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vega1
Posts:1
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Posted:08/01/2006 11:36 PM |
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I would like to know BRCC's opinion on wheather or not it is biblical to ordain a woman as a Pastor. My family and I have been attending BRCC for about 6 months now and have come to love BRCC. However, we have come to understand that Miriam Callahan is listed as the Community Pastor. This raises concern with us because we have learned that Paul instucts in 1 Timothy chapter 2 and 3 that women should not. In fact, in chapter 3, Paul only describes men as Overseers and
Decons. I have sought counsel with other Pastors on this issue and they seem to concur that women should not be ordained as Pastors. Thank you for your insight.
Gabriel
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gfike
Posts:237
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Posted:08/02/2006 11:56 AM |
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This question has met with opposing interpretations on the part of competent conservative evangelical scholars. No doubt there are as many opinions as there are pastors. We choose to allow there to be disagreement, so long as there is peace, not discord.
That being said, the pastors at BRCC hold that the Holy Spirit gifts men and women alike to serve him in a capacity for which he has specially called and empowered them. The overarching principle of equality is expressed in Galatians 3:26-28: "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, MALE NOR FEMALE, FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS."
I would like to suggest to you the possibility that the interpretation of 1 Timothy 2 and 3 have largely been taken out of their cultural and scriptural contexts. Those who oppose the ordination of women claim it by the authority of Paul in a couple of isolated passages, such as the one you mentioned. But if you look at the whole volume of Paul's writing you will find other passages like the one that follows in Romans 16. My comments appear in parentheses:
VERSE 1: I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. (the word 'servant' is normally translated 'minister' or 'deacon' as in 1 Timothy 3; Paul's commendation of her is to encourage her acceptance as a leader who can help clarify the doctrinal issues in the letter she has carried to the Romans.)
VERSE 2: I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. (This is a call to respect her as a fellow minister.)
VERSE 3: Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. (We first read about them in Acts 18. This was a Jewish husband-wife team that worked with Paul, secularly and ministerially. Interestingly, Priscilla is almost always listed first which indicates that she perhaps was the more prominent teacher; and Acts 18:26 indicates she helped, or perhaps even led, in the instruction of Apollos - a male disciple.)
VERSE 4: They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
VERSE 5: Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
VERSE 6: Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. (Another woman that Paul commends for her diligent ministry)
VERSE 7: Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. ('Relatives' perhaps means 'kinsmen' - that is, fellow Jewish Christ-followers. Some have 'Junias' might be a contraction of a Latin male name, but the name 'Junias' was a very common female name. The verse indicates that they had an apostolic gifting.)
On a personal note, I serve at BRCC under the supervision of Miriam Callahan, and I have found her to be a diligent servant of Christ and the church, serious about her study of the scripture, consistent in her prayer life, respectful of all her co-workers - something I cannot say has been true of every male pastor I have encountered over the 30 years of my pastoral experience.
Rather than rely on theological interpretations, which vary from person to person, I would recommend that you observe Miriam's ministry and ask yourself if God is blessing her labor with fruitfulness? I think you will see that He is.
If you would like to seriously study this issue, I highly recommend two book:
“Paul, Women & Wives” by Craig S. Keener (more scholarly)
“Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible Says About a Woman’s Place in Church and Family” by Dr. Gilbert Bilizekian (more popularly written)
Thanks for an interesting and important question!
Pastor George
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