Should the Southern Baptist Convention Allow Women in the Pulpit?

I don’t have a dog in this fight, but…

There’s an old Southern saying that perfectly describes my position on this question about the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC): I don’t have a dog in this fight. I have faithfully attended the United Methodist Church since leaving the Baptist church during college and think it’s up to Baptists to answer the question for themselves. But as an outsider who doesn’t have a dog in the fight, I would like to see women in the pulpit of every denomination.

However, the SBC, which is America’s largest Protestant denomination, stands firmly against the idea.

The SBC’s Stance

It’s a matter of biblical commitment, a commitment to the scripture that unequivocally, we believe, limits the office of pastor to men, according to Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

This past June, the SBC overwhelmingly voted to remove women from leadership roles in its churches and to expel two churches that have female pastors. The vote brings the total number of expulsions to five.

A Female Pastor Speaks Out

One of the recently expelled churches is Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, KY., whose pastor has been the Rev. Linda Barnes-Popham for more than 30 years. The other church is Saddleback Church in southern California.

I certainly believe it’s a matter of biblical integrity, the Rev. Barnes-Popham, said during an interview with PBS.

Noting that people interpret the scripture through guidance from the Holy Spirit, she said, I believe that the Bible is God’s perfect word. I believe every word in the Bible, but there are passages such as those in 1^st Timothy, in Corinthians that our church would interpret differently than Albert Mohler interprets them and, obviously, the majority of the people who attend a convention meeting interpret them.

Why did Fern Creek maintain its SBC membership for many years? Barnes-Popham explained that the church has been heavily involved in the SBC’s mission work and other efforts and wanted to maintain those ties.

We like partnering, she said. We like the evangelistic zeal of the Southern Baptist Convention. We ought to be able to be partners together in (Christ’s gospel). But instead, the Bible has been used like a weapon of some of these folks, a weapon against those of us who believe it as strongly as they do. We just interpret it differently.

When asked whether there was a political component to the SBC’s vote, Barnes-Popham said, I wholeheartedly agree that there are internal political maneuverings, deeds done in darkness, in which we won’t really understand…. Of course, there are some kind of political maneuverings going on.

Women Denied

Barnes-Popham recounted the story of a teenage girl she met at the recent SBC convention. As the girl approached her, the pastor saw that she was sobbing.

I took her in my arms. And she said, ‘I’m Lottie. I’m 14 years old. And at age 11, I knew God called me into ministry. What can I do? I don’t have a place to serve?’

My heart aches for the girl.

Barnes-Popham responded by saying Lottie could become some sort of intern after high school graduation and receive guidance about her future in the church through mentoring. It would be a good first step for a teen who seems quite sincere about her calling.

I’m also sad because a conversation of this nature wouldn’t have taken place had “Lottie” been “Lonnie.” It’s arrogance in its worst form for one person to presume to know the details of another person’s intimate conversations with God. Yet, that’s exactly what SBC church leaders are doing.

It’s also sad that the SBC doesn’t seem to want people like Lottie — unlike Christ who welcomed men and women alike to his ministry.

Barnes-Popham lamented the fact that the SBC is telling women, ‘Find a place of service outside this denomination. We really don’t want to deal with you.’

But the message I want to give to the world really is about Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ is lord. And let’s do it together, male and female…. And let’s do that as a partnership.

Misinterpreting Paul

The SBC bases its beliefs about women in the pulpit on Paul’s teachings, but some scholars say the organization’s interpretation is a misinterpretation of scripture.

Christian churches that prohibit female pastors use passages such as 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, 1 Timothy 2:12 and similar scriptures to support their beliefs. For the purposes of this post, let’s look at 1 Corinthians, as it’s a favorite among these churches.

Paul famously wrote women should keep silent in churches. Yet, Dr. Douglas Jacoby, an international Bible teacher, author and minister, believes there’s more to the story than we see at first glance.

Jacoby poses this question: Is Paul making an absolute argument for all time, or a socially conditioned one? To put it another way, is Paul addressing social subordination of women to men, or actual (theological) subordination?

If the answer is actual, then no one has the right to update Paul by overwriting his clear apostolic teaching, the author said. Yet if the answer is social, then Paul’s argument is provisional. It is contingent upon social reality, not spiritual reality…. I believe it is the latter, the author explained.

Using authority to oppress others, or to refuse the operation of the Spirit in their lives, is simply wrong, he said. We are to conduct ourselves as Christ and his apostles did.

Jacoby speaks with the authority of someone who has authored 35 books and lectured in 126 nations worldwide.

Does 1 Corinthians 11:3 prove the everlasting subordination of women to men? Jacoby says it does not. Read his post on the subject here.

Women Evangelists

The Rev. Carolyn Moore, an author and founding pastor of Mosaic United Methodist Church in Evans, GA, pointed to a long list of New Testament women who spread Christ’s gospel. The list includes:

• Mary and Martha
• Phoebe
• Chloe
• Priscilla
• Lydia
• Junia
• Philip’s four daughters
• Euodia
• Sntyche

These are all notable examples of women who were visibly present in the gospel story, Moore said. Women traveled with Jesus, prayed over him with other disciples, led churches, mentored other evangelists, and led in assemblies.

She added that Christ ‘radically altered the position of women, elevating them to a partnership with men unparalleled in first-century society.’ Read Moore’s entire post here.

Bogus Logic

Another author who has written extensively about the role of female evangelists is Ben Witherington. He noted, among other things, that the resurrected Lord commanded women, Go and tell others, before he spoke to his male disciples.

Witherington is a New Testament scholar and professor at Asbury Theological Seminary. In his post, Why Arguments Against Women in Ministry Aren’t Biblical, he said some of the arguments against women pastors reek of hypocrisy.

‘It’s o.k. for women to teach or lead a Bible study in the home, but not in the church building’ (this word just in – there were no church buildings in the (New Testament) era, they met in homes!), Witherington wrote.

‘Even worse, it’s o.k. for women to teach and preach on the mission field where it’s necessary, but not here in America where it isn’t.’ Again, the logic here is completely bogus and not based on anything in Scripture at all.

As to Paul’s statement about women remaining silent in church, Witherington explained the apostle was addressing specific problems in the city of Corinth’s house churches.

One such problem is caused by some women, apparently just some wives, who are interrupting the time of prophesying by asking questions.

Paul had already said in 1 Corinthians 11 that women could pray and prophesy in Christian worship if they wore head coverings to hide their hair (e.g., their glory). His reasoning was that only God’s glory should be visible during worship.

Man-made Fears

Scot McKnight, an authority on the New Testament, early Christianity and the historical Jesus, addressed a major – though largely unspoken – issue in his Patheos post, Women in Ministry: Why is this such an Issue? here. The issue is — horror of horrors — sex!

The evangelical blogger explained that some traditionalists charge everything with sexuality to the degree that they draw unwise conclusions….. Since some relationships between males and females lead to adultery, it is better to avoid all cross-gender relationships, they contend.

These traditionalists have worked through texts such as 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and concluded that anyone who questions their hard-earned traditional views must not believe in the Bible.

They are sexualizing something that shouldn’t be sexualized.

Are they afraid they can’t control themselves around women? Surely not, but then again, I’m not sure. Affairs between male pastors and female congregants have been uncovered in recent years, but not necessarily between male and female pastors.

In banning women from the ministry, some churches are unfairly placing the burden of control on women. It’s a great disservice to the women called by God and to the churches that might benefit from their service.

Women in the Pulpit

As I said earlier, I don’t have a dog in this fight over women in SBC pulpits, but I feel sad for girls like Lottie – girls who feel God’s call to serve as ministers but are denied the opportunity because of man-made rules. And I do believe they are man-made rather than God-made.

The SBC insists that the Bible mandates male pastors, but a number of U.S. churches interpret scripture differently. Some of them have accepted women in the pulpit for nearly 200 years. They include:

• Methodist
• Episcopal
• United Church of Christ (not to be confused with the Church of Christ)
• Disciples of Christ
• Assemblies of God USA
• Presbyterian Church in the USA
• Lutheran Church in America

The United Church of Christ ordained the first female pastor in the U.S. in 1853. The Disciples of Christ has been ordaining women since 1888, and the Assemblies of God, which is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the U.S., began ordaining women when it was founded in 1914. The United Methodist Church, which I attend, has welcomed female pastors since 1956.

As far as I can tell, churches with women in the pulpit do as well as male-dominated churches. Some female pastors are mediocre, but some are excellent. In that respect, they are no different than men.

My current pastor falls into the excellent category. She is a strong and knowledgeable leader, an excellent communicator and a compassionate woman of God. She has taught me a great deal about the Bible and opened my eyes to things I had never considered, and I’m grateful.

My Thoughts

In matters of faith, gender should not matter. God Almighty is a spiritual being who is neither male nor female and ultimately, we were created in his image.

Forget the figure of an old man with a white beard. The only place he exists is in our minds.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus, according to Galatians 3:28.

And the Bible Society, a non-denominational Christian organization, agreed: God has no biological sex as he isn’t material or made of matter….

Do I think the SBC will allow women pastors in my lifetime? No, nor do I believe the Catholic or Orthodox churches will allow women in the pulpit anytime soon. These churches have made it clear that their leaders must have certain physical attributes that women lack.

However, it’s their loss. In denying women and girls such as 14-year-old Lottie the opportunity to answer God’s call, they reject half of the world’s population.

Rev. Carolyn Moore explained the situation quite well when she said, God has surely not called all women into vocational, pastoral leadership (just as he has not called all men either), but he has surely called some. The Bible itself testifies to this.

Paul, whose writings fill the New Testament, fostered a climate where women were educated, encouraged to ask questions and to lead. In his letters, he honored a number of women partners in the proclamation of the gospel, she said.

Moore also pointed out that Christ used gender-neutral words in his commands to us. ‘Go, make disciples’ (Matthew 28:39) …. ‘You will be my witnesses’ (Acts 1:8) …. ‘Take up your cross and follow me’ (Matthew 16:24).

These commands and commissions were not spoken to only half an audience in the first century; likewise, they were not spoken to half an audience today, Moore noted.

Contemporary women church planters owe much to those first-century evangelizing women who embraced the whole gospel, believing Christ had called them to proclaim the good news,’ she said.

Yet, Christians will continue to debate the question of women in the pulpit for years to come. The debate will weaken rather than strengthen the Christian church as a whole, and those local churches that reject female pastors will suffer the most.