BOOK: BEHIND THE MASK
AUTHOR: JANET ALLEN
REVIEWER: BALFORD HENRY
THE BASIC issue dealt with by Janet Allen in the book, Behind the Mask, is that of marginalised church women.
It is certainly not a "knock, knock, who's there" mystery thriller, but falls into the category of non-fictional research of a subject probably of immense importance to these women allegedly hiding behind so-called masks.
Miss Allen suggests that, behind this "invisible mask of obscurity, is a real person who has gotten caught up in a spirit of the Halloween of pretence that is catching on like wildfire in the churches today."
She adds: "The wearing of such masks has become such a fashion statement that Satan, the manufacturer, has spent his time and resources to improve the sizes, colours, shapes and designs."
THE RESURRECTION
After all, the church has built its foundation on the occurrence of the Resurrection, therefore it shouldn't be surprising that its hallowed beliefs give rise to bewitching connotations.
Indeed, I was tempted to think that the masks she refers to are more associated with say, carnival, when people try to hide their true identity and revel in sinful behaviour, than the masks children wear at Halloween for trick or treat which is really innocent fun. On that basis, the spirit of carnival would more be seen as lurking around in the church and in the life of the Christian woman, "thus causing women many times to live 'pseudo' and spiritual schizophrenic lifestyles that have been dictated by the devil," as suggested by Miss Allen.
But, that's the shallow issue. The more substantial one has to do with her suggestion that, "it is not uncommon for women of God to be masked in the shadow of something or someone else, and as such, the true person is hidden."
HIDING BEHIND MASKS
So let's try to figure out what these masks really are.
She suggests they could be the shadow of a loved one, be it husband, parents, friends, Christian leaders or mentors. Or, "your mask may be your circumstances in life, or it could be your past."
She says that these masks hamper the real individuals, "because the time is ripe for women to pull away the masks and slot ourselves into the puzzle of our destiny so we can fulfil the end time call of God on our lives according to Acts 2:17, 'your sons and daughters shall prophesy...' in other words men and women shall speak forth the will and counsel of God in the last days."
The problem is that religion is probably too retrospective to change standard beliefs like, for example, that the man is the head of the house/family and that women must play a secondary role. Chauvinistic? Well, ask Jesus why he did not appoint a woman among his 12 disciples and why does the Bible insist that Eve was produced from a rib of Adam?
Roman Catholics revere the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, yet refuse to allow women to become priests or bishops. And even in those churches where women are allowed to rise above the rank and file, they still seem beholden to a council of wise men.
Mrs. Allen challenges a number of these "masks" she sees holding back women in the church and use various women from the Bible as examples of being bothered by a mask or two. They include, resentment (Leah), singleness (Phebe), backsliding (Naomi), generational curse (Ruth), unemployment (Huldah), motherhood (Eunice), sickness/fear (the unidentified woman in Luke 8:43-48); procrastination (Esther) and so on.
MILITANT
She is in a militant mood ready to start a revolution to change these attitudes too: "We first need to be aware of the devises of the enemy and then understand how to combat in order to disarm him."
She claims that the devil's strategy is to rob women of their self-esteem, kill their motivation and destroy their potential for destiny.
He intimidates and jeers you, she says. When he gets done with you, you curl and walk away in defeat. Now that action is unscriptual. "I'll have you know woman of God that when you turn away you leave your back exposed to the enemy," she warns and calls the women to warfare... against the devil.
But, at the same time, Miss Allen is very much aware of the power of female influence, for example, Eve's power of persuasion that led Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit, "as if he could not resist the charming influence, or the possible persistence of Eve."
The Halloween, she suggests, is coming to a close and, "many of you will need to unmask the hidden you to get to your substantive position." When the Christian woman steps from behind the mask, "it denotes your obedience to the call of the Saviour and shows a willingness to be separated for His will and purpose."
Is she an extremist threatening the harmony of a church community already bedevilled by problems such as youthful resentment, Islamic fundamentalism and economic temptations? No doubt the church could well do without another threat of a revolution at this time, especially from its trusted, faithful and indispensable female folks. But, her points are all well taken and there is no time better than now to address them.
Publisher: Morris Publishing
