Women teaching Men -- heretical idea? Just ask the SBC

Another controversy emerges from within the Southern Baptist Convention, a group that is the largest of Protestant denominations, and which has taken, as most know, a severe rightward turn in the last quarter century. A further example of this is the decision of the President of the seminary to terminate a popular female Hebrew teacher -- ostensibly because she didn't have tenure, which she wasn't given, because the school wants those qualified to be pastors to teach pastors, and as we know the SBC now prohibits women from serving as pastors. So, now this largest of Baptist seminaries will be pure -- it will be a male domain. Aren't we getting progressive over there.

The chair of the board of trustees denies this is an example of gender discrimination. Why, because it's a religious agency, and religious agencies are free to do as they like. Well, legally he may be right, but morally this is still gender discrimination. These are his words as reported in Ethics Daily:

McClain also denied that gender discrimination played a role in Klouda's dismissal: "The second issue involves the desire of (the seminary) to have only men teaching who are qualified to be pastors or who have been pastors in the disciplines of theology, biblical studies, homiletics, and pastoral ministry. This is in keeping, of course, with the statement of faith of the SBC that clearly says the pastorate is reserved for men."


I have some good Baptist friends, some who are women, who must be chagrined by all this. But then again, I'm not "biblical," or so some would say!

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