Jackie Roese, pastor to women of Irving Bible Church in Irving, Texas made history today at IBC...she became the first woman to teach from the pulpit on a Sunday. You may be thinking, "so what!" but this made the 10 o'clock news tonight in Dallas!!!!
I definitely live here in the Bible belt!
What are your thoughts about women teaching from the pulpit at church?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
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4 comments:
Should women be ministers? That is a good question. To find the RIGHT answer we must see what the bible has to say on the matter. God’s Word shows that Jesus Christ set a precedent by appointing only men to be among the 12 apostles and the 70 evangelists. (Matt. 10:1-4; Luke 10:1)
In keeping with this precedent, we find that the apostle Paul limited the appointment of congregational elders (and ministerial servants) to men. (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9) Moreover, he reminded Timothy: “I do not permit a woman to teach, or to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence.”—1 Tim. 2:12. Women are counseled to “learn in silence with full submissiveness” at congregation meetings, in that they do not raise questions challenging the men in the congregation. The women are ‘not to speak’ at such meetings if what they might say would demonstrate lack of subjection. (1 Tim. 2:11, 12; 1 Cor. 14:33, 34) Thus, although women make valuable contributions to the activity of the congregation, there is no provision for them to preside, or to take the lead by instructing the congregation, when qualified men are present.
Regardless of what human wisdom might dictate on the subject, or what our own inclinations or preferences might be, the ‘wisdom that comes from above,’ as expressed in God’s Word, will be the determining factor as far as all sincere followers of Jesus Christ are concerned.—Jas. 3:15-17.
However, from other scriptures it is apparent that this restriction applies only within the congregation. That women can be preachers, proclaimers, ministers of the “good news” outside the congregational meetings can be seen from the prophecy at Joel 2:28, 29, which the apostle Peter showed had a fulfillment on the day of Pentecost by saying: “‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I shall pour out some of my spirit upon every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy . . . and even upon my men slaves and upon my women slaves I will pour out some of my spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.’” Yes, at Pentecost the holy spirit fell upon both men and women.—Acts 1:14, 15; 2:1-4, 17, 18.
The list of qualifications for this official position includes: “Let ministerial servants be husbands of one wife.” The same is said of those having spiritual oversight, called “elders” or “overseers.” A congregational elder must be “a man presiding over his own household in a fine manner.” (1 Tim. 3:2-4, 8, 12) So baptized males are to take both positions of leadership (elder and ministerial servant) in the congregation.
You may ask yourself why is it that women can teach those outside the congregation but are not allowed to take the lead inside it? Was the apostle Paul “antiwoman,” as some claim? Such reasoning ignores a fundamental Bible teaching: headship. Paul was in harmony with Peter and other Bible writers when he wrote: “But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; in turn the head of a woman is the man; in turn the head of the Christ is God.”—1 Cor. 11:3; 1 Pet. 3:1.
God alone has no head over him; all others do. Of course, in view of the way many men have abused their headship, it is little wonder that some women bitterly cry for equality. Yet, in truth, God provided this headship arrangement for the good of all. Therefore, if the woman is to seek her husband’s direction in the home, how could she take headship over men and women in the congregation? What would happen if an elder and “eldress” were married to each other?
Those who argue for women “in the pulpit” would have us believe that only because of prevailing social custom did Jesus not have female apostles among the twelve. But Jesus acted in accord with God’s original purpose. In Eden, Adam was Eve’s head, even before their fall into sin.—Gen. 2:18, 22, 24; 1 Cor. 11:7-9.
So in order for your question to truly be answered you must read and meditate on the quoted scritpures.
anonymous,
thanks for the dissertation!! just kidding! my question was regarding women teaching from the pulpit...not assumming the office of elder or pastor....i'm with you on that & irving bible is not abandoning scripture by allowing a woman to teach from the pulpit, nor is she usurping the male authority or leadership of the church by teaching....
I apologize. But I do love preaching and teaching people about the Good News. I enjoy explaining the bible to people. And I do tend to get carried away (or long winded) when I feel like the principles in the bible are being misrepresented.
You see...the question of should a woman teach from the pulpit was answered. The Bible tells us the proper headship arrangement--“But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; in turn the head of a woman is the man; in turn the head of the Christ is God.”—1 Cor. 11:3; 1 Pet. 3:1. According to this arrangement "Man" is head of the congregation meaning they are the only ones that should be teaching from the pulpit.
The question to ask yourself (and your readers) is if the woman is to seek her husband’s direction in the home, how could she take headship over men and women in the congregation?
Those who argue for women “in the pulpit” would have us believe that only because of prevailing social custom did Jesus not have female apostles among the twelve. But Jesus acted in accord with God’s original purpose.
I will complete this post by quoting the apostle Paul at 1 Timothy 2:12 which states ) I do not permit a woman to teach, or to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence.
To to blantly answer your question: NO women should not teach from the pulpit because it is not in line with God's headship arrangement.
I respecfully disagree!
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