Well… here we go. The Southern Baptist Convention voted. To simplify, the Convention overwhelmingly agreed to “advance a formal ban on women serving as pastors.”
I don’t understand the why. I fail to comprehend the thinking. I do not grasp the reasoning.
I disagree. I dissent. I protest. I object.
I am ignorant… about many things. I’m also the first to say, “I can’t die, yet. I’ve got too much to learn!”
Ignorance. We’ve all got it. There are SO MANY lessons to learn. Books to read. Paths to walk. Songs to sing. Overcoming ignorance is a fight I fight, every day. Truly. I am invariably displeased with how little I know about SO MANY things.
What to do? I read. I listen. I watch. I seek. I remember. Keep going. Keep doing. Keep learning. THEN… teach! Share the newfound knowledge with somebody else. I’m certain I drive Vikki and Sophia and Miles C.R.A.Z.Y. with a seemingly endless commentary about this and that.
Blend the wisdom and the information with a healthy dose of common sense and often, (but, not always) you’ll end the day (or, the chapter) with a grounded, well-informed understanding of the issue.
Women serving as pastors. Is the SBC correct? Uh, no.
To be fair, in addition to my own Googling and reading and all that fun stuff, I’m relying on some information shared via social media by Dan McClellan, PhD. He is a scholar of the Bible and religion, author of “The Bible Says So” and, I believe, one of the most brilliant theologians and critical thinkers of the last century.
Proponents of the ban on women serving as pastors frequently tout Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3 as Biblical confirmation of a gender ban. Dr. McClellan explains those passages are specifically referencing the roles of an episcopos, or bishop, in the church hierarchy.
1 Timothy 2 is used to invoke the “women cannot have authority over men” argument. Paul did not agree. But, that discussion is likely better saved for another day.
Ephesians 4:11 is the only passage in the Bible where “pastor” is listed. In that instance, the office is included (with many others) as a position within a community of the faithful.
Alright. You’re not here for Seminary Basics 101. I get it.
Let’s move forward in a different direction…
Why the hatred? (I genuinely don’t know what else to call it.) Fear? Uneasiness? Contempt? Bitterness? Resentment?
I am wary of anyone that, as Dr. McClellan says, “attempts to leverage the authority of the Bible in defense of their identity politics.” Thank you, Dan the Man! Well said.
Maybe I should leave the religious debate and theological discussion to the grownups…
Fair enough. But, let me share this and I’ll be done. For now.
Sophia recently hosted a sleepover. The girls were gathered at our dinner table. Eating. Talking. Laughing. Being teenage girls. I didn’t want to crash the party, but, I didn’t want to come across as indifferent nor disconnected, either.
I claimed a chair, took a slice of pizza and asked, “so, what do y’all wanna do after graduation?”
I meant… “Beach trip? Cruise? Internship? Camp counselor? Something?” The responses were far different.
“I’m going to Europe.”
“An internship in Washington.”
“Pre-season practice!”
“College and med school.”
AND, “I’m going to be a pastor.”
W.O.W. What a group of girls.
An explorer. An untainted politician. An athlete. A physician. And, a pastor. That group could change the world, even with boobs.
Is the SBC REALLY going to look at the first four, raise a hand and say, “Go with God,” before dismissing the final member of the Starting Five all because God made her with different parts? That’s a bold move, if not stupid, misguided and mean-spirited.
One more nail. I promise.
The District Superintendent of the Winston-Salem District in the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church (How’s THAT for a job title!) spoke at a gathering of the laity at Maple Spring United Methodist Church. (There was a district-wide Methodist meeting.)
My mother made me go. I didn’t want to be there.
He shared a story.
“I was sitting in a Taco Bell, having lunch, by myself. A girl in her early-twenties walked in, ordered, and sat down at the table next to me, with her tray of food. She did not look like a church kid. Her hair resembled a box of melted crayons. Her arms and legs were covered with tattoos. And, the piercings, oh my! Nose, lip, belly button and ears. Lots of bling in the ears. It would have been rude to ignore her.
I offered, ‘Good afternoon.’
‘Hi,’ she replied.
I didn’t know what else to say.
‘You, uh, sure do have a lot of piercings!’
She turned to her left and locked eyes with me.
‘So did Jesus.’
She left soon thereafter. I sat in that Taco Bell for a long time, thinking about what Christians are supposed to look like. I think I had forgotten that Christ was pierced so it wouldn’t matter, anymore.”
I don’t remember anything else the D.S. talked about that night. I’ve thought about that District Superintendent and the girl at Taco Bell a million times.
It doesn’t matter. Tattoos. Weird colors in the hair. Piercings. Boobs, too. God takes us exactly as we are. I can’t imagine He’d want it any other way.
If the members of the Southern Baptist Convention are fired up for an altar call while singing a chorus of “Just As I Am,” maybe they should try reading the lyrics.
Jeffrey Griffin 