and women are not empowered equally in society. First of all, the devil hates women even more than he hates men. Remember, the curse God pronounced over the serpent was that women would be hostile or angry at the devil. Therefore, demonic warfare is more often focused against women. Second, most men are insecure, and reducing women helps them feel more powerful. Third, many Christians have misunderstood the Bible with reference to women, and they do not want to violate their understanding of the Scriptures to empower women or be empowered as women. And fourth, as a people group women tend to be less competitive than men. They are not typically fighters; they are prone to be more humble and gentle, and they lean toward understanding men instead of resisting them. Maybe this is because women gave birth to everyone on the planet. Men mistakenly interpret these attributes as weaknesses and believe that women are not as qualified to lead, which results in women being promoted less frequently than men and in men purposely oppressing women.
We need matriarchs to step up into their rightful place alongside our patriarchs in every realm of society, including the church. It is only then that we can see the full manifestation of the glory of God cover the earth as the waters cover the sea!
This excerpt is from Fashioned to Reign. Kris Vallotton is the senior associate leader at Bethel Church in Redding, California, where he has served with Bill Johnson for three decades. He has written several books, including the best-selling The Supernatural Ways of Royalty and Heavy Rain. His prophetic insight and humorous delivery make him a much-sought-after international conference speaker, and his personal testimony of deliverance from fear and torment brings hope and freedom to thousands. Kris is also the cofounder and senior overseer of the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, as well as the founder of Moral Revolution, an organization dedicated to cultural transformation.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett