By Cori Meier, Y4Life Assistant
In our society, we’re told that men and women are interchangeable. Anything a man can do, so can a woman. In fact, anything that a man can do, a woman should do. This can cause us to desire vocations that weren’t designed for us and create in us discontentment over who God has created us to be.
It’s important to understand the roles of male and female as God has designed them and recognize how we can honor the gifts He has given to each person. Male & Female: Embracing Your Role in God’s Design by Rev. Jonathan and Christa Petzold is a great starting point to understanding the roles and gifts that God has designed for us.
Male & Female is a wonderful read for anyone who desires to learn more about the God-given roles of head and helper. Time and time again, the Petzolds point back to the example of Christ and the Church, where Christ is the perfect Head for His bride, the Church. As the Church, we serve as helper to our groom, Christ, and though we fail, we repent and are shown God’s grace and mercy.
The Petzolds begin Male & Female by diving into Genesis and the account of creation and the fall. In the beginning, God’s design for male and female was clear – man was the head and woman was the helper. The roles of head and helper were a reflection of God and creation – God is our Head, and we are His helpers. But after the fall, these roles were twisted, with creation rejecting God’s Headship. The gifts God intended for good are now used for selfish gain. We see examples of this brokenness throughout the rest of the book, especially through the topics of gender roles, marriage, family, the Church, and same-sex attraction.
While tackling these topics, the Petzolds are filled with the Gospel. Whether discussing feminism or familial abuse, Pastor Jonathan and Christa are clear in their writing: These issues stem from the sin and brokenness of this world, but we have hope through the work of Christ. The Petzolds do not condemn in their writing; rather, they share the hope of the Gospel. This Gospel message of hope emboldens the reader to share God’s good design for male and female with others through the vocations that God has given to him or her.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Male & Female: Embracing Your Role in God’s Design, especially as a wife and mother. Though convicting, it wasn’t demeaning. This book was a good reminder to me to follow God’s design for me as a woman, a wife, a mother, and a Church member. While I can do some of the things a man can do, that’s not who I was designed to be. God has designed me to be a helper, and His design for me is good.