The lots of women in Nigeria and many third world countries deserves our attention. In some countries, women are beginning to make giant strides in political, economic and social arena. It is good but it can be better. In this article, Reverend Mrs. Seun Dada, of All Believers Congregation, Lagos Nigeria takes an intellectual look at women.

The first part of this article was published in our last edition.

FEATURES:
•  WHAT WENT WRONG?
•  THE IDEAL 21ST CENTURY WOMEN
•  IT'S TIME TO STAND UP
•  WOMEN: A CLOUD OF WINTNESSES
•  WOMAN, MAXIMISE THE MOMENT

WHAT WENT WRONG?
A research showed that in America :
•  Every fifteen seconds, a woman is beaten.
•  A woman was a victim of rape or attempted rape every three and a half minutes, in 1986.
•  77% of victims of violet crimes committed by relatives are women.
•  One out of every four women has been molested.

Another research conducted in Nigeria , showed that:
•  69% of all girls under 20 years are informally programmed by their mothers/guardians to accept a subjugated role in life.
•  84% of all unmarried wives have experienced domestic violence (wife-beating) at least once, while 79% of all married wives have experienced domestic violence more than once.
•  81% of all married wives do not think domestic violence is a good justification for divorce.
•  93% of all women
•  /girls interviewed do not believe reporting a rape case or pursuing a rape case in court will address the injustice of rape satisfactorily, or that they even stand a reasonable chance or winning such cases.

So, what went wrong?

Add to that: emotional deprivation, systemic injustice, mental abuse, physical neglect and so many other absurdities which are rarely reported.

Add to that: nine out of every ten cultures are patriarchal in nature and essence.

The odds are against the womenfolk!

THE IDEAL 21ST CENTURY WOMEN

There are three types of women:

One: Those who have accepted all the systemic and institutionalized injustices against the women folk with legendary courage and undefined hope.

Two: Those who rebel against the system, against the men folk and against the Bible.

Three: Those who confidently explore their potentials within the confines of the Bible, without allowing hatred or negative emotions to becloud their sense of biblical interpretation. Such are the ideal 21st century women!

We have been told that women are inferior – we are not!
We have been taught that women are more easily deceived by men – that is hardly true!
We have been told that we cannot teach or preach in a church – setting, neither can we minister as “priest” in the home – these are strange to scriptures.
We have been told that our place is in the home – that is as obsolete as anything could be.
We have been taught that our only contribution to life us to “produce” children, a kind of “hatchery” for babies – nothing could be farther from the truth.

Lies upon lies – all aimed at putting down the woman, all aimed at entrenching and enforcing patriarchy, which God in Christ Jesus had rejected!

IT IS TIME TO STAND UP!

Yes, it is time for every woman to stand up. We are not standing to compete with man, but to compliment him. We are not standing out to push man away, we are occupying our rightful position in Christ!

Our rights are secured in the actual interpretation of the Word of God, not the jaundiced interpretation proferred by advocates of patriarchy.

This is not women liberation! This is discovery for women – a discovery of our positions in Christ, a discovery of our strong and unique purpose in God, a discovery of our place in destiny!

It is not “them” vs “us”: it is “us” in God, fulfilling our God – ordained role in the church and society, catalyzing an evolution towards God's ultimate purpose for the family.

The ideal 21st century woman can do all that God's Word says she can do. We will not be limited by patriarchal interpretation of reality. We will not be hampered by organized and cultural practices that subjugate and oppress woman-hood! We are taking what God in Christ Jesus had given unto us!

WOMEN: A CLOUD OF WINTNESSES

In the Old Testament, two women stand out. Deborah stands as the only woman in the Old Testament who was elevated to a position of political and spiritual power by the common consent of the people.

She served as a home-maker, and later added to that keeping the tabernacle lamps. This had a deep spiritual impact in shaping Deborah into the spiritual and military warrior that she became. She was to give the light of life to Israel as she led them into a true spiritual awakening.

Not only was Deborah a prophetess, she was also a judge. That is to say, Deborah was a foreshadow of Joel's prophecy in (Joel 2) Deborah was courageous enough to confront sisera, and together with Barak, defeated him.

Another woman was Esther a slave in a foreign land. Though pushed to a corner by the odd culture of the ancient kingdom, she managed by prayer and courageous resolve, to save the people of Israel form imminent destruction. Her indirect contribution to their spiritual well being rests in the fact that she mobilized all Israelites to pray and fast for divine intervention. But, more than anybody else's, it was on Esther's lean shoulders that the physical salvation of Israel laid.

Centuries after the early apostles had all passed on, God began to raise new leaders who would champion revival and restore some deep, long-forgotten truths to the body of Christ. It will not be possible to forget the profound impact of the ministries of such patriarchs of faith like Wesley Brothers and Charles Spurgeon (the prince of preachers), Jonathan Edward, etc.

What many tend to forget or conveniently ignore is that before John and Charles Wesley, there was a certain Susanna Wesley who could rightly and deservedly be referred to as the “Mother of Awakening”.

It was Susanna Wesley that nurtured john and Charles to the level of prominence they attained. One biographer put it thus:

“She was a spiritual giant, a mother of awakening… the mother of Methodism in a religious and moral sense; for her courage, her submissiveness to authority, the high tone of her mind, its independence, and its self-control, the warmth of her devotional feelings and the practical direction given to them, came up and were visibly repeated in the character and conduct of her sons”.

She had eighteen children, but nonetheless was committed in fervent, persistent prayers both for her children and for revival.

If ever there was a pastor's wife who took a stalwart stand with her husband, Susannah Spurgeon filled that role. In the revival that broke out in the context of their shared ministry, she played a most significant part.

Countless number of times, Susannah had to make unimaginable sacrifices in self-denial and heart-felt prayers for the ministry of her husband. Without her, the “prince of preachers” would have been seriously diminished.

Time and space would fail us to go into any details concerning the very significant contributions of Catherine Booth, Amy Carmichael and Ruth Bell Graham. But, it is not out of place to mention two more recent examples of feminine heroic contributions to the church and society.

•  Kathryn Kulman had a rough marital experience, but she overcame it to “mentor” Benny Hinn etc Kathryn Kulman was both a prophetess and an evangelist par excellence, stirring up revival and bathing in the revival herself. Her ministry stood out as one solid example of a successful, heaven-ward, God-glorying ministry. Supernatural occurrences that are unprecedented were a common occurrence in her programmes. It is very difficult to find another woman of comparable anointing in the past tow centuries.

•  Mother Teresa made her mark as a missionary, in India . She abandoned the luxury of a married life, abandoned the beckoning opportunities outside her base, and poured out her life for the downtrodden. Few people can make sure impact as hers on native Indians.

All the honour done to her in her life time she donated to her favourite charity. She exposed herself to very risky environments and situations all in a bid to reach the native people with the love of Christ.

In Nigeria today, several women have distinguished themselves in more ways than one.

•  Mrs. Okonjo Iweala: Minister for finance, World Bank Top Gun before her appointment.
•  Mrs. Dora Akunyili: NAFDAC Boss, who rejuvenated NAFDAC and achieved breath-taking results, even at the risk of her life.
•  Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili: “Madam Due Process”, whose doggedness saves the Federal Government billions of naira every year.
•  Mrs. Onyiuke: Stock Market Director General, who had nurtured the stock market to enviable heights!

At the international arena, we cannot easily forget Baronness Margaret Thatcher of Britain or Mrs. Sheriff Johnson of post-war Liberia . We cannot forget Oprah Winfrey, neither can we ignore the co-founder of Hope-Uk, Mrs. Ann Jane Carlile. Elizabeth Sandes, founder of Sandes Soldoers' and Airmen's centres, in Northern Ireland , deserves a special mention for her efforts towards the preservation of lives of soldiers and Air-force officials.

Two other remarkable women during the course of the 19th century that played prominent roles in improving the social and environmental conditions of thousands of ordinary people are Lady Mary Jane Kinnaird and Miss Emma Roberts, who together formed the “Young women's Christian Association” in 1850.

WOMAN MAXIMISE THE MOMENT

Time is of the essence. You have more than you think you have. You can do more than you think you can. Stand up and stand out. Seize the opportunity. Maximize the moment.

•  Esther maximized the moment – Israel was spared.
•  Deborah maximized the moment – Israel was delivered.
•  Rahab maximized the moment – her household was saved.
•  Ruth maximized the moment – she got “engrafted” into the nation of Israel .
•  Abigail maximized the moment – David's anger was pacified.

In contemporary times, Golda Meir of Israel maximized the moment – and she became one of the greatest Israeli leaders of all times. Indira Gandhi of India is revered by some as a god. Why? She maximized the moment.

Don't let yourself down. Get up and get going. Make your mark in the sands of history. If the only contribution you make to life is having children, then you have failed. There are potentials within you waiting to be tapped.

You may be a wife but you have a full, independent life to live.
Submission does not imply oppression. He will provide for you all right, but that does not mean that you can't grow up financially.

Your ideas are not inferior: put them to work!
Your body is not inferior: put it to work!
Your dream is not inferior: wake up and pursue it!
There is more to live for!

No other religion gives us (women) as much liberty and power as Christianity – rise up and maximize the moment! We don't need more, when we are using much less than we have.

Life is dull when you are not contributing your quota. Nobody can effectively take your place – fill up the vacuum.

You have no other life to live but this: live it to the full.

Rev. (Mrs.) Oluwaseun Dada is an Associate Pastor at All Believers Congregation, Ajao Estate, Lagos Nigeria.. She is the founder of Dorcas Foundation, an NGO that caters for widows and the needy. She could be reached at Pastor_mrsdada@yahoo.co.uk, Seun63dada@yahoo.com.