female pastors and porn

I read an interesting story about a magazine’s report of women in ministry. The January/ February issue of Gospel Today was a contentious one.

Its lead story is “Female Pastors”. The five female pastors who are featured on the cover are Pastor Sheryl Brady of The River in Durham, N.C.; Pastor Tamara Bennett of This Is Pentecost Ministries in Sacramento, Calif.; Bishop Millicent Hunter of The Baptist Worship Center in Philadelphia, Pa.; Pastor Claudette Copeland of New Creation Christian Fellowship in San Antonio, Texas; and Pastor Kimberly Ray of Church on the Rock in Matteson, Ill.

This issue was pulled off of the racks of many Christian bookstores, including over 100 supplied by Lifeway Resources. The Southern Baptist insists that being a pastor is a role reserved for men. The magazine’s publisher, Teresa Hairston, said she was not promoting women pastors but simply reporting a trend. She said:

“The basically treated it like pornography and put it behind the counter. Unless a person goes into the store and asks for it, they won’t see it displayed.”

The parallels between pornography and women in ministry in the minds of some would be fascinating to study, wouldn’t it?: the objectification of women; the inappropriateness of women in certain positions; the mystique and allure of women exposing themselves publicly; women in dominant positions; making the sexuality of a woman the prominent feature; women serving men; how men elevate women on one level and then judge them for it on another; and so on.

I like what one of the pastors, Bennet, said:

“It’s a story that needs to be told. Sometimes we forget that ministry is God’s business. It’s not a man’s business. God gives gifts to whomever he sees fit.”

Many wouldn’t agree, however. Chris Turner of Lifeway Resources, said that it wasn’t so much that women were on the cover, but it was that the article contained statements contrary to what they would say.

I checked the issue online and it is sold out. You can’t buy it anywhere. Is this a sign that gender equality is not just a trend but a growing reality? I believe so.