The Clergy Gender Gap
An intriguing article about the differences of perspective between male and female members of the clergy: Men are from Tyre, Women are from Bethany.
Posts
Women In Ministry
A follow up to my post a couple of weeks ago: How Would You Answer My Friend? Joe Coleson, who teaches at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, recently sent me this e-mail in response to the post. Joe and I have been friends ever since we went to Israel together back in 2000. I thought Joe's comments were insightful, and with his permission, am posting them for you: I was directed to your blog question about women in ministry, but a little late to join the discussion. I’m saddened that not one of your nineteen respondents is aware of the book that settled the 1 Timothy 2:12 question sixteen years ago. Catherine Clark Kroeger published I Suffer Not a Woman with Baker in 1992. She proved the standard English translations wrong at several points in that verse. I abstracted and referenced her most important evidence in my booklet published in 1996, and available ever since for free download on the Wesleyan/Holiness Women Clergy website. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry ove...
How Would You Answer My Friend?
A pastor friend e-mailed me with this question yesterday: I am working with a well-intentioned man who is considering becoming a part of our congregation. After exploring Wesleyan Doctrine, he is hung up on one thing- that we allow women in ministry. He believes that 1Timothy 2:8-15 is a clear Biblical prohibition against females in ministry. I have always understood Paul's teaching on women in public worship environements in Corinthians and Timothy to be context driven and not a broad theological statement. This has been a learning experience for me because I learned that I was unprepared to defend our Wesleyan position, I had just accepted it. Any Biblical direction, orginal language clues, or historical perspective you could offer would be most welcomed. He is not bigoted about women, he feels they are equal in the eyes of the Lord but have been assigned different duties/roles in the kingdom. How would you respond to his question?