Princess Theology - Part III (conclusion)

by Jacqui Grey

The challenge for Pentecostals wanting to affirm the value of women is to not just adopt images from secular society but also adapt them. The creation story presents women as a princess by virtue of their relationship with God and purpose of reflecting his image. This identity offers Pentecostal women the opportunity to become (and possibly more importantly the chance to feel like) the true feminine ideal. By adopting the contemporary princess myth, the physical beauty of women can be affirmed – a beauty that reflects their journey in life with all the scars and hopes of that process.

However Pentecostals should be careful not to simply adopt the standards of Western social expectations and human estimations in their definition, presentation and idolisation of beauty. Neither should they be culturally irrelevant to the generation of young women to whom the princess imagery reaches. Rather, in recognising the void of affirmation in young women the princess imagery touches, utilise the image to present the true meaning of beauty and the value of women created in the image of God as a pastoral tool for the renewal of the mind. By adapting this image, the minds of women can be renewed as they lift their eyes from the idolatry of their self-worship to understand their authentic self.[1] Being made in the image of God, women can rise to their potential and calling as a “princess” to reign through serving and leading in the kingdom of God as it engages the church, community and creation.

Therefore while the princess image can be utilised to affirm Pentecostal woman and minister to an untouched need of value and affirmation, it must not be used to reinforce the medieval construct of women as passive or helpless, as a transferable commodity, or as an assistant to the real power-holder of the prince or king. This is where the image has its limitations as the metaphor does not express the full role and responsibility of women in the Christian community. Instead, it should be utilised as simply a metaphor and vehicle of transformation and mobilisation, similarly recognising that this metaphor will not be understood or appreciated by all women the same. This image should be balanced by alternatively inspiring images - such as warrior, leader, father, servant, son, bride, soldier, mother, etc - that speak prophetically to the women and men in calling them to the mutual service and leadership of our community of the Creator King.

 

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[1] J.B. Winfrey, p.432

Comments

[Parbat Bahadur Bishwakarma]

It's definitely true that women are equally
empowered by God's word;however,it wouldn't
be enough to simply be rather emotional try
ing to justify feminine equality without sc
riptural justification.While Baptists and o
ther Biblical denominations hold it that wo
men ministry is Biblical only in certain areas with several references to the Scripture,the Pentecostals seem mere emotional and idealistic in their views pertinent to Biblical treatment of women in fields of ministry.Could you please care to provide enough examples from the Bible so that even I,who also am the favourer of what you opine,would debate strongly with those who refute the status of women in the Churches?