by Kelly Pelton (written 22 Feb 2020)

The world sees women as bodies who serve
men's needs for sex, childbearing, and housework,
the view perpetuated by the church
beneath whose "separate roles" doctrine does lurk
myriad false assumptions about female souls
(subconscious, unspoken):  They're made to slave
cheerfully, like Jesus said, unseen roles
keeping them beneath the men strong and brave
who are visibly guiding the church's goals.
Let the women decorate this man's world
as men make the weightier decisions.
God's representative is boy, not girl,
for logic must lead in cataclysms.
Women are relational, not fighters
who'll guard orthodoxy; men are warriors
against false teachers - they'll restrict tighter
the institutional seat of power,
the congratulatory smart men's club,
God's representatives for this hour
with females not infiltrating the hub.
But what if, true to the Epic Story,
God uses all types for His kingdom plans
and loves women showcasing His glory
through their grasp of His word, their lives in His hands?
What is women are not simply bodies
to do men's bidding, but are adventured
beings who have persevered through ungodly 
events and relationships, not indentured
laborers to the men who speak for Him?
What if women's minds are to be cherished,
equally important contributions 
to church dialogue?  Let vision not perish,
the vision where brothers and sisters speak 
for our Lord, coworkers under Jesus,
the stronger honoring, not limiting, the weak,
Christ's body a mosaic of vital pieces.