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Articles
Bernadine Tillman lives in Birmingham, Alabama where she has been
functioning as pastor/teacher of Body of Christ Church since 1997. Bernadine
was saved at the age of 19 on April 17, 1981. She spent the first 10 years of
her Christian life in bondage to the traditional teaching regarding women. In
1993, a friend gave Bernadine a copy of Katherine Bushnell's book God's Word
to Women. This would be the beginning of a journey to find her place in the
world. In 1997, Bernadine began a Women's Bible Study with Katherine's book.
After 18 months of study, the Holy Spirit commissioned her to write a small
practical guide to help other women realize their place and value in God's
heart, the church, and the world. Many lives have been radically impacted by the
truths contained in A Woman's Place. Bernadine's prayer is that, every
person reading the book will realize that only TRUTH sets us free.
INTRODUCTION
This book was birthed out of a search for my own place
in the Kingdom of God. For many years, I had experienced much physical,
spiritual, and emotional abuse, which was justified by misuse of scripture.
I had been taught many things that did not agree with
what I believed God was saying about me. So, I went on a journey to find out
what my heavenly Father felt about me as a woman. You hold in your hands the
fruit of that journey.
On the pages that follow, I address those issues
regarding a woman's place. I know that much of what you are about to read will
probably challenge your theology. It is intended to confront the traditions of
men which have "made the commandment of God of none effect." (Matthew 15:6). It
may be painful for you to read. It was certainly painful for me to write. Each
page was forged as my husband and I were being tried in the fire of fresh
revelation of God's word.
I need to tell you that I am not some angry wife seeking
vindication. Believe me, what I have suffered to write this book would not have
been worth it. I am just a Christian woman who went searching for the truth and
when I found it, I could not go back.
When I realized what God was saying about women and how
far from the truth the church had strayed, I was terrified. Suddenly, I had
visions of Dr. Martin Luther King giving his "I Have A Dream " speech on the eve
of his assassination. Just like Dr. King's stand for racial equality was
opposed, it dawned on me that this truth of gender equality would also be
opposed. This could not only cost me my reputation, this could cost me my life!
Then, I understood what Dr. King meant when he said, "like anybody I would like
to live..." But like him, I too had been changed. It was as if I had stepped
over into something, and a door had closed behind me. All of a sudden, I knew
that this revelation was much bigger than my little marriage, my little family,
or any ministry that the Lord would entrust to us.
Please know that I do not make myself equal with Dr.
King. I simply use him because his struggles for freedom and equality of the
races paint a vivid picture of the struggles that women must face for their
freedom and equality. Based upon this comparison, I knew that this message had
huge spiritual and natural implications. Everything around me was pulling
against this truth. Yet, I knew that God was requiring me and my family to walk
in the light of the truth that we had been given. Even though we had lived in a
curse-motivated marriage for many years, it was often a challenge for us to
trust that God had a better plan for our lives. It was not easy for us to break
away from our old mindsets and traditions.
It has taken us several years to get here. Now, we are
finally able to share what God has revealed to us. I pray that the truth
contained in these pages will truly make you free! It has certainly brought
freedom for my family and me. I can now say that my husband and I love and
appreciate each other more than ever. We are experiencing a greater anointing in
our ministry than ever before. Every single one of our relationships has been
positively affected. We can now say that what we suffered to get here was worth
it.
I truly believe that when the church grasps the
revelation of a woman's place, we will become a formidable enemy to the devil.
Satan knows that already. My prayer is that all of the Body of Christ would come
to a full understanding of what it means for both males and females to stand
together in their true God-given dominion or authority.
As you read, I ask that you lay aside every thing that
you thought you knew about men and women as it relates to God's plan. I
challenge you to search out every scripture. Do not take my word for anything.
However, I suggest that you get a Bible dictionary, a concordance, a copy of the
Septuagint, and several Bible translations. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to lead
and guide you into all truth. I trust God that your life will never be the same.
May God bless you as you seek Him.
A Woman's Place In God's Heart
by Bernadine Tillman
The following is a true story of a Christian wife, who
like many other Christian wives, did not understand a woman's place in God's
heart.
"It was 1993. I was elated! Finally, I had married
the godly man that God had promised me. Now my life, ministry, and family
would be complete. Right? Wrong.
A deadly seed regarding a woman's place and value
had been planted deep within. I did not know it but, all of the traditions
of men that I had received in the soil of my heart were about to yield a
destructive crop in my life. I barely survived... physically or spiritually.
My relationship with my husband began to deteriorate
almost immediately. My husband had made it clear that there were no
Christians holy enough for him. So, he isolated me from fellowship with
other believers. At first, I told no one about the sexual and verbal abuse.
After all, I had been told by pastors and prophets alike that I was not to
defraud my husband sexually. I finally informed them that once during our
intimate time together, my husband screamed, "I am Jeeeeesus!" Still, I was
told that refusing to have sex with my husband was a sin.
I was taught the traditional doctrine that
submission meant unconditional obedience to my husband. They said that God
would protect me if I submitted to my husband and obeyed him in everything.
Unfortunately, the abuse continued... only now, the church sanctioned it. My
spiritual counselors blamed me for the problems that I was experiencing in
my marriage. Everyone knew that God would not allow any thing bad to happen
to me as long as I was a "submissive" wife.
Then, the crucial test came. Two days earlier, I had
been in a car accident and injured my back. I felt very tired and my body
ached all over. My husband was very angry as usual. He yelled, "I'm going to
beat you. And to prove your loyalty to me, you will not resist me!" Every
fiber of my being screamed, "No! This is wrong! Run, run!" Yet, the false
teaching about a woman's place and the fear of displeasing God kept me
cemented to that spot. All I could think was that "God won't allow him to
hurt me because I've been a submissive wife."
He pulled a large plastic coat hanger from the
closet and began to beat me mercilessly. As the blows began to fall on my
already injured back, I remember thinking, "Dear God, where are you?
Please, please make him stop." My back, my bottom, my thighs, and even my
calves were black, purple, and swollen. Then, he demanded sex.
I don't remember much after that. My heart was
numb. I felt confused and alone. I was disappointed that my Heavenly Father
had not protected me. I had come to a crisis in my belief and my identity.
A few days later, I recalled the words of Job,
"though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." I gathered all of the courage
that I had left and I approached God. After all, I figured if He killed me,
I would be no worse off.
I asked, "Lord Jesus, how could you allow this
beating? I thought Your Word said that I was supposed to submit to and obey
my husband as if he were You; and if he was wrong, You would protect me." I
began to cry. Then, Jesus spoke to my heart. His voice was sad, but firm. He
said, "That's the problem daughter, you thought My Word said... I only watch
over My Word to perform it... not what men say that I have said. You had
better find out what I am saying and obey me."
From that point on, I began to search the
scriptures. For the first time, I decided that I would stand only on God's
word. I was convinced that I had somehow been deceived concerning the issue
of submission, obedience, sex, and many other things regarding a woman's
place. I also realized that I had a warped view of what God really thought
about me as a woman.
Several days later, I heard the Lord say, "Submit to
God. Resist the devil. Daughter, you must resist the physical abuse in my
name." That day, I had the opportunity to prove that I had really heard the
Lord's voice. My husband pinned me to the floor, straddled me, and slapped
me. He was purple with rage. As he began to draw back his fist to punch me,
I felt no fear. I immediately said, "In Jesus' name, you will never strike
me again!"
My husband was shocked that he could not throw the
punch. I was shocked too. He jumped off me in a rage. He cursed me, but, he
could not hit me. Glory to God! He had indeed watched over His Word to
perform it. Many years have passed since that incident, but my husband has
never again struck me. God showed us both that He did not approve of this
kind of treatment for wives."
Wanda
Finally, after hearing stories of abuse like this one;
and after my own "hellish" experiences, I started asking God some tough
questions about a woman's place. Then, in 1997, the Lord led me and my prayer
partner to teach a Bible study called God's Word to Women, so named because of
the book we studied by the same title written by Katherine Bushnell.
I share this story so that you may know that every
person, whether male of female, is special to God. He has not ordained men to be
kings, lords, or gods over their wives. I would like to say that this story was
a rare case. The truth of the matter is that I hear stories like this all the
time from women, especially Christian ones.
Katherine was a Greek and Hebrew scholar and a medical
doctor who had been called to preach in the early 1900's. As you might expect,
this was not a popular time for women preachers. She told the Lord that she
would preach if He would prove to her in the word of God that preaching was
acceptable for women. The book, God's Word To Women was the result of
Katherine's encounter with the living God. I am deeply indebted to her for her
diligence and research. I look forward to meeting her someday in heaven.
Still, teaching this class with Katherine's book was
only the beginning for me. As we prepared for the Women's Bible Study, we prayed
and asked God to show us which women to include in the class. The Lord
handpicked twelve women of varying racial, denominational, economic, and marital
backgrounds with a deep passion for the truth.
On the first day of class, I asked the question, "how
many of you now feel or have ever felt that God loved or valued men more than
women?" Much to my surprise, every hand went up. Each woman tried to explain.
You see, they did not believe that this feeling was in harmony with scripture.
However, their experiences with men along with their religious teaching had
caused them to question their value in God's Kingdom.
Each one of us had been treated as if we were
second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. Although, we felt that this
second-class status was wrong, our various religious teachers had taught us that
this was God's will.
This class was about to become the biggest challenge of
our lives. We would have to let go of our old mindsets, wrong teaching, fears,
and everything else that we thought we knew about a woman's place.
While I had taught many Bible classes over the past
fifteen years, this class was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life. As
God began to give revelation, I felt as if my whole world had been turned upside
down. We laughed; we cried; we repented; and sometimes we just laid prostrate in
the presence of God.
Surprisingly, we found that every one of our
relationships had been negatively affected by our misunderstanding of a woman's
place. We had no idea how drastically this class was about to affect our lives.
We had a face-to-face encounter with the living God, and there was no turning
back. What you are about to read is the result of that encounter and what we
learned about a woman's place in God's heart, in the home and in the church.
There are scores of books that deal with the theological
aspects of a woman's right to preach or lead, but I had not found many books
that adequately answered the questions that I had concerning a woman's place in
God's Kingdom. I found even fewer books that adequately dealt with the everyday
issues of a woman's place in the home.
My husband and I wrestled with the practical
application of what we had been taught concerning a woman's place. I must admit
to you that this revelation totally upset the status quo of our household. There
was much pain and suffering associated with the change that was required of us
to line up with the revelation. There were days when I wondered if we would make
it.
As you read this book, I want you to understand that
this is not a compilation of some theological mumbo jumbo. Every page was tried
in the furnace of real life. While it was not easy, it was worth it. After years
of living in hell, my husband and I now have a happy marriage, a blessed family,
and an awesome ministry that the Holy Spirit is allowed to direct.
Let me warn you that what is contained on these pages
will probably challenge your theology. But, I know that the Holy Spirit will
lead and guide you into all truth. I pray that as you continue to read, you will
begin to see yourself and others in the light of God's word. I trust that you
will come to realize that both women and men have a very special place in God's
heart. After your discovery, I pray that you will be bold enough to respond to
the Holy Spirit's call to action.
A Woman's Place can be purchased directly from
the author, just send $10 plus $3.00 shipping to : Bernadine Tillman P O Box
310276 Birmingham, AL 35061.
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