Women & Adventism

On the Andrews campus, Seventh-day Adventism significantly influences students' experiences with gender. Our community dictates the culture we internalize, and the Adventist community is no exception. For the most part, the church's definition of what is acceptable for men and women is narrower than general society's. Historically, we have upheld distinct expectations for men and women.

Though some Adventist conferences and unions ordain female pastors, the General Conference does not officially permit this. Furthermore, a number of Adventists champion a specific interpretation of the Biblical dynamics of marriage found in Ephesians 5:22-27. Verse 22 states, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." Its companion, verse 25, continues, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." The Biblically compliant family model reflects the church with the man at the head of the family symbolizing Christ at the head of the church. Placing the man above the woman sustains unequal gender dynamics within and without the family. Oftentimes, the circles which promote these ideas will view women as subservient to men. While the AU seminary has refuted this claim, this sexist framework allows other sections of the church to refuse to ordain women and treat them as second class citizens.

It is my personal belief that we should not be teaching children that their gender bars them from opportunity. Why should we tell our girls that they cannot be ordained ministers or heads of households? We gain nothing from limiting women except perhaps preserving male pride.

Along a similar vein, victim blaming plagues conservative Adventism's standards of female modesty. I grew up in a conservative Adventist church, attending major Adventist conferences with breakout sessions on modesty and participating in conservative Adventist programs like Youth Rush with strict dress codes. Within these conservative circles, women are expected to wear skirts below the knee and long-sleeved, high-collared shirts. I was told that if I did not dress modestly I would be a "stumbling block" to men. However, teaching young girls that men cannot control themselves benefits no one. Not only does it illogically blame women for men's actions, but it perpetuates a culture where women feel unsafe and unsupported in the unfortunate instance of assault. Ultimately, God has given us freewill for a reason; we should be teaching our girls and boys to exercise it properly.

The Andrews campus has left many of these overtly sexist ideas behind. Nonetheless, sexism persists in subtle ways. Many of our families expect us to find an Adventist partner while attending an Adventist college. On the surface, this aspiration appears harmless. However, the pressure to find a lifelong partner often leads to hyper-focusing on forming romantic relationships which supersede valuable friendships and diminish the quality of the romantic relationships formed. Of course, many of us do not believe that a wife should submit to her husband, but women still frequently perform much more emotional (and, later on, household) labor than their male partners. Unfortunately, when Adventist girls are pressured into feeling like college is the last chance to find love, we settle for less–when really, it is perfectly normal to expect a partner to cook, clean, and communicate just as much as you do.

Furthermore, the Bible asks us to be Christlike–exhibiting qualities like love and meekness. Though God calls all of us to be like Him, women are inevitably held to higher standards, and on occasion, Biblical truth can be twisted into reinforcing negative female stereotypes, such as expecting women to only ever be polite and agreeable. But Jesus Himself stood up for what He believed in sometimes, even at the cost of others' comfort. Thus, as we strive to be good Christians, we can also strive to want the best for ourselves.