As a pastor who has walked through the funeral process with hundreds of families, I have listened scores of times as grief-filled people asked, “WHY?” The question seems to burst from broken hearts as naturally as breathing.

Death seems unnatural . . . like it’s an enemy who invades our world and life but isn’t supposed to be here at all.

Stay with me now . . . Why is work often filled with frustration and exhaustion rather than always being fun, fulfilling and gratifying? Why do weeds grow so much faster and stronger than flowers, fruits, and vegetables? Why do I have to work so hard to get my backyard garden to produce and not be overcome by plants I never put in the ground? Why is the world filled with conflict? Why do I argue with my wife? Why do women have to go through so much pain in order to reach the joy of giving birth to a beautiful child? Why do all living things ultimately die, decay, and turn to dust?

People familiar with the first three chapters of the Bible will answer those questions with a one-word response: “sin.” Genesis 1, 2 record God’s creation of a beautiful and perfect world. Genesis 3 describes how that world was broken and ruined — the entrance of sin and the curse it brought. Each of the questions above relate to an aspect of the “curse” pronounced in Genesis 3.

So we spend our lives fighting back against the curse. We do everything we can to preserve health and to extend life. We will do almost anything to postpone death even though we know it is inevitable. When death comes we pay for embalming to stave off the process of decay–to prevent turning to dust. Scientists and farmers work hand-in-hand to enhance food production and to minimize the persistent attack of weeds. Politicians, police officers, pastors, psychologists, parents etc., attempt to replace conflict with peace and to bring about relational harmony in every realm–marital, familial, community, national, and international.

We fight against the curse. We see it as an enemy to be defeated and eliminated.

Well, most of the time we do. There is another part to the curse over which individuals, society and churches are divided–the rule of men over women. That’s right, men ruling women is a result of sin’s curse. It wasn’t God’s plan for the people He made in His image. It’s never mentioned in the perfect creation described in Genesis 1 and 2. Patriarchy (men ruling women) rears its ugly head for the first time as one aspect of the curse of sin: Genesis 3:16.

So why do so many people, including pastors, churches, etc., perpetuate the idea that God designed men to lead and women to follow — in marriage, church leadership roles, etc. Why do we not look at patriarchy as a destructive enemy to be eliminated as we do at every other aspect of sin’s curse?

All of these are themes I address in great detail in my book, “Should Women Be Pastors and Leaders in Church? My Journey to Discover What the Bible Says About Gender Roles” (available in all formats from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Westbow, and some bookstores and libraries–if they don’t have it, ask them to order it).

A lot of pages are spent seriously investigating the correct interpretation of every relevant passage throughout the Scriptures with special focus on those which seem, on the surface, to strongly support men ruling over women, and prohibiting women from being pastors and leaders in church. For followers of Jesus, the most important questions are: What did Jesus say and do about this? What does the Bible, correctly interpreted, say about this? The wrong questions are: What have I always thought about this? What are the traditions I have adopted about this? Christians look to Jesus and the Bible to inform and shape our beliefs and practices.

My mind was closed about this for many years because two New Testament passages seemed unassailably clear about women not holding leadership and teaching positions in the church. I had also accepted the suggestions that Genesis 1, 2 implied the leadership role of Adam over Eve (and their descendants) and that other passages gave God’s assignment of  “submission” to women. What I learned about those themes during a 5-year intensive study not only forced me, if I was going to be true to what the Bible actually said,  to reevaluate my long-held “convictions,” and opened my eyes to the Good News (Gospel) in astounding new ways and enabled me to see and understand the broken world around me as I never had before. I am passionate to share what I have learned!

So “Why do people have to die?” The answer to that question is the same as the answer to the question, “Why do men rule over women?” I invite you to join me on my journey to discover what the Bible really says about gender roles.

Of course, the wonderful GOOD NEWS is that God is going to fix this broken world and eliminate the curse and restore the perfect world He made in the beginning. That’s the BIG STORY of the Bible–the epic story of God, through Jesus, restoring His ruined creation to its original perfection. Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension inaugurated the New Creation. We live in a time of “already-not yet” when Jesus’ followers are experiencing the process of being made new and of creating little  islands of new creation in the ocean of the broken and fallen creation.

When Jesus returns, the restoration will be competed. Jesus was talking about that wonderful time when He said: “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne . . .” (Matthew 19:28). “The renewal of all things” — that will be the greatest makeover of all time! Stay tuned.

Paul envisioned the beautiful new creation values which Jesus’ followers are to enact now while waiting for the full realization. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male and female, for you are all one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28). The new creation eliminates all the prejudice, division, conflict, oppression, and domination brought on by racism, classism, and sexism. Bring it on!