Speaking in the Church

[Spoon]

Should women be allowed to speak in the Church? If so, to what extent? Is hand-raising necessary?

[TigerShadow]

It depends on why they're speaking. We (by "we" I mean the Southern Baptist Convention) tend to interpret the verse about the women keeping silent to mean that a woman shouldn't be in a pastorate position, but that she can still take up other leadership roles. We have a female minister to preschoolers, so whenever we do the baby dedication, she's the one who speaks for that. We have female Sunday School teachers, female Girls' and Women's Ministry leaders, women who sing in the choir, and women who give their testimonies. We don't interpret that verse completely literally, in other words.

[Spoon]

Is there any particular reason you decide to interpret it that way? Why go all the way (leadership roles, Sunday school, etc) just to decide they shouldn't be pastors as well?

[TigerShadow]

We believe that as the home is to be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church, the church should reflect the home. Wives can take leadership roles in the home in various capacities, but that doesn't mean they are the leader of the home. I think this is where the "The head of every wife is her husband" thing comes into play; we believe that only men should be pastors because of the order that is spoken of in that passage. Does that make sense?

[Spoon]

I understand where you're coming from.

Do you believe that churches which allow female pastors are condoning sin?

[TigerShadow]

-cautiously steps into minefield-

I don't think it comes from a proper understanding of Scripture or the order of creation, at any rate. In the classical sense, I'm rather a feminist, and if this were just some random clerk job or something, I wouldn't think the way I do. But the leadership of a church is a very specific spiritual calling; it's not just an occupational calling, but rather the unique calling of shepherding a body of believers, and I believe that the role is exclusive to men because I see that God has ordained it so (the passage in 2 Timothy and 1 Corinthians 11, for one thing). So I would say that to subvert God's design for His church is to condone a sinful behavior.

-waits quietly to be attacked-

[Spoon]

I have no problem with your belief that it's sinful for women to be pastors in the Church. What I don't understand is the selective interpretation - how can you take a verse *not* literally (women can do other things, but not this thing that wasn't even specifically mentioned), and then say to take it anything but literally (the way you think it should be) is sinful? It seems like an odd distinction to make, in any case.

And yes, I don't think the leadership of a church is a role that should be taken lightly. Just wondering what your reasoning is on the matter.

[GratiaDei]

I think the idea of the church reflecting the home is a good idea. Take the Proverbs 31 woman for example. In the Proverb, she takes charge of a good deal of her household. She buys and sells land, produces goods, and prepares her house for winter. She brings respect to her husband, who is an elder in Israel. Similarly, in the church, women can be productive and they can supervise many different ministries and projects, but when it comes to the pastoral position, God has ordained men as leaders in the church. That does not mean that women would not be able to hold such a position, just that the role of a woman in the church is not one of overall leadership.