Clergywomen and their big battle for equality

No women, no Easter! That would be my headline for this story, if I were given a chance to craft it.

This is on the strength of a keynote address Dr Nyambura Njoroge gave on September 5, 2022, to mark the 40th anniversary of clergywomen in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA). Dr Njoroge was ordained a minister of word and sacrament in the PCEA on Sunday, September 5, 1982.

So, why revisit that event that in journalistic parlance could be termed stale news? Because Dr Njoroge just released a booklet on an academic symposium at the Presbyterian University of East Africa, Kikuyu, where she was the keynote speaker, and which was brought to the attention of yours truly at the most opportune time, Easter!

This is not a review of the publication, in remembrance of HER, but rather, a sharing of the author’s reflections on women in the ordained ministry 40 years since she joined clergy ranks.

But first things first, and this is the linkages between the booklet and Easter. Today marks the climax of the paschal mystery, and the author quotes Mark 14:8-9, which captures Jesus’s words just days to his arrested, torture and, and crucifixion: “She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her”.

Social Ethics

Dr Njoroge holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in African Theology and Christian Social Ethics from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. But earning the PhD was not easy, she reflects in Part 5 of the booklet. She recalls how when the opportunity arose to pursue her studies, she was told “the church did not need another Wangari wa Maathai”. They believed that Wangari had divorced her husband because she was more educated [than him].

(This writer remembers following Prof Maathai’s divorce proceedings in the newspapers, and how she—a devout Catholic woman—fought to save her marriage, to no avail).

So, what has changed since Dr Njoroge’s ordination? Not much, judging from her reflections in Part 5 of the booklet, titled, “Daunting Challenges Facing Clergywomen and the Church”. She writes: “Women in the ministry of word and sacrament face many practical challenges given the nature of ministry that is overly designed for men, by men with foreboding patriarchal mindset, beliefs and practices.”

According to the author, “unmarried clergywomen face an uphill battle meeting societal expectations of marriage and childbearing as primary responsibilities… Furthermore, being a single parent in ministry raises arguments that she will be a bad role model for girls and young women.”

In spite of the harsh judgment meted out on clergywomen who deviate from ‘patriarchal’ norms, Dr Njoroge notes that these issues are not unique in ‘herstory’—feminist rendition of ‘history’. She comments on their treatment in the Bible, and especially their mention in the genealogy (lineage) of Jesus. Obviously the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus cannot be viewed apart from his descent.

In remembrance of HER cites examples of women, who, “by God’s design and wisdom”, were at the heart and centre of the good news. She writes about “ordinary and unconventional women”, including Tamar, King David’s daughter, a pitiable example of a young virgin who was raped by her stepbrother and Rahab, the prostitute who hosted Israelite spies on their escape mission to the Promised Land.

And though a Moabite widow, Ruth, became the grandmother of David, the King of Israel, and ancestor of Jesus. Not to be forgotten is, of course, Mary, the mother of Jesus. In spite of the awkward circumstances of the virgin birth, and which almost saw Joseph send her away quietly, Jesus chose to be born in such a situation. Mary is, therefore, among the women in the Christian salvation story that Dr Njoroge refers to as ‘foremothers’.

Salvation story

Arising from women’s role in the salvation story, Dr Njoroge reserves the harshest words for her church, the PCEA. She writes: “Church, let women be! Leave them alone to anoint and witness for Christ with no restrictions. No excuses. Stop ignoring women’s gifts in all ministries of the church, including the highest level of the general assembly offices of the moderator, secretary general, the deputy and treasurer.”

Dr Njoroge’s boldness in championing clergywomen’s cause is pegged to St Paul’s message in 1 Corinthians 13-22: “…if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.” She adds, riding on the resurrection message: “Jesus affirmed and commissioned women to witness his resurrection through Mary Magdalene and many other women disciples from the womb to the tomb, as it were.”

In spite of women’s centrality to the resurrection narrative, Dr Njoroge laments: “…patriarchal church leadership and patriarchal biblical interpretations continue to censure inclusion of women in all ministries of the gospel. The hallmarks of patriarchy are domination, control, marginalisation and gross conduct of injustices and it is exercised and promoted by both women and men.”

And yet, in spite of her grouse, Dr Njoroge, who has served in key global and church agencies in Geneva, Switzerland, including the World Council of Churches, has come a long way judging by a testimony she gives of her immediate post-ordination period. “I was bombarded in the “letters to the editor” section of the two main daily newspapers of the time to explain Pauline passages that say women should remain silent in church”—letters that disapproved of her ordination.

She tells of a woman declaring at her ordination that, “her children can never be baptised by a woman”!

Her parting shot: “I write, not because I have the answers to the predicament facing clergywomen, but because I have a message drawn from the Word of God, “In Remembrance of Her!”

Ms Kweyu is a consulting editor and contributor, Daily Nation. [email protected]