Comments on: Convenient “Truths”

By: Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:14:09 +0000

I’m a worship leader at Marylin Hickey’s church. We definitely don’t have a problem with women becoming pastors and preaching from the pulpit. We have at least 5 or 6 who do.

I see in the Bible that God used women all the time for ministry.

By: John Ireland

John Ireland — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:30:45 +0000

and, ditto on the above comment recommending Bilezekian’s “Beyond Sex Roles”. serious stuff by a quality teacher…

By: John Ireland

John Ireland — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:53:13 +0000

McLaren put it well.

man placed the limits on teaching and leading on women, not God. the contention by many that women are not meant to teach men, serve as elders, lead congregations, etc., reflects poor Scriptural understanding.

i suspect there are many others who grow weary of clicking on “staff” and “our leaders” links on church sites and viewing profiles of men only.

my wife – who i could not be more supportive of – is a campus pastor and on the ordination pathway. and, yes, i firmly held my egalitarian views before we even started dating.

women are capable of leading a local church, a country, and anything else for which God has equipped them.

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:30:42 +0000

I believe that the Bible should be the standard for all things. If the Bible says that a woman shall not teach or be the head over a man, then be it. But when a man fails to be a man and stand up to his duties as, priest of the home, father, husband, etc. then the woman should take the situation into her own hands. Proverbs 31 clearly shows the strength of a woman and what she can do for her family. People are not reading the Bible and taking and translating scripture in light of scripture. The Bible nowhere forbids a woman from working outside the home. However, the Bible does teach what a woman’s priorities are to be. If working outside the home causes a woman to neglect her children and husband, then it is wrong for that woman to work outside the home. If a Christian woman can work outside the home and still provide a loving, caring environment for her children and husband, then it is perfectly acceptable for a woman to work outside the home. Brian Mclaren is a post-modern “nothing is certain” “there is no truth” kinda guy. I would never in my right mind trust anything he said. But that’s my opinion do not get me wrong.

By: Stacy From Louisville

Stacy From Louisville — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:44:50 +0000

Went to an ultra conservative Bible college that taught women weren’t even to lead music/play piano if there were a man who could do it, even if he couldn’t do it well.

To which I responded, as I respond today,
“If God’s greatest gift to us is salvation in Christ, and that gift is given without regard to gender, why should we believe any other gift has gender boundaries?”

Of course the Prof threw me under the bus….but still.

By: Chris Meirose

Chris Meirose — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:19:37 +0000

Count me among the complimentarian lot who are all for Palin as VP (or President!) but who think the teaching of Scripture is clear that women should not be leading our churches. It’s not a matter of gifting FWIW, women are just as gifted as men, and more so in some ways/areas. Timothy and Titus are pretty clear. To argue otherwise opens the door to many things including homosexual pastors. It’s not popular, but it’s Biblical. Pragmatism is NOT God’s way.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:14:51 +0000

hmmmmmmmmm. coming back later to post on this!

By: Minnow

Minnow — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:28:37 +0000

WOW! What a discussion. The sadest part of this discussion for me is the number of comments that say, “Well if it’s in the Bible…[keep women in their place]“. Please, before you simply accept what you’ve been taught the Bible says, or what you read in your English translation, study out a topic. Go back to the Greek or Hebrew. Try to understand the context, culture, history, and the problems a lack of punctuation in the original language can create. Absolutely men and women are different from one another. Absolutely BOTH are created in his image. Think about that. We can actually understand more of God by trying to see something from the opposite gender’s point of view. Does it make sense that God would annoint/appoint Deborah but not desire her to actually do the job? Does it make sense that Paul would be saying that all women for all times cannot be leaders but then send his greeting to Junia (a woman) as an outstanding apostle? When the Bible we read presents these seeming conflicts it should cause us to ask whether or not there is another way to see the situation. In the past that question caused translators to change Junia’s name to its masculine version. Was that the correct response? I guess that’s between you and God.

By: dorothy (vicar of vibe)

dorothy (vicar of vibe) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:33:46 +0000

@Texas in Africa
Exactly, God called me, not man.

By: bianca

bianca — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:24:13 +0000

Im 18, a freshmen in college trying to earn a degree in christian studies. I then plan to go to seminary for youth leadership. Im a women who, God willing, will be leading a youth nation. The future of America will be under the jurisdiction of a women. If God calls a women to a Leader in the church, why not let her lead?