Final Thoughts--Women in Ministry Post #4

If women in leadership is unbiblical, we must muzzle the desire of many women who believe they have the God-given desire and ability to lead the church into the future. Furthermore, we have a duty to explain to women who believe they have this gifting where their desire is coming from if it is not from God. Ouch.

Why is it that we spend so much time debating whether women should lead or be in positions of authority and we spend so little time becoming the kind of person God desires us to be?

I know of some men that have nearly dedicated their lives to keeping women out of ministry positions yet, when you look at the qualifications of a pastor, leader, elder in scripture, 50% of those men don’t match up.

Instead of spending so much time on the qualifications of a leader and who is in and who is out, why don’t we camp on the concept that our Bibles are chock full of—SERVANTHOOD. Are we more concerned with rights and entitlement or learning how to stoop? Jesus grabbed a wash basin and a towel and washed his disciple’s feet. When we are immersed in servanthood, all entitlement goes out the window.

What is your role? How has God shaped you? What gifts has He given you? How are you using them? Are we seeking for ways to meet other’s needs? Are we creating ways to love them? OR—are we fighting for position and rank.

When it comes to these kinds of issues—like women in leadership—or other issues in the church where there is disagreement, do we spend more time asking how we are different from one another or do we concern ourselves with what we have in common?

Now, with all that said, I want to make sure I am making something clear. I don’t believe that life is about balance. I think life is more of a Gyroscope. Issues will and maybe even should rise to the surface and take our attention from time to time. Priorities will do that as well. If you look for balance, you will be sorely disappointed and I don’t think God calls us to that.

Furthermore, when it comes to issues of disagreement in the church on these issues or anything else for that matter, I don’t believe that we should NEVER spend time on them. I don’t believe the disagreements are completely unnecessary. When handled properly, disagreements give us an opportunity to exercise love, and grow in grace. Conflict sometimes provide opportunity for friendships to forge.

When it comes to issues like women in leadership or anything else in scripture where something is confusing or even seems contradictory to something else in scripture, shouldn’t we err on the side of grace? I mean, if my Bible talks about the value of women, the wonderful role they play, their worth, what they bring to the table, how we are incomplete without them, etc. add infinitum, but there are a couple or three verses where there is a possibility for another interpretation that is more in line with the rest of scripture—shouldn’t I err on that side? On the side of the context of the whole thing?

Are we willing to put aside our prejudices, lay down our pride, lay down our weapons and start fighting on the right battlefields? I have had lunches with guys that are writing books and love arguing about things like—“do we use a literal grammatical interpretation hermeneutic or a literal grammatical historical hermeneutic. I am not even going to explain what that means. I just have a hard time thinking that we will be standing before God and the first thing God will do is settle THAT issue for them.

Two people apply for a leadership position. Doesn’t matter what sex they are. One is a servant. The other is not. Which one do we think God would cast his vote for?