Review:
The Foreword by Dr. Darrell Whiteman, Dean of E. Stanley Jones School of Evangelism and Missions at Ashbury Seminary, captures the need for this contemporary book:
There is desperate need for gender reconciliation in mission today and this book will become a landmark on the path that will someday lead to cooperation and equality between genders… We have needed this book for a long time – first to get these unvoiced issues on the table so we can talk about them, second to offer hope and encouragement to women in mission, and third to wake up the slumbering men in mission who are often oblivious to the difference gender makes and who then take their positions of power and authority for granted…Now my prayer is that we together, as men and women in mission, will have the courage to act on what we learn here.” (xi).
The editor, Marguerite Kraft, adds in her introduction:
Research has shown that women missionaries suffer a greater degree of unaddressed needs than do their male counterparts and even more so than other female expatriates [because of factors that cause women to feel isolated, undervalued, over-looked or devoid of adequate support systems on the field]… “Examining these issues early enough could better prepare individuals for the field… For too long missionary women have struggled silently. Hopefully, these writings will slow down the attrition rate and woundedness that often result from a lack of understanding and dealing with gender distinctives” (2).
Loren Cunningham, cofounder of YWAM, sees the issue of women in ministry as a leading crisis in the church for the 21st century” (21). Difficult issues like women’s loneliness, loss, lesser status, isolation, low self-esteem and lack of voice surface throughout the book. As a result, there is considerable advice given to mission agencies and sending churches re: the preparation and pastoral care for women. (These ideas are in bold in the summary.) Frontline Women is not readily available, so given the importance of this topic, many of its significant insights will be cited extensively as a contribution to the important area of gender awareness. My apologies to readers who want a short review!
Dr. M.L. Codman-Wilson, 6/9/2011
Summary:
In Chapter One, “Distinctly Female,” Kraft says “most research has been male dominated -in the field of medicine, ethnography, formal education…The standards set have been regimented and preserved by males. Carol Gilligan, (In A Different Voice 1982) refers to this as implicitly adopting the male life as the norm and then trying to fashion women out of male cloth” (8). This dominance of male-based research is true in the area of gender distinctives as well. The research cited by the authors in the book is admittedly from a western perspective, but they each support their findings from a larger global research base and perspective.
Kraft notes that socialization and communication patterns differ for boys and girls, thus creating gaps of understanding as men and women live out their ‘roles’ in the adult world. “Masculine socialization stresses independence, power and attention to outcomes so men learn to be assertive, competitive and to focus on achievement. Girls learn from unstructured cooperative play which emphasizes intimacy in relationships, sensitivity to people and the process of interaction. In adulthood women use talk to build and sustain relationships with others while men use talk to assert themselves and their ideas and to establish status and power…Conversations are negotiations in which men try to achieve and maintain the upper hand…in a hierarchal social order…This is done by exhibiting knowledge and skill and by holding center stage through verbal performance” (10-11)…Likewise “gender identity development is experienced differently by the sexes…for boys it is linked to separation and individuation; for girls femininity is defined through attachment. So male gender identity is threatened by intimacy while female gender identity is threatened by separation” (14). “Values of self-reliance and independence are culturally conditioned male values and a woman pursuing these values is often labeled as disruptive, aggressive or manipulative” (12).
This tension is compounded cross-culturally in societies with a “security-oriented system.” In these contexts children are seen as the most vulnerable; they are encircled by women as care-givers, who are encircled by men who make the decisions for all. By contrast, in a freedom orientation system, the individual and his/her rights are the most important. Thus everyone is trying to establish separate identities and become self-reliant. “When these 2 systems come into contact, those involved are apt to lack understanding of one another, misjudge one another and even lack respect for one another” (13). In addition, “a common cultural perception is the belief that women are the embodiment of evil or at least have long-standing ties with it…women are seen as the source of evil, guilt, shame and temptation so there is rigid control [over them]by numerous social structures” (16). Clearly, “gender affects one’s own purposes for living and the way a society works. Living in a society different from the one we are raised in causes us to be aware of our own gender distinctives and their cultural variation” (18).
In Chapter Two, “Called to Serve,” Marla Campbell provides Biblical exposition for the “complementary” (21) view of women and men serving together in mission. She notes the many examples of noteworthy women called and used by God, cites Paul’s teaching in Gal.3:28, the fact that no gender separation is made in the giving of spiritual gifts, and Peter’s sermon at Pentecost that God would pour out His Spirit on men and women alike. But Campbell cautions: a woman’s goal should “never be to prove one’s position or to challenge a man’s position but rather to function comfortably, confidently in whatever roles God has placed her. The central cause is advancing the work of the gospel” (23-24).
In Chapter Three, “Making Adjustments Favorably,” Marla Campbell cites the research on cross-cultural adaptation and culture shock, including reverse culture shock on reentry to one’s home country, and then explores the gender differences in these areas: “Men typically have less of a problem functioning in a host culture…Men enter the new country with a mutual expectation that they have a job to do and will most likely be respected in that. It is assumed that the man is the leader, the teacher, the pastor or that he possesses credentials meriting respect. A woman traditionally follows the man as his job dictates…and accepts domestic roles caring for the home and children while men do the business both in the workplace and the church. In many parts of the world it is unacceptable for women to be involved in decision making or to speak in church unless invited to do so by the man in charge. Whether the visiting man or woman agrees with these and other cultural mores is irrelevant…work must be done by ‘preferring one another in love’ and in this case the ‘one another is the host culture as well as the indigenous church from where gender cues and clues are derived” (36-37).
Mission agencies should note that women’s main areas of cross-cultural adjustment were cited as:
*“Sense of loss and isolation - a need for close friends and connectedness with the new culture
*Psychological aspects caused by stress in the transitional period that causes illness, eating or sleeping disorders
*Cultural inconveniences; while men engage in outside activities, women bear the brunt of daily chores
*Marital strain – the absence of a husband’s support and understanding or external factors affecting the
marriage
*Identity confusion about her role or frustration over the restriction from doing what she could do well in
service
*Struggling to learn language deters self-esteem and a sense of belonging to the new people group” (43-44).
In addition, there are often contradictory or conflicting expectations for and from missionary women and
by the national church. When women get stressed or overwhelmed, and don’t have the appropriate people
with whom to talk, they can internalize their problems and then believe internal lies of their incompetence,
failure to pull their weight, fear of letting down the home church. etc. (46). Qualified women should regular
attend and hold positions on field committees and various advisory boards “since over 50% of the issues
directly affect the woman’s work in and outside the home” (47). Pre-crisis counseling is advisable to deal
with reasonable goal expectations and ways to be flexible, stay healthy and reduce stress. Furloughs and
regular vacations are important…”a little break goes a long way” (47). Mission agencies are encouraged to
“consider all angles of women’s needs and their abilities to serve as mutual partners called by God into
missions” (47). Thankfully, those conversations are beginning to take place.
Chapter Four’s ‘Roadblocks and Improvements” author Laurel McAlister notes that many organizations “seem slow to follow an important development of the 1990’s: the affirmation and encouragement of women’s leadership styles. Her article describes the “constraints women missionaries encounter as they carry out ministry activity” (58). Culture and language was the constraint mentioned most often. Single women who were in a culture where being single was a constraint, lived with another single missionary or worked with a key family who introduced them to the community; married women had the constraints of having to develop their own ministry role(s) within their husband’s role. It was stressful to “be expected only to make her husband’s vision succeed. Married women reported fear, uncertainty, isolation, lowered self-confidence and tried to cope with these by taking active measures to get involved in the community” (61). Gender constraints were identified much more by the single than the married women. “Being single and a foreign woman, was especially difficult – and abusive – in certain traditional societies. No coping strategy seemed to work very well. Some reported the negative reaction to their ministry or leadership by men on their team or in their home churches” (62). Conflicts and differences of opinion with other missionaries, rather than with nationals were the types of interpersonal relationship constraints most often mentioned. For single women this issue led to feeling lonely and unconnected when there was independence among team members. Ministry team conflicts caused particular pain to single missionaries since the ministry was their major role (63-64). For both married and single women “devastating effects result when isolating factors pile up” (68). Suggestions to mission agencies were:
(1) “Respect the relational, nurturing balance women bring to men’s factual, rational focus. (2) Give full recognition to women in their service. (3) Provide an organizational environment that recognizes the constraints in various stages of family life. (4) Be clear to candidates if differences exist between mission policy and the field or national church policy re: women’s roles. (5) Make ministry assignments carefully, not just on the basis of the husband’s role. (6) In ministry transitions make sure the wife has a voice in the changes. (7) Intentionally bring women into leadership roles. (8) Coach and mentor women to enter the predominantly male world of missions leadership” (70-71).
The theme of Chapter Five (Dianne Collard) is "Dealing with Loss"– “an all too familiar experience in the life of a woman on the mission field. Over the life cycle of any missionary are numerous tearful goodbyes both on the field and at home. Loss is also recognized as part of culture shock or adaptation stress…Arrival in a new culture often strips new missionaries of their feelings of being in control of their circumstances. Feelings of incompetence may produce a vague feeling of loss for who they were before” (75-76). “Individual experiences of loss are deeply affected by previous losses and can be either magnified or handled well depending on a person’s history of coping with loss…One result of the individual nature of response to loss produces the perception of alienation and deep loneliness, even in the midst of a family or team” (77). Blessed are those women who have team members who understand this need [for someone to listen to their story] and become the sounding board for verbally and emotionally processing grief. Ultimately each woman will determine whether the loss and accompanying grief will be debilitating or enriching. Resolution is a choice…it demands active response.
Recovery from loss is possible when women:
*Develop awareness of our grief reactions.
*Accept responsibility for our own actions, responses and adopt coping strategies (maintaining
relationships, building new ones, surrender the unfulfilled areas of our lives to the Lord).
*Take action – “Grief recovery is work. Keep to your job description, keep a journal expressing both your pain
and your plan for recovery, regularly review God’s faithfulness in your life – and act in hope
*Move beyond loss – “Mere survival isn’t the goal. We can’t allow our pain to close us off from risking building
new relationships and being effective in our missionary calling” (pp. 78-79).
In Chapter 6 “Negotiating Reality Single” Sharon Soper states “Notorious ambiguities surrounding a single woman’s status, gender identity and authority relations still continue to create a dilemma and concern in any sending mission or country” (82). Soper’s personal experience and wisdom comes from her 18 years in Bolivia;
“Numerous adjustments to the culturally diverse groups (within the mission teams) were more than any of us had bargained for – 3 nationalities, different Mennonite backgrounds, varying degrees of legalistic tradition, and communication problems….I was fairly confident that common professional interests would facilitate bonding; after all, the clinic hired me because of my registered nurse qualification and labor and delivery experience. I never dreamed the hard-earned bachelor’s degree might pose a threat to my coworkers.
At a field council meeting (to which I was not invited) one of the wives suggested that the rule be made to prohibit single women from going out alone with married men. Yours truly was the culprit. One of the husbands had kindly offered to teach me how to ride the mission motorcycle that included a test run on the heavily sanded road to make sure I was not wiping out. The indictment of the council hurt deeply. Besides, I protested to myself, we were riding separate motorcycles! I felt my reputation was at stake, raising eyebrows about my behavior when nothing like this had ever been discussed with me. Paranoia began to get in and I noticed myself slipping in and out of rooms in order to avoid being left alone with one of the men. It had never occurred to me that there would be such accusation and misunderstanding with my fellow missionaries…Feelings of isolation and loneliness led to a cloud of despair… Long term goals seemed impossible to actualize and my normal sense of identity and psychological equilibrium were upset (84).
My adjustment came partly by wrestling with the dissonance and cultural clashes from within myself. And, unbeknown to me at the time, I was banking credibility in the initial relationships [I established with a Bolivian couple] that became instrumental for developing future ministries. My mission then followed a new vision to reach the outlying national population…Everyone agreed I could switch to community development and work with a Bolivian pastoral couple to pioneer a church plant amongst squatters outside the peripheral city limits…The Bolivian pastor’s male leadership did not generate friction between us and we pooled our resources to reach the people…We did not feel plagued with an unhealthy competition that typically develops when men are machista…We consulted and worked together with very little conflict and there was a large comfort zone for me to work with Bolivian men in general…I was affirmed and at liberty to use my spiritual gifts and work without objections.”
An intercultural studies professor said, ‘A single woman has no business being a missionary in South America.’ “My experience seemed to go against such a perplexing generalization…it is not the first time statements like this have deterred single missionary women from working in Muslim countries and other dangerous fields. But also it is not unusual for God’s providence to supersede human wisdom in order that His power may be manifested” (89). Still, ‘a single missionary may feel vulnerable due to her marginal position even when she has purposefully chosen to circumvent the norms of society…For this reason, she must wisely prepare herself for and expect certain kinds of rejection and losses due to the lack of status, relationships and experiences that come from marriage and motherhood…There can be no regrets.. An unmarried woman will benefit by deciding early on what part marriage and motherhood have in her life and by weighing the risks involved in such a decision…The privileged relationship of being God’s daughter and choosing to be an instrument for His master plan are all the honor she affords …The choice of service over society helps her focus better on her ministry rather than marriage. ..She decides and allows God to control her identity and destiny and Christ is her source of strength and stability” (91).
But, all this “tends to backfire during an identity crisis. For example, if involvement in missions abruptly ends, even for good reasons, the career single missionary feels this more acutely. Because her sense of purpose is attached to her vocation and mission calling, a vacuum is created that greatly disturbs her sense of well-being. The situation worsens if major ministry changes coincide with natural transitions occuring during midlife crisis. During reentry into her home culture, she may have no clue where or how she fits in, and this creates an emotional war zone where attacks from unanswered questions and doubts emerge as she tries to cope with another new reality” (91).
“Gender relations require moral sensitivity in any culture and only purposeful efforts to discern and learn discreet behaviors can prevent a missionary [single woman] from becoming a liability….Sexual temptation is a reality…Missionary women may feed themselves on a steady diet of unwholesome romance novels or find pleasure in watching certain videos….Victory for sexual impurity comes through confession and forgiveness not self-condemnation….Certainly, sexual behavior must be guarded when relating with men lest she arouse temptation or suspicion…Inadvertently, I slipped into the societal role and behavior of the ‘asexual nun’ and enjoyed the due respect of a ‘religiosa.”..My own developmental past reinforced ‘masculine behaviors’ such as being athletic, competitive, articulate and authoritative while some of the outward feminine behaviors of revealing dress and movements were suppressed. In my opinion, it was far more practical and easier to avoid the annoying problems of sexual attraction in order to facilitate functioning as a leader with both genders…One is faced with the evasive task of retaining the norm of one’s identity and natural sexuality in balance with the context of conflicting ideas concerning the same…A large measure of God’s grace and supernatural touch to accept and forgive when faced with unfair situations are essential to the adaption process of change that affects sexuality. This is the only way to maintain a healthy sense of self” (93-94).
Mission agencies and missionaries must avoid sweeping these issues under the rug. Secrecy and denial are incubators for temptation and sin. But all too often, the norm is to react by silence or condemnation. In a pressure cooker of cross-cultural circumstances the effect of past sexual abuse and other related dysfunction can be triggered causing some problems areas to surface faster…Too many single missionary women live with troubled pasts. God specializes in changing liability to assets. And the crucible of suffering, victimization or even personal failure may be the most effective way to develop coping skills and a godly character, both positive attributes needed for reacting and adjusting to the injustices, sexual oppression and abuse found throughout the world” (95).
“Authority issues for unmarried women are a different knot to untangle than for the married women. Egalitarian societies and missions may find it easier to trust unmarried missionaries to work independently, releasing them to greater ministry….For unmarried female missionaries not coming from an egalitarian or western culture, the dynamics may differ…The survival and success of the female single missionary will depend partly on her finding stable and supportive national relationships for her own person and ministry and a lot will depend on her ability to submit to the authority of various individuals and groups even when she may not completely agree…By listening to God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and the community of believers, she can wisely discern when to submit and how to accommodate her ministry while still maintaining the courage to keep her own pace as she steps out in faith” (97-98).
Chapter 7 “Confused Missionary Roles – Theirs or Mine?” deals with the issues of missionary women who had expected to have ministry roles outside the home working with nationals” (107). As one older male Kenyan said to the author, Donna Downes, after a course she co-taught with a Kenyan male colleague, “the biggest surprise to me was that I could learn something from a woman. Imagine-at my age [of 70], learning from a woman!”(102). In Romania Downes says, “As I repeatedly slammed into the barrier of cultural role expectations vs. my own ministry role expectations, I wondered if I would find a way to get beyond the barrier and once again enter a productive teaching and discipling ministry in a Christian university or seminary or if I needed to adjust my ministry expectations so that I would focus primarily on women and children. And then I wondered how many other women were as unprepared as I was to deal with the cultural restrictions on their roles, their identity, their giftedness-especially when their ministries took them outside the boundaries of their homes and into contact with male leaders in their host culture” (105). As she researched this issue among missionary women, “stories of role frustration, depression, identity crises and self-doubt began to surface” (105). She describes 3 coping strategies by which women attempt to work through gender problems with nationals on the field:
*1.Role insistence – the missionary ignores the cultural biases against women and goes ahead and does what she feels God has gifted and called her to do, despite what the national men think. One goal of this approach is social reform – to provide a new way of helping the host culture view and empower women. It can work for the missionary but when national women try to step up to the same freedom, they are often judged, criticized or even rejected by their cultural peers. This approach also can bring conflict with the national church and within the missionary team.
*2.Role abdication – giving up the ministry roles outside the home. This can lead to internalizing one’s anger and resentment which in turn can make one a critic of the host culture and lead to stress-induced medical problems.(114)
*3.Role adaptation and integration – where missionary women “deliberately negotiate their roles from the margins of society in relationship to the center or patriarchal power structure” (115) in order to effect changes in the statue and role of women in their host societies. This can lead to “the transformation of the culture of women and eventual transformation of the broader social structure” (117). In this strategy a woman can work, for example, as a consultant to her male educational supervisor or husband and channel her ideas for change through him; as long as she doesn’t care who gets the credit, the avenues for change and socially transforming ministry are available. But this stance, like the others, also has some negative repercussions.
The thesis behind “Emotional Straight Talk” (Ruth A. Graybill, ch.8) is that “at heart most women seem to thrive on roots, security and safety – elements hardly characteristic of the typical missionary woman’s experience… A woman’s emotional makeup does not suddenly change just because God may call her to the far ends of the earth. To the extent that she can identify her needs and address them appropriately, her effectiveness on the mission field will be significantly increased. And to the extent that we [as mission agencies and sending churches] can better understand our missionary women, our effectiveness in supporting them will undoubtedly be increased as well”(124).
The common emotional needs for marrieds and singles are:
*1.Intimacy and close friendship with another woman where there is confidentiality and safety in sharing
*2.Validation and affirmation where one’s gifts and abilities and leadership are respected and utilized and one’s
God-given potential fully developed (129). This is a particular challenge to women in Muslim ministries.
*3.Healthy relationships in the missionary community because “conflict, misunderstandings, rejection, betrayal
and criticism can mark the missionary community just as any other group of people living and working
together” (130)
*4.Spiritual nourishment and support to offset the “daily hurting for all the hurts around you”(131) Pastoral
care, mentors, spiritual direction all can help renew and restore women’s souls and deepen their walk with
God.
*5.Time alone – privacy is needed both from other missionaries and from ever-pressing national needs.
*6.Maintaining close contact with separated family members (often children or grandchildren).
*7. Being understood by people back home” (125).
For singles the needs Graybill lists also include: Learning to go it alone and coming to terms with remaining single; finding acceptance in host cultures and missionary subcultures where singleness is not the norm; developing healthy relationships with men (relationships that are out in the open, above suspicion by the nationals or sabotaged by misguided intentions); dealing with issues of sexuality in a healthy way; giving and receiving physical touch and good living arrangements (as roommates so often are changing )(133-139). For married women emotional needs also include maintaining emotional equilibrium in multiple roles )of wife, mother, homemaker, ministry outside the home), taking care of herself, contributing directly to the mission endeavor.
After chronicling these needs, Graybill makes these suggestions for how to address them:
*1. Recognize that no matter how healthy you are, you will have emotional needs as a missionary
*2. Get your emotional needs in good order before leaving for the field, take care of your emotional baggage;
develop healthy self-esteem (143). “Ask God to root out the lies and misconceptions about yourself that
limit your potential. Come to terms with your strengths and weaknesses, with what is healthy and unhealthy
in you. Continually trust God to complete His good work in you”(144).
*3. Be sure of your calling to the field –beyond the shadow of a doubt”(144)
*4. Cultivate a close personal relationship with the Lord
*5. Recognize that you are ultimately responsible for getting your needs met and give priority to meeting them
*6. Learn to recognize what triggers your needs and what intensifies them
*7. Come to terms with the reality that some emotional needs may not get met for an extended time; one must
accept this and find the Lord sufficient” (148).
*8. With God’s help learn to change loneliness into solitude – since loneliness is caused by the mindset ‘someone
ought to be here”(148). Freedom to choose our own attitude can be a way to avoid self-pity.
*9. Keep expectations realistic “allow yourself the freedom to make mistakes, to live with your imperfections
and limitations; give yourself time to adjust to the differences in your host culture…recognize people will
hurt you or disappoint you at times, and recognize that there will be many more needs in any day than you
can meet – pace yourself.”(149)
*10. Make a conscious choice to actively pursue developing several key friendships on the field, broaden your
circle of friends, develop good relational skills
*11. Develop a strong, healthy support system back home
*12. Take good care of yourself -right foods, rest, exercise, care for your body, laughter, outside interests all will
directly impact your emotional well-being” (153).
Mission agencies need to factor pastoral care for women’s emotional needs into their structures and programs.
A new trend in contemporary missions, the growing number of Finishers entering the field as first time missionaries, is the subject of chapter 10 – “Helping Finishers Bridge the Gap” by D. Collard. Finishers are second career people “who are near or at the end of the (previously) normal time of retirement” (178). These are “the most educated and healthiest retired class in human history”…their presence is motivated by “the general openness to the challenge of contributing to an eternal legacy, the 28 years added to the life expectancy in the past century as well as a marked increase in financial stability”(179). They come “with over 35 years of work experience and often 40 or more years of spiritual maturity as well as a deep knowledge of themselves and of God…It behooves a mission agency to seriously consider the procedures and policies that will either hinder or facilitate the placement and effectiveness of such Finishers. Changes in recruitment, appointment and attitudes of field leadership will be necessary for the mission agency seeking to effectively use this labor pool” (180).
The obstacles for Finishers, especially women, are (1) the accentuated loneliness that happens as they have left “long-standing friendships forged over many years in their home world,” (2) care of aging parents, and (3) concern for adult children or grandchildren left in the home country…Having been successful in their careers at home, they can also feel underutilized and unappreciated when they are put in the low-person position on a mission team” (181). Plus language acquisition may pose a problem, being “significantly more stressful for the older group than the younger group…And there may be special dietary and health needs which may be more difficult to handle on the mission field” (182). However, [mission agencies can help] these obstacles can be overcome by “quality pre-field training and on-field orientation that help in setting realistic expectations and cross-cultural adjustment preparation …Serious consideration needs to be given to the possibility of Finishers requiring more frequent trips to their home country to care for family and health needs. This has both financial and policy ramifications that must be settled before the Finishers leave for the field…” (183).
The chapter “High Alert to Enemy Attacks” (ch.12) by Marguerite and Charles Kraft, provides a critical orientation to the cost of spiritual warfare on missionaries. “When men and women respond to God’s call and move into missionary work, they become a great threat to Satan and his kingdom…Satan cannot create, only damage and destroy what already exists. …For too long Satan has benefited from our lack of focus on his tactics for battle. Our lack of awareness along with failure to avail ourselves of biblical guidelines for spiritual battle results in great destruction and heartache in life and havoc on the frontlines” (186-187). Their premise is that many Christians carry vulnerabilities and woundedness that has allowed the Enemy to gain footholds of stress and destruction in their lives. Women seem especially susceptible to attack; statistical studies show “that wives are often the determining factor for families staying or leaving the field” (187). They cite Clinton Arnold, (a noted theological and authority on the New Testament and spiritual warfare- (190): “The believer has an entirely new nature because he or she has been brought into a relationship with Jesus Christ and endowed with the Holy Spirit. Demonic spirits cannot penetrate to the core of this person’s being and snatch away what belongs to God. A believer may yield to the evil impulse or to a demonic spirit, allowing it to assert a dominating influence over mind, will, emotions and even the body. But the person’s new identity as a child of God cannot be erased or stolen. Nor do demonic spirits have the ability to evict the Holy Spirit of God…But demons can continue to affect the body, mind, emotions and will until they are cast out” (190-191).
“After working with hundreds of women to help them deal with internal issues, we have come to the conclusion that the primary attacks of Satan are in the area of self-worth….Many women have grown up in homes where they have not been valued, except for their services. Or homes where they were an unwanted pregnancy or gender…Or a woman may have been abused, sexually, physically or verbally as she was growing up, giving her the strong impression that she is merely a worthless object to be used and thrown away at the whim of a man. Approximately 1 in every 3 girls in the U.S. is sexually abused before she reaches maturity….Whatever the sources, feelings of negative self-worth (or the more serious self-rejection) provide fertile ground for demonic activity in a person. The demon’s job is to do as much as possible to cripple the person, rendering her unable to carry out what God has called her to do. He, therefore, lies to her concerning who she is and what other people think about her and teaches her to tell herself these lies” (194, 196).
Similarly, “living in fear, insecurity and worry provide fertile ground for demonic influence. We have met many demons whose job it was to aid and abet such feelings…Holding onto anger, no matter how justified it may be, results in the festering of the anger and provides an entry point for demons. The issue that gives the demons rights is usually unforgiveness. Jesus said we are to forgive those who have hurt us as God has forgiven us. If we do not, the Enemy has a legal right to enter us and to encourage the anger…Extreme loneliness can, whether consciously or unconsciously, lead to anger, bitterness, resentment, self-image problems etc…When it festers, then it can result in demonization…Curses or soul ties from dominating relationships or relationships outside marriage can be easily broken by simply repenting of them and claiming the power of Jesus Christ to cancel them. But they can be disruptive to our lives if we don’t know they’re there and, therefore, don’t do anything about them…God has provided us with part of Himself, the Holy Spirit who is more powerful than any other spirit power. We need to be actively in battle in the spiritual realm in order to more effectively work for the furtherance of God’s kingdom” (197-199). “We are God’s children and Satan has no legal power over us though he never stops trying to cause havoc in our lives. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit who is greater than an evil power”(200). The Krafts suggest 7 ways to combat spiritual bondage:
*1. Identify the problem. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any areas of bondage you may have overlooked.
*2. Confess and repent before the Lord the sins the Holy Spirit reveals to you
*3. Choose to forgive all who have wounded you; also forgive yourself. Release your anger toward God.
*4. Receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing
*5. Renounce the sin and close the door in any area where the Enemy has gained entry
*6. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you break the behavior and thought patterns you have become accustomed to
*7. Allow the Holy Spirit to daily conform you to the image of Christ” (200).
“Not all human problems give demons entrance, especially if they are dealt with right away. [But] if the problem is kept for a period of time, such as from childhood into adulthood, it festers and creates emotional damage…The demons’ job is to use the emotional or spiritual problem to harass the person, producing in the person as much disruption as they can get away with…It is [therefore] important that women who seek to serve Christ fully receive ministry to enable them to deal with their problems. They need inner healing to clear up emotional and spiritual damage they may have sustained” (200). Jesus gives us authority to cure diseases and drive out all demons (Lk.9:1-2)
“God has frequently gifted women with discernment, both natural and spiritual to notice when people are in difficulty. Intercession is another facet of spiritual warfare that women are often gifted in…Their praying both brings clarity concerning the leading of God in ministry and attacks the Enemy who seeks to hinder that ministry” (202)...Both a healing and a prayer ministry fall into the category of ground level spiritual warfare” (203).
Cosmic level spiritual battle deals with the territorial spirits in an area. “Satan claimed in tempting Jesus that the kingdom of the world had all be handed over to him. (Lk.4:6). We know, though, that the territory he claims really belongs to God and that we are commissioned by God and given His authority to take it back” (203). This includes geographic territory where we are sent to minister, “the territory of our homes, our churches, our places of work – any place we would like to take away from Satan’s power” (204) and “claim the presence and power of God and displace any enemy rights. Similarly, we need to claim spiritual protection over ourselves and our families, letting the enemy know that we open our doors to the Holy Spirit but close them tightly to all representatives of Satan…we claim total protection of Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, for ourselves and our children…Whether at cosmic-level with housing or families or taking territory for Christ or at ground-level in freeing people from inner problems and demons, women can play an important part in spiritual warfare by asserting authority given us by God to take back His world from Satan” (205). A book that is recommended in this area is I Give You Authority, by Charles Kraft.
The final chapter “In the Line of Fire” deals with the cost of mission work in dangerous areas and places of political instability. Stress for women in those situations comes from “concern for their children and family,… physical safety and security issues,…relational issues,…emotional issues involves uncertainty and guilt,…vulnerability and danger in war-zones,… and a sense of helplessness when excluded from decision-making’ (210-213). The authors, Lingenfelter and Hoke, therefore advise mission boards to have “contingency plans and better crisis management capabilities for their missionaries in dangerous situations” (215), “to include men and women in policy setting and decision making, to move more women into leadership, and develop sensitivity and diversity training for everyone in the mission and church about issues of women in ministry and women in leadership. Developing a Biblical body life that is balanced, healthy and inclusive takes work on everyone’s part” (217). This is especially needed in places of great instability.
Questions for Reflection or Discussion:
- Which chapter or chapters speak directly to you? Why?
- How are you (as a woman or as a male teammate with women or a male supervisor of women) dealing with the limited role of women in the new culture where you are?
- From the list of women’s needs in Graybill’s chapter “Emotional Straight Talk”, (ch.8) how are you handling each of the 12 areas she cites?
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