My friend Shaun King asks this question, ” Conservatives: What passages of scripture does your church use to exclude women from ministry? Do you put those on hold for Sarah Palin?”
So what’s the answer gang?
By the way, Rindy is beginning her journey to become a pastor at Walls Down Church.
Oh, and Shaun takes a rather wimpy position on women in ministry in this post. 😉
paulpetersonlive.com 
What a can of worms! This is such a hotbutton issue and I always try to stay out of it because I get angry and frustrated at people. I grew up in a church denomination and tradition that has female pastors, both married and single. Most of the people against female leadership in the church use scripture that was written during a specific time and adamantly ignore cultural context. These are the same people that say context is unnecessary and what was said in the Bible (moreso the New Testament) is to be followed concretely today. I
‘m sorry, but Western culture is much different than the culture that was present in what is now the Middle East. Women here have rights, can receive great education, and have more freedoms. Most women in the middle east and africa are still treated the same way as they were 2000 years ago: like dirt, no voice, no rights. Just make my dinner and pop out the babies!
I would rather have an educated, well-trained, called-by-God senior female pastor than an unqualified blabbering male pastor. The hypocrisy of people on this issue is hilarious. Women can be college professors, CEOs, Principals, College deans and presidents, etc, but once you mention “Should women be senior pastors & leaders”, people get all hellbent out of shape and go absolutely bonkers, using every piece of scripture written in a different culture to apply to life in the United States 2000 years later.
Yes, The Bible has many truths and directions for today. However, many of the decrees are cultural and we should not keep people down if our culture allows them that freedom.
The worst thing I’ve ever heard is that “well just because they are successful senior pastors does not mean that God ordained it or it is His will”. Such ignorance, Chauvinism, and stubbornness.
I might get shot for this, but I hear it the most from uber-Calvinists.
Wow Aaron!
Thanks for speaking up! I know I for one appreciate that opinion. 🙂
AT the risk of stirring up this hornet’s nest, I will be the voice of the “lunatic fringe” or “uber-Calvinists” as Aaron called us…
It seems to me that Jesus could have nailed the issue out of the park by including women in the twelve. But he didn’t. He chose 12 men.
In fact, if you look a little bit harder, you will find that there were women who travelled around with Jesus and they “ministered to them”. How sexist/chauvenistic of Jesus to allow women to minister but not be part of the twelve.
Aaron, you are on a very slippery slope to dismiss these issues merely based on culture since they seem to stem from a divine order established at creation — a few thousand years before Jesus came and before Paul wrote. Cultural context is important. I am not sure though that this issue falls in that category.
I agree this can be a slippery slope…….
I know what side you fall on Paul but I am curious as to how you reconcile with scrpiture.