bWe Baptist Women for Equality
bWe Baptist Women for Equality
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advocating for Women Deacons and Women Pastors
Scriptural Arguments for Women Pastors and Women Deacons
Todd D Still, PhD Assciate Professor of Christian Scriptures, Truett Seminary
James Denison, PhD, Theologian in Residence (BGCT)
See Resources
Todd D Still, PhD Assciate Professor of Christian Scriptures, Truett Seminary
James Denison, PhD, Theologian in Residence (BGCT)
See Resources
1 Timothy 3:8-13 - what Paul was really saying
When you go to choosing deacons, choose a man who has only one wife. You don't need to add
more to his plate of responsibilities by asking him to take on a widow woman and her children. He
has enough to do in taking care of his wives and many children.
Read the whole passage. Paul is telling them that the person must be able to take care of his own
household. His children must be raised right, he must be of strong moral character, and not be a
recent convert. His household must not have many wives who would be squabbling and causing
disagreement among themselves. He is not referring to gender, but to morality.
We know that today many men have more than one wife even here in the United States. Our
missionaries encounter this in African countries, and it was common in Paul's day.
When you go to choosing deacons, choose a man who has only one wife. You don't need to add
more to his plate of responsibilities by asking him to take on a widow woman and her children. He
has enough to do in taking care of his wives and many children.
Read the whole passage. Paul is telling them that the person must be able to take care of his own
household. His children must be raised right, he must be of strong moral character, and not be a
recent convert. His household must not have many wives who would be squabbling and causing
disagreement among themselves. He is not referring to gender, but to morality.
We know that today many men have more than one wife even here in the United States. Our
missionaries encounter this in African countries, and it was common in Paul's day.
If Adam had killed that snake, that would have been Male Headship |
Male Headship is man's design, not God's |
| Click to read Baptist Women of the Veil |
| Click to read The Next Step |
| Click to read Open Letter to Baptists |
| bWe Baptist Women for Equality Not an organization - but a concept email - bwebaptist.women@yahoo.com Shirley Taylor. founder Don Taylor, assistant |
Our troops returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq
We send our young Christian men to a country where the religion demands that the women submit to the
husbands and they are beaten and worse, when they step out of line. How do you tell him that his wife
must submit to him? He or she saw their buddies die for the freedom of those women, and then they come
home and hear the same thing.
God created man and woman equal - not for only one to submit to the other
We send our young Christian men to a country where the religion demands that the women submit to the
husbands and they are beaten and worse, when they step out of line. How do you tell him that his wife
must submit to him? He or she saw their buddies die for the freedom of those women, and then they come
home and hear the same thing.
God created man and woman equal - not for only one to submit to the other
We have a problem
One year ago, I stepped out for women’s equality in the Southern Baptist church. Little did I know
what a journey it would be. I had no idea that for years so many men and women have been calling
for equal rights in churches. Not only in the Baptist churches, but in other denominations where
women cannot serve as a deacon, where she cannot be allowed to preach, where she cannot
answer the call she feels to serve God fully.
In this past year I have discovered groups that are calling for yet more and more restrictions on
women . I have heard that “women must submit to their husbands” spoken before a congregation
of 2500 people, even though the sermon was not about women submitting. My husband and I have
visited many churches, Baptist and non-Baptist, in order to see what is happening in our churches.
This phenomenon is a fairly recent happening. It came about as a backlash against the feminism of
the 1970s. Before that time, in all my attendance in a Baptist church, I never heard that women must
submit to their husbands. I knew women could not preach in a Baptist church, nor be a deacon, or
even take up the offering. I accepted that as almost every woman of that time did. As most women
do today, even when they would not accept such attitudes in the workplace, nor anyplace else. We
have been marinated in this philosophy, but attitudes are changing as I have found out in this past
year.
However, the most divisive and loudest of them all are women and the men who are willing to
destroy their church or leave their church simply because this issue is being discussed. They
should look at the ones in the congregation who have sat quietly for years while the men went
forward and turned their backs to the women to prepare for the Lord’s Supper. They should look to
the young girls who we have led to believe that she is to answer God’s call in her life – only to be
told that we know that God would not ever call her to preach. They should look to their church and
see the young women who have been sent to the mission field – many to countries where their
lives are in danger, while their brother would have been called to preach in a church at home.
We have a problem, and it is not about women. It is about telling the Holy Spirit what can and cannot
be done. We have a problem, and it is about a church that denies over one-half of its congregation
to serve God fully as she is called.
One year ago, I stepped out for women’s equality in the Southern Baptist church. Little did I know
what a journey it would be. I had no idea that for years so many men and women have been calling
for equal rights in churches. Not only in the Baptist churches, but in other denominations where
women cannot serve as a deacon, where she cannot be allowed to preach, where she cannot
answer the call she feels to serve God fully.
In this past year I have discovered groups that are calling for yet more and more restrictions on
women . I have heard that “women must submit to their husbands” spoken before a congregation
of 2500 people, even though the sermon was not about women submitting. My husband and I have
visited many churches, Baptist and non-Baptist, in order to see what is happening in our churches.
This phenomenon is a fairly recent happening. It came about as a backlash against the feminism of
the 1970s. Before that time, in all my attendance in a Baptist church, I never heard that women must
submit to their husbands. I knew women could not preach in a Baptist church, nor be a deacon, or
even take up the offering. I accepted that as almost every woman of that time did. As most women
do today, even when they would not accept such attitudes in the workplace, nor anyplace else. We
have been marinated in this philosophy, but attitudes are changing as I have found out in this past
year.
However, the most divisive and loudest of them all are women and the men who are willing to
destroy their church or leave their church simply because this issue is being discussed. They
should look at the ones in the congregation who have sat quietly for years while the men went
forward and turned their backs to the women to prepare for the Lord’s Supper. They should look to
the young girls who we have led to believe that she is to answer God’s call in her life – only to be
told that we know that God would not ever call her to preach. They should look to their church and
see the young women who have been sent to the mission field – many to countries where their
lives are in danger, while their brother would have been called to preach in a church at home.
We have a problem, and it is not about women. It is about telling the Holy Spirit what can and cannot
be done. We have a problem, and it is about a church that denies over one-half of its congregation
to serve God fully as she is called.
| Updated 03-11-2010 |
| Click to read Jackboot of the Southern Baptist Convention |
NEW NEW
Compare The Danvers Statement on Biblical
Manhood and Biblical Womanhood with what
Martin Luther said about women.
"Men have broad shoulders and narrow hips, and accordingly they possess
intelligence. Women have narrow shoulders and broad hips. Women ought
to stay at home; the way they were created indicates this, for they have
broad hips and a wide fundament to sit upon." - Martin Luther in the 16th
Century
We cringe when we read Martin Luther's words, but many agree when they
read the Danvers Statement.
Women, it is time to get off our "wide Fundaments" and take action!
This is the 21st Century!
Manhood and Biblical Womanhood with what
Martin Luther said about women.
"Men have broad shoulders and narrow hips, and accordingly they possess
intelligence. Women have narrow shoulders and broad hips. Women ought
to stay at home; the way they were created indicates this, for they have
broad hips and a wide fundament to sit upon." - Martin Luther in the 16th
Century
We cringe when we read Martin Luther's words, but many agree when they
read the Danvers Statement.
Women, it is time to get off our "wide Fundaments" and take action!
This is the 21st Century!
| True Male Headship would be sorrowed that God sees their beloved wife or daughter as unfit to preach simply because she was born female. Where are your tears? |
The Seminary Presidents should be holding 40-day fasts,
begging God to release women into the field to harvest.
In the Old Testament we read where God changed his mind. If they truly believe that women are
never to be pastors, our Male Headship leaders should be praying day and night that God would
change his mind yet again, and allow women to be part of bringing a lost world to salvation. They
should be asking God to remove the taint of Eve once and for all, so that the women they proclaim to
love, can truly become helpers in winning a lost world.
Moses had heard the word of God that the people would be destroyed because they had turned away
from God. Because of his great love for the people he had led out of Egypt, Moses fell prostrate
before the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, eating no bread and drinking no water, asking God to
forgive them for their sins. Moses told them that he had reminded the Lord “they are your people,
your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.” Moses said,
“…again the Lord listened to me.” Deuteronomy 9:18 and 29.
Jonah 3:10 “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had
compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened." God reminded Jonah
that he was concerned about a vine of all things, whereas God was concerned about a city of people.
Jesus said he needed all the help he could get.
Matthew 9:37-38: Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask
the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Instead, our Leaders bring out the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood
and throw this into the face of women to silence them. Male Headship would be praying for women,
instead they are using their power to keep women in a secondary role - thereby holding onto their
esteemed Male Headship. Oh, God! Open the hearts and eyes of these men and women!
begging God to release women into the field to harvest.
In the Old Testament we read where God changed his mind. If they truly believe that women are
never to be pastors, our Male Headship leaders should be praying day and night that God would
change his mind yet again, and allow women to be part of bringing a lost world to salvation. They
should be asking God to remove the taint of Eve once and for all, so that the women they proclaim to
love, can truly become helpers in winning a lost world.
Moses had heard the word of God that the people would be destroyed because they had turned away
from God. Because of his great love for the people he had led out of Egypt, Moses fell prostrate
before the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, eating no bread and drinking no water, asking God to
forgive them for their sins. Moses told them that he had reminded the Lord “they are your people,
your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.” Moses said,
“…again the Lord listened to me.” Deuteronomy 9:18 and 29.
Jonah 3:10 “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had
compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened." God reminded Jonah
that he was concerned about a vine of all things, whereas God was concerned about a city of people.
Jesus said he needed all the help he could get.
Matthew 9:37-38: Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask
the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Instead, our Leaders bring out the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood
and throw this into the face of women to silence them. Male Headship would be praying for women,
instead they are using their power to keep women in a secondary role - thereby holding onto their
esteemed Male Headship. Oh, God! Open the hearts and eyes of these men and women!
A woman was the first to be told about the pending birth of the Messiah
(Mary, mother of Jesus)
A woman was the first to be told by Jesus that he was the Messiah (John
4:26)
A woman was the first to be told that she was seeing the resurrected
Christ - and the first to be told to go and tell the men the good news.
If a woman was the first to hear about the coming of Christ, and the first
told by Jesus he was the Messiah, and the first to see the resurrected
Christ - why isn't she allowed to be the preacher of this good news?
Apparently God wasn't concerned about MALE HEADSHIP or he
would have told the men first.
(Mary, mother of Jesus)
A woman was the first to be told by Jesus that he was the Messiah (John
4:26)
A woman was the first to be told that she was seeing the resurrected
Christ - and the first to be told to go and tell the men the good news.
If a woman was the first to hear about the coming of Christ, and the first
told by Jesus he was the Messiah, and the first to see the resurrected
Christ - why isn't she allowed to be the preacher of this good news?
Apparently God wasn't concerned about MALE HEADSHIP or he
would have told the men first.