----------------------------
The author expends 4393 words (we've only posted an excerpt) attempting to explain a problem. But the problem isn't women pastors, it is CEO pastors. If a single person titled "pastor" is supposed to be the head of the local church we might agree with the author's premise. However, the biblical model is that the congregation is led by a plurality of elders (1Pe. 5:1-3), not a pastor. The author will constantly conflate the two in order to conform the Bible to his preconceptions.
In addition, he will embark on a long and errant explanation of why women can't be church leaders, based on two false perceptions, that the pastor is the leader, and preaching is exercising authority.
The string of reasoning the author will employ is
- Elders lead the church
- Pastors are elders
- Elders are men
- Pastors lead the church
- Pastors are men
- Women can't lead the church
- Women can't be pastors
- Pastors preach
- Preaching is exercising authority
- Women can't exercise authority
- Woman can't preach
Each of these contains either a misrepresentation or a leap of logic.
-----------------------
(...)
The Biblical Qualifications for Pastors
Charles Spurgeon once said, “The pulpit is the Thermopylae of Christendom. There the fight will be lost or won.” Who stands in the pulpit and what is preached from the pulpit are of critical importance to the life and vitality of that church body. Says Dr. Tom Buck, “As goes the pulpit, so goes the church.”
The main biblical texts that give the qualifications for pastors are 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. (Other relevant texts include Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17-19 and 6:3-5, 2 Timothy 2:24-26 and 4:1-5, Hebrews 13:7 and 17, and 1 Peter 5:1-5). (Let's quote the relevant parts of the verses:
Whether overseer, bishop, elder, or pastor—these are all the same office in the church, (No, these are not all the same "office," Peter is talking about the leadership of the local church, the elders, then describing them with euphemisms or encouraging them to aspire to be something more.
Some will argue that Paul’s prohibition against women preaching is strictly limited to the Greco-Roman culture of his day, or that he was only addressing a problem Timothy had dealing with strong-willed women in Ephesus. In a commentary on 1 Timothy 2:11-15, the late Scottish minister William Barclay wrote, “The early church did not lay down these regulations as in any sense permanent, but as things which were necessary in the situation in which it found itself.”
However, it is quite plain from the text of Scripture that this instruction applies to all churches in all cultures at all times. (Let's quote the passage again. 1 Timothy 2:11-15:
So because Adam was the first one formed, and the woman was the first one deceived, a woman is prohibited from functioning as a pastor in the church. (There is no mention of pastor or even elder here.)
(...)
The Biblical Qualifications for Pastors
Charles Spurgeon once said, “The pulpit is the Thermopylae of Christendom. There the fight will be lost or won.” Who stands in the pulpit and what is preached from the pulpit are of critical importance to the life and vitality of that church body. Says Dr. Tom Buck, “As goes the pulpit, so goes the church.”
The main biblical texts that give the qualifications for pastors are 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. (Other relevant texts include Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17-19 and 6:3-5, 2 Timothy 2:24-26 and 4:1-5, Hebrews 13:7 and 17, and 1 Peter 5:1-5). (Let's quote the relevant parts of the verses:
1Ti. 3:1-2 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach...
Tit. 1:5-7 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless...
Ep. 4:11-12 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up...
1Th. 5:12-13 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other...
1Ti. 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
1Ti. 6:3-4 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing.
2Ti. 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
2Ti. 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.
He. 13:7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
He. 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.
1Pe. 5:1-2 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow-elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care...
Only one of these Scriptures is about pastors, which contains no description of their position. The rest of the Scriptures quoted are regarding the position and authority of the leadership structure of the church, the elders. We have often discussed this issue in our blog.)
The Apostle Paul said to Timothy: “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” The Greek word in the text for overseer is episkopos, from which we get the word bishop. Later in 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul calls these overseers “elders.” Peter refers to the elders as shepherding the church in 1 Peter 5:2. This is where the word “pastor” comes from, as pastor means “shepherd.”
Whether overseer, bishop, elder, or pastor—these are all the same office in the church, (No, these are not all the same "office," Peter is talking about the leadership of the local church, the elders, then describing them with euphemisms or encouraging them to aspire to be something more.
The sole mention of the office of pastor is in Ep. 4:11-12 as part of the five-fold ministry, but there are no job descriptions for any of the five. Only their ministry is described, to build up the body to maturity, but there is no list of qualifications or what position they occupy in the local church.
When Peter tells the elders in 1Pe. 5:2 to "be shepherds," he is not saying "be one of the five offices." While the pastoral office is that of shepherding, the elders are instructed to shepherd the local congregation.)
and this office is to be held by qualified men. This is by the command of God, a design we see throughout Scripture. The elders of Israel in the Old Testament were only men. When Jesus sent out the seventy-two, they were all men. The twelve apostles were only men. So the elders or the pastors in the church are to be men. (We agree that elders must be men. However, it is not because of the gender of the elders of Israel, the apostles, or the seventy-two.
We would want to have the author explain to us what a pastor is, and why he conflates them with elders.)
In 1 Timothy 3 beginning in verse 2, we read, “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”
Paul echoes these qualifications in Titus 1:5-9, adding that a pastor “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (No, verse 6 is very clear, "an elder." Either the author is intentionally misrepresenting the Scripture or he is lying to us.)
In 1 Timothy 3 beginning in verse 2, we read, “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”
Paul echoes these qualifications in Titus 1:5-9, adding that a pastor “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (No, verse 6 is very clear, "an elder." Either the author is intentionally misrepresenting the Scripture or he is lying to us.)
That is pastoring—feeding the flock of God and fending off the wolves. (This indeed is a primary function of pastors. Absent from this is a leadership role, if any, a pastor ought to have.)
It is crystal clear that only men are to be pastors. (Undocumented statement.)
It is crystal clear that only men are to be pastors. (Undocumented statement.)
Not every man will be a pastor, but a man who aspires to the office “desires a noble task,” (The author is referring to 1Ti. 3:1, which is about overseers, which, again, are what elders are encouraged to be [1Ti. 1:7].)
and he must meet the qualifications God has given. There is no separate list of qualifications for women as pastors or elders. There is not a single example of a woman as a pastor in the Bible. (There are no examples at all of pastors in the Bible.)
In fact, right before the qualifications for a pastor, we’re given a direct prohibition against letting a woman perform even the function of pastor.
Women Prohibited from Pastoring
In 1 Timothy 2:11-15, we read, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” (We cover this passage in quite a bit of detail here, so we will try not to rehash those arguments.)
Timothy is told to teach the women in the church to have self-control, (We don't wish to nit-pick, but Paul does not tell Timothy to "teach these things" until 1Ti. 4:11.)
Women Prohibited from Pastoring
In 1 Timothy 2:11-15, we read, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” (We cover this passage in quite a bit of detail here, so we will try not to rehash those arguments.)
Timothy is told to teach the women in the church to have self-control, (We don't wish to nit-pick, but Paul does not tell Timothy to "teach these things" until 1Ti. 4:11.)
which bookends these instructions. In verse 9, a woman is to adorn herself “with modesty and self-control,” wearing self-control as if it were a garment. In verse 15, women are given the reminder once again to be self-controlled.
“Let a woman learn” is a blessing for women and something counter-cultural at that time. Among the Jews, women were often illiterate. First century Rabbi Eliezer said, “Anyone who teaches his daughter Torah is teaching her promiscuity (tiflut)” (Sotah 3:4). Among the Greeks, women were not invited to the schools of the philosophers.
The church is and always has been inclusive of men and women (Acts 1:14), for they are fellow heirs of eternal life by faith in Christ (Galatians 3:28, 1 Peter 3:7). But a woman was to enter as a picture of humility, “quietly with all submissiveness.” Women are prohibited from teaching or exercising authority over men. (The verse says "a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man," it does not say "women to teach or exercise authority over men".)
Preaching the word of God to the people of God and giving exhortation is an exercise that is inherently authoritative. (What does "authoritative" mean? Where does the Bible say this? The author's documentation suddenly vanishes.)
“Let a woman learn” is a blessing for women and something counter-cultural at that time. Among the Jews, women were often illiterate. First century Rabbi Eliezer said, “Anyone who teaches his daughter Torah is teaching her promiscuity (tiflut)” (Sotah 3:4). Among the Greeks, women were not invited to the schools of the philosophers.
The church is and always has been inclusive of men and women (Acts 1:14), for they are fellow heirs of eternal life by faith in Christ (Galatians 3:28, 1 Peter 3:7). But a woman was to enter as a picture of humility, “quietly with all submissiveness.” Women are prohibited from teaching or exercising authority over men. (The verse says "a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man," it does not say "women to teach or exercise authority over men".)
Preaching the word of God to the people of God and giving exhortation is an exercise that is inherently authoritative. (What does "authoritative" mean? Where does the Bible say this? The author's documentation suddenly vanishes.)
Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 2:4). And to Titus, he said, “Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority” (Titus 2:15). ("Authority" is epitagé, which means "by way of command." Titus was being told to command obedience to the Word, not to exercise authority over others.
And what Paul commanded Titus to do is specific to Titus. If Paul's instruction to Titus was a universal prescription, the author would have to demonstrate that. He doesn't.)
Some will argue that Paul’s prohibition against women preaching is strictly limited to the Greco-Roman culture of his day, or that he was only addressing a problem Timothy had dealing with strong-willed women in Ephesus. In a commentary on 1 Timothy 2:11-15, the late Scottish minister William Barclay wrote, “The early church did not lay down these regulations as in any sense permanent, but as things which were necessary in the situation in which it found itself.”
However, it is quite plain from the text of Scripture that this instruction applies to all churches in all cultures at all times. (Let's quote the passage again. 1 Timothy 2:11-15:
Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
Where is church mentioned? The author assumes that Paul is instructing Timothy about church practice, but that is not found in the text. Paul doesn't begin to discuss church structure and practice until the next chapter.)
How do we know that? Because Paul, exercising his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, pointed back to the order of creation: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”
So because Adam was the first one formed, and the woman was the first one deceived, a woman is prohibited from functioning as a pastor in the church. (There is no mention of pastor or even elder here.)
Notice the function of pastor is what Paul mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:12. He did not simply say, “I forbid a woman from being a pastor.” He said, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.” (Indeed, a key distinction, which actually leads us to a conclusion just the opposite of what the author advocates. The author reads into the verse things it does not say and runs with it. But his preconception is the obstacle. This is "a woman" teaching "a man," not "a pastor delivering a sermon."
And once again, there is no mention of pastor here.)
Dr. Tom Schreiner, professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), said the following: “When we read 1 Timothy 2:12, it doesn’t directly speak to the issue of office. It addresses the matter of function—prohibiting women from teaching and exercising authority over a man. It is interesting, therefore, that many seem to turn the verse around by allowing the functions but denying the office.” ("The office" is not under discussion. And, the passage also does not address a matter of function either. Paul is telling Timothy about "a woman" and "a man," that is, a wife and her husband. We cannot read it any other way.
Dr. Tom Schreiner, professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), said the following: “When we read 1 Timothy 2:12, it doesn’t directly speak to the issue of office. It addresses the matter of function—prohibiting women from teaching and exercising authority over a man. It is interesting, therefore, that many seem to turn the verse around by allowing the functions but denying the office.” ("The office" is not under discussion. And, the passage also does not address a matter of function either. Paul is telling Timothy about "a woman" and "a man," that is, a wife and her husband. We cannot read it any other way.
This is important: Women are never commanded in Scripture to be in submission to every man, only her husband or the church leadership. This means Paul's command is not about function at all.)
More than the office of pastor being off-limits to women, she cannot teach an assembly of men and women. (There is no mention of an assembly.)
More than the office of pastor being off-limits to women, she cannot teach an assembly of men and women. (There is no mention of an assembly.)
Mother’s Day is not a day women get to preach, nor should she lead teaching in a mixed class of men and women. These are pastoral functions. (The author again asserts this without documentation. There is nothing in the NT about "pastoral functions." Pastors are not necessarily the leadership of the church. Teaching is not exercising authority.)
This is not complicated, but a people not content with the Bible’s clear commands will try to re-order God’s order—just as Adam and Eve did. (Adam and Eve were husband and wife, not leaders and women.)
Some try to argue that women can be associate pastor as long as she is not the senior pastor. Or she can preach as long as she’s under the authority of the elders. Or she can be a minister over men as long as you don’t call her a pastor. Stop looking for loopholes! A woman is not to teach or have authority over men. Period. (We wonder if the author is being intentionally dishonest by changing the clear text from "a woman" and "a man" in order to bolster his point.)
The New Testament puts no distinction between the office and function of a pastor. (The NT never describes the office or function of pastor.)
Some try to argue that women can be associate pastor as long as she is not the senior pastor. Or she can preach as long as she’s under the authority of the elders. Or she can be a minister over men as long as you don’t call her a pastor. Stop looking for loopholes! A woman is not to teach or have authority over men. Period. (We wonder if the author is being intentionally dishonest by changing the clear text from "a woman" and "a man" in order to bolster his point.)
The New Testament puts no distinction between the office and function of a pastor. (The NT never describes the office or function of pastor.)
As I’ve heard it said, “The office is the function, and the function is the office.” (This would be false, of course.)
The pastor is the one who pastors. The preacher is the one who preaches. Whoever stands in the pulpit steers the direction of a church, (Notice how all the false assumptions lead up to an unbiblical church arrangement where a pastor is the boss and therefore his presence in the pulpit is as the boss.)
so having a good episcopology—or a biblical understanding of what it means to be a pastor—is of fundamental importance to the church. (A biblical understanding which the author fails to deliver.)
(...)
Additional Resources
Consider watching the cinedoc By What Standard? God’s World…God’s Rules which was put out by Founders Ministry last year. It will catch you up on some of the other challenges that the Southern Baptist Convention is facing.
(...)
Additional Resources
Consider watching the cinedoc By What Standard? God’s World…God’s Rules which was put out by Founders Ministry last year. It will catch you up on some of the other challenges that the Southern Baptist Convention is facing.
No comments:
Post a Comment