First of all, allow me to make it clear that I fully understand Paul's instructions to Timothy in context of what was going on when that letter was written. I must also admit that I am not comfortable with Paul's words being used today to squelch women who have been called into ministry OR to negate OR narrow that calling when/if there is an interface with men.
In the case of Dr. Klouda, she was not a pastor. She was called (and hired in 2002) to teach. She has a gift of teaching (and teaching Hebrew). And yes, there were men in her classroom. Unless there were other circumstances involved, the seminary decided that because of her gender and the fact that she was, indeed, instructing men that the Biblical stance compelled them to dismiss her.
Here is a scenario for you. At some rather arbritrary age between 16 and 21, the males of our species are called men. If you can accept that premise, at what point do we eliminate all female teachers in our Sunday Schools because they may be teaching or having authority over young men?...or would mothers of these young men be on unscriptual foundations if they attempted to teach or hold authority over their sons...even sons who themselves may be pastors some day?
And, what if a woman is involved in writing theological material (or electronically recorded voice/visuals) that is intended to teach men. Should those articles be allowed or should those words be silenced? I'll confess to learning something about leadership in missions from a lady called Lottie Moon...she taught me, and those teachings hold a great deal of influence/authority over my approach to missions...was that teaching unscriptural? It isn't that a big of a jump in interpretation for someone to use I Timothy to say that published works of women should be silenced.
Hitting a little closer to home at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: If Dorothy Paige, the sole, remaining female professor in theology, were to have a male student sign up for one of her Women's Studies classes, would she be dismissed in the same manner as that of Dr. Klouda? Or perhaps, should we simply ban men from studying Women's Programs at SWBT?All of that to say, my discomfort in disavowing a woman's call to teach, minister, or hold authority over a man is increased considerably when there is an appearance that we may be subjegating a Godly call based upon what may be an ever narrowing interpretation of Paul's words to Timothy. I would hope that we have more important things to do than reduce the ranks of Baptists in ministry based upon their gender.
4 comments:
This is very sad. I don't understand why people who are supposedly educated insist upon a Platonic view of life. Are we still in the Greek age? Christ came to set women free. He gave the 1st century church what they needed to reverse the status of women as property to men. The 1st century church was not able to overcome the Greek culture. Many centuries later men use religion to subjugate women.
Thank you for your thoughts.
I believe the passage is intended for home use, but not in any kind of arrogant manner. I believe it is for husband/wife but not as role-playing of man as superior to woman. I believe that reasonable Christian men and women can come to agreement by praying and communicating with each other. Sometimes it is necessary for one to bend to the other. It is not always meant to be the woman.
Saying all this, I have been called to preach and begin next month. I am a quiet, submissvie female. I hear God, and whatever God says comes before what any man may think of me.
Thanks for sharing about your mission trip.
From the other teaching of Paul on the subject, it is clear that 1 Timothy 2:12 is indeed in the context of the church, not home or family. Therefore, a woman cannot be in the position of teaching authority as a pastor. Being in a position of teaching authority over pastors in the classroom is suspect as well, since she was teaching those who would be teaching others in their churches. By the way, the use of the word gender in this context is totally wrong. Gender is a matter of grammar as any teacher of language should realize. The matter of being either male or female by biological birth is a matter of sex, not gender!
:o)},
Well I believe that there is some latitude or gray area in respect to "teaching authority over pastors in the classroom"...but that may have been erased at SWBTS. I'm just trying to figure out how far that teaching authority extends.
As for my use of "gender" in the post, check your dictionary for 2nd or 3rd definitions of the word that extend beyond the grammer reference. You might find something like this:
2. Sexual identity, especially in relation to society or culture. The condition of being female or male; sex.
3. Females or males considered as a group: expressions used by one gender.
I suppose there is no way that a woman can "safely" say that God has called her to be a pastor - because some of you men have determined that women cannot speak for God. I do not believe that God ordained only men to be pastors. I suppose if one follows the arguments about women not being in ministry because God ordained such, one concludes that God also ordained polygamy, slavery, prostitution (Judah and Tamar), and arrogance (Joseph's bragging as an adolescent). The list is inexhaustible. I have said before that people don't seem to want to take Jesus out of context when he specifically says to "Go and sell all your goods and give the money to the poor." But Paul is taken out of context. He wrote about specific problems encountered in specific churches, including churches recently in Diana worship. Women were illiterate. Women were property. I think things are a bit different today.
In the 1960's churches argued loudly that God ordained slavery based upon some passages from Genesis. I think someday that people will be sorry that they were so quick to say that God ordains subordination and even ill treatment of women. You may think that men only get upset about women pastors, or now, sadly, women professors, but it begins long before. On numerous occasions when asked to give a simple 5 minute testimony or similar "talk" I have been "accused" of preaching. As though it were a bad thing. It is simply mind-boggling. I have been snubbed, avoided, spoken ill of, gossiped about, scolded, etc just for doing as I know that God led me to do. It was always something I was asked to do, under the name of testimony or devotional. None of it was ever called preaching until afterwards and I did not call it that myself. It has been painful to experience the arrogance and cruelty that so-called Christian men choose to visit upon a so-called sister -and I am not alone. God was with me through everything and that is actually how God began to speak to me about my true calling.
No one can tell me what God has said to me. Only God can.
God does not ordain that women are unable to speak for God. God ordains women to speak for God.
I guess the men who thought they were ordained by God to punish me are to be thanked for helping me hear God's voice. Those men were prophetic.
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