This isn't very popular. It is against everything we learn in society. It seems outdated, sexist, and unfair.
Here you go -
Men and women are different.
If that isn't already enough to make you hate what I am saying, wait for this -
Ladies, women of God, Christian sisters, you cannot be pastors.
This argument has been played out for far too long, rewritten in far too many different ways, and discussed (or screamed) in too many churches. I could give you the reasons women cannot be pastors, but there are some really smart people who have already done that many times. You should be reading their writings. I have included some great resources (with a few points from each) at the end of this post. If you have questions about why women cannot be pastors, please read them.
So, if we can't be pastors, the world tells us we must not be important to the Church. Do not be deceived, Ladies! You cannot be a pastor, but I am going to tell you why you MUST be an excellent theologian.
There are a lot of wolves out there in sheep's clothing. I am not talking about the crazy people who call themselves pastors and say the world is ending on [insert date], so come take this potion and end your life now. They aren't wolves in sheep's clothing. Those people are just crazy. You don't need to be an excellent theologian to avoid them. Most people avoid them naturally.
Sheep's clothing is soft and comfortable and fuzzy and snugly. Sheep's clothing keeps you warm. It keeps you happy. It looks so pure and innocent and gentle. It whispers things like, "You are such a gifted writer and know so many things about Christ...you really would be a great pastor." It says things like, "You care about people so much and love to listen to their problems...you would give great pastoral advice."
Then, the wolf in sheep's clothing takes on the voice of the snake from the garden - "Did God really say...?"
And then the avalanche...
Did God really say women can't be pastors?
Did God really say, "This IS my body...this IS my blood?"
Did God really say the world was created in seven days?
Did God really say that Baptism SAVES you?
Did God really say...
The wolves decide for themselves what God says. And the sheep start questioning, "What did God really say?"
People (sheep) flock to the sheep's clothing. They are deceived by the sheep's clothing. And the wolf inside, well, he/she just sees the flocks coming to join him/her. The numbers look great. The bigger the herd, the bigger the dinner. Or maybe, the bigger the herd, the more validated the wolf feels in his own skin.
Do I completely blame the wolf? Do I completely blame the woman who is acting in the role of a pastor? Do I really blame the woman who questions her own calling and thinks her skills are best suited for the pastorate? Well, sometimes yes, but sometimes no. See, these wolves have been deceived, too - by the original and fiercest wolf, the snake, himself. These lesser wolves may have even been sheep at some point.
But being a sheep is hard.
Sure, sheep's clothing looks great, but to actually BE the sheep is to be defenseless.
Being a sheep means following the voice of the Shepherd (especially when the pasture seems greener on the other side). It means depending on Someone else's Wisdom (especially when the wisdom seems foreign to this world). It means you actually have to stop talking for a few minutes and start listening to those shepherds whom He has given you. For sheep who don't listen, well, they die.
It means humbling yourself to the point of knowing you actually CANNOT do any of these things and that HE has been doing them all along.
We don't like those things.
We secretly want to be the wolf in sheep's clothing.
We want the flocks following us.
We want the numbers of people.
We want to decide what God says.
But God's Word isn't popular. It comes in the form of what looks to be a criminal dying in the most embarrassing of deaths. But through a clearer lens, we see He is a criminal in the Father's eyes - taking on our failures to serve God and our failures to serve each other - serving as our ransom, paying our debts, cancelling our sin, and overcoming death. God's Word comes in the form of order and structure, because now we are free to live in the perfect structure and order He gave us.
It is not that I cannot be a pastor, it is that I am free to be the servant He made me to be.
So, women, you MUST be excellent theologians in order to recognize a shepherd and a wolf.
You must be excellent theologians so you have the courage to run from the wolf when you discover the disguise.
You must be excellent theologians in order to defy the notion that because you can't be a pastor, your wisdom given by God can't be worth more than rubies to the Church.
You must be excellent theologians because the Church needs women to speak the truth in love.
You must be excellent theologians because if God blesses you with a husband, you are together a vision of Christ and His bride.
You must be excellent theologians because if God blesses you with daughters, they will need to hear the truth and see your example.
You must be excellent theologians because if God blesses you with sons, they will need to know how to speak truth while loving and honoring the women in their lives.
You must be excellent theologians because the Church needs less people waiting to speak and more people yearning to listen.
You must be excellent theologians because being a sheep is no easy task in this world.
Resources:
I have linked to two articles available free online and given a few points from each. They are full of good stuff. Please don't let my very inadequate synopsis of them deter you from actually reading the articles.
"Scripture and the Exclusion of Women from the Pastorate" by John W. Kleinig
- John Kleinig's articles are easy to read and follow. He breaks down the argument into digestible chunks. He gives a list of presuppositions necessary to even have the argument, which I find very helpful. For example, if we can't agree that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, we cannot begin to have an argument about whether or not women should be pastors. He also gives the most common verses for the exclusion of women to the pastorate and explains them thoroughly and succinctly.
- In reference to the presuppositions: "The Holy Scriptures are the inspired, authoritative word of the Triune God. As such they are normative for the church in its preaching and in its formulation of doctrine. Since they record God's final and complete revelation to us in Christ, there can be no new revelation to the church about the ordination of women either from history or from what appear to be prophetic movements in the church."
- "The two passages which traditionally have been used to exclude women from the pastorate, 1 Cor 14:34-35 and 1 Tim 2:11-15, are apostolic and canonical." [He goes on to fully explain these verses to an extent that cannot be summarized here. Please read it.]
- In reference to 1 Timothy 2:11-15: "Paul makes it quite clear that, unlike Jewish women who were excluded from direct involvement in the public prayers of the synagogue as well as from becoming students of the law, Christian women were able to join in the intercession of the church for the world and to 'learn' God's word as disciples of Jesus Christ. In fact, he commands them to be disciples...First, they [women] are to learn in quietness. This is not just described as an attitude but also as a state of being. Such quietness involves stillness and harmony, receptivity and teachability, respectful listening and readiness to receive direction (see Acts 11:18; 21:14; 22:2; 1 Thess 4:11; 2 Thess 3:12; 1 Tim 2:2)."
"May Women Be Ordained as Pastors?" by David P. Scaer
- This is a lengthy piece written in 1972. It provides a great outline of how the question of the ordination of women entered the Lutheran churches abroad and in the United States. It lists and describes many of the arguments given for the ordination of women and why they cannot be accepted given Scripture. Even though it was written over 40 years ago, the arguments are remarkably similar to today's. Since many more recent sources are not available free online, I chose to include this one. The points remain valid to the argument at hand.
- In reference to the argument for the ordination of women: "It is argued this way: Since men and women are equal and since men serve as pastors, women should have the same privileges. Many concerns of the women are legitimate. Where they have been offended by lack of promotion and inadequate salary simply because they are women, this should be corrected. Still the church recognizes that its worship procedures are based on principles determined by God who has revealed His will in the scriptures. Certainly the political and social climate influences the church and always will, but as history has shown, these have hardly been beneficial at all times."
- In reference to the silence of women called for in 1 Cor 14:33-38: "The prohibition applies specifically to the regular worship services. It has already been shown that chapters 11 through 16 have to do with the regulations of the worship service. This pericope does not demand the women must be silent at all times. It does not forbid women from witnessing to Jesus Christ. Lydia, as we know, was instrumental in gathering Christians for the congregation in Phillipi. Neither does it mean that women cannot give instruction outside of the regular worship services. Priscilla and her husband Aquila (Acts 18:26) expounded Christianity to Apollos. This was a private instruction and had nothing to do with the public proclamation of the word in the regular worship services."
If you are super ambitious and extra interested, there are AMAZING articles in the book below -
Women Pastors? The Ordination of Women in Biblical Lutheran Perspective
- The link gives a great overview of what is included in this book.
