So the other day I published a post called Skirts in the Pulpit about women in ministry.
Long story short, I don’t have a problem with women in ministry in any role. I was criticized by several who vehemently disagree with my position.
I’m not here to rehash any of the arguments – I think my post was fairly clear and treated the Bible honestly.
I do, however, have some follow-up questions for those who contend that it is sin for women to be ordained ministers.
1. Historically, even Baptists have allowed women to be missionaries, preaching and pastoring in foreign cultures. Why is it acceptable for women to pastor and minister to “savages” but not with civilized men? Or have missions organizations been acting in sin to use women?
2. If it was sinful for the Southern Baptists to send Lottie Moon as a missionary, is the fruit of her ministry tainted? Or did God use her for the Kingdom?
3. It is commonly acceptable for women to work in Children’s Ministry. At what point do you say that it is no longer acceptable for a woman to teach young boys because they are now men? What standards do you use to determine the age cutoff between “acceptable woman’s work” and “unacceptable woman’s work”?
4. Is every seminary that employs a female instructor engaging in sin for putting a woman in place of teaching and having authority over a man?
5. How do you respond to women as the mouthpieces of God in such cases as Luke 2:36-38, Acts 2:17-18, Acts 21:8-9, and Romans 16:7?
Care to respond? If you feel you can engage in civil debate, please feel free. I have no desire to interact with people who just want to criticize, though.
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Chris Linzey 
You’re asking for civil debate and yet you continue to attack a straw man. As I said in my previous comments, I have no problem with women teaching men. We have biblical examples of such. Yet I maintain there is a difference between the act of teaching and the office of an elder/pastor. Deborah is the only biblical example of a woman in such a role. But she hardly proves the case because she lived in the times of the Judges when Israel was regularly failing to follow the Lord’s directives. Every man did what was right in his own eyes. Deborah herself tried hard to get Barak to take the lead.
But arguments from examples really don’t prove anything anyway. We could just as logically say jack asses should be pastors because God spoke through one once (OK, I admit there are some of these in some pulpits). Then Jesus says he could have the rocks cry out. I guess a rock would be more interesting than a few preachers I’ve heard.
For me Jesus’ choice of disciples is telling. Can you explain to me why Jesus would not choose Mary Magdalene or Mary of Bethany as one of the 12 except that the role of elder/pastor/apostle was reserved for men in God’s design?
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I don’t know definitively why he didn’t pick Mary. Neither do you know definitively why Jesus chose the 12. Anything we come up with is mere speculation…
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And what straw man do you think I’m attacking? I’m asking questions (none of which you addressed) that arose from the criticism i received previously…
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Well I’m out. I hate civilized debate. I prefer name calling and irrational arguments that can’t be backed up by Bible.
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Bwahaha! If I didn’t know you were such a nice guy…. 😉
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