Gender issues in politics/ministry
On 9/7/08, the Waco Tribune Herald posted a front page article regarding the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as the GOP nomination for VP, and sought to draw a parallel with our culture's acceptance of women being qualified for service to their country, at the highest level, and the current growing phenomenon of women serving as senior pastors in seemingly conservative, evangelical protestant churches. Will this move affect the SBC's stance against women pastors?
Terri Jo Ryan interviewed DorisAnne Cooper, pastor of Waco's Lake Shore Baptist Church to obtain her views on the matter. I thought DorisAnne did an admirable job in vetting the issues.
(Although I would not classify Lake Shore as conservative, or evangelical. :))
Several things have emerged from this ongoing discussion that I feel strongly about.
I will begin by posing them as questions --to more effectively frame the discussion:
1. Is there truly a parallel between the qualifications between (A)secular, high level, elected governmental office and (B) sacred, God ordained, selected church office?
2. Is gender or race for that matter really an issue for us in this culture, as it regards (A)?
3. Is gender an issue as it regards (B)?
For a patriarchal, ideologically homogeneous society, such as the theocratic, totalitarian regime in Iran, or in pre-9-11 Afghanistan, the answer is certain.
There is not an issue of women being qualified for high level service in government. There is a societal consensus, centered around an interpretation of the sacred text which is held as the highest law for society--that women are to be completely subservient.
Gender is interpreted as having everything to do with the right to govern and lead. If you're a male, you have that right. if you are female, you don't. It is as simple as that.
Over the 55 years of my short life, I have observed that there is a strong attraction among the sapient beings called humans, to the simplicity of such a governmental theocracy which can settle complicated matters such as this by "fiat"*.
In American, conservative, evangelical, even Southern Baptist fundamentalist terms--this simplistic ideology can be summed up in the saying: "The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it!" (Isn't that comforting?)
I am suspicious of right-wing Christian folks who seek to sway voters to return the US to the days when we were a country that followed Christian values...etc.
When humans seek to view their world in this way, then the answer is simple--women should not be allowed to serve in positions of leadership in the church...and this view causes people to question whether or not women should serve in high level governmental office either. To some of our more conservatively bent idealogical citizenry, the Bible speaks more for patriarchy than for gender equality. (This posture is NOT how I interpret the teachings of Jesus Christ, as He informs my daily walk.)
Thankfully, we are not living in a theocratic country like Iran.
The gender issue( and for that matter, the race issue) becomes quite problematic in a free society, where thoughts, interpretation and practice are allowed to flourish alongside one another. It leads to a clash of viewpoints.
Our westernized society has been profoundly influenced by a posture of acceptance and promotion of freedom of religion, and ideology(thought).
Whew. I am so thankful for the far sightedness of our founders in this regard. I am grateful that they were able to learn from the profoundly negative issues pertaining to freedom of thought generated by the marriage of church and state. Madison, Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, Hancock, Lee, Lincoln, M.L. King, I join the millions before me in a salute to your courage and fore-sight.
With this being our heritage, the ideological position of "keeping women in positions of subservience" has, like the institution of slavery, for example, gone by the wayside--although even this ideological issue wasn't really settled in the USA until the suffragette movement finally gave women the right to vote. M.L. King gave us clarity in the race issue only as recently as the 1960's.
Therefore, over the past century in the United States, many people have indeed progressed in their view of race and/or gender as an issue which informs a free thinking person of an individual's qualification to serve in governmental office.
As far as I am concerned,(and understand--I confess, I am a recovering, backwoods East Texas redneck ideologue!) with true conviction, the matter of gender and/or race is almost completely irrelevant as it regards a person's qualifications, gifted-ness, ability to govern, and yes, even to exercise the gifts of leadership and service in a body of Christ following believers.
I have personally experienced the potent leadership of a very gifted and qualified pastor in my home church of twenty years, Calvary Baptist Church. Even today, over a year after our "superstar", "exemplary woman in ministry" pastor has left us for a "bigger and better" place of service.( Thank you, Julie PR) the raising up of excellent leaders from among the body, and we include all the women of our church.(We collectively believe that the Almighty God, the Father, is able to gift women as well as men-through His Spirit-in any way He so wills.)
Therefore, I have no issue whatsoever taking direction as a council member from our current organizationally gifted Coordinating Council chairperson, Dr. Dawn Carlson( who is a PhD in organizational management, and teaches Graduate level Management at Baylor) ; or as a deacon from our Deacon Chairperson, Sharon Hoffman, who has recently led the local Bible Study Fellowship non profit organization for ten years, quite effectively.
I praise God who has raised up such gifted-ness and talent from amongst our membership to assume these leadership positions.
Moreover, in the secular realm, our city of Waco has benefited from gifted and qualified women serving as City Manager and Mayor, within the past decade.
Did they serve without opposition?
No, and neither has any male in such office.
Do women in ministry serve with a 100% consensus from the whole population within and without the church body itself?
No, and neither has any male pastor I have ever served under, and worked with.
So, to boil it all down, I am certain that women and men-- including people of minority racial background, are at least by gender and race-qualified as leaders, in both governmental and church settings.
But, is the whole of society in the United States as certain?
Probably not. ( or else we wouldn't be seeing frotn page articles about it.)
Will many people cast their vote based on gender or race?
Probably so.
Is this a good thing?
No, not in my opinion.
The necessity in this election season, and in this season at our church as we seek a new pastor to lead our body, is to consider our leaders as we vote, or as we call pastors, based on their own individual qualifications in regards to their wisdom and knowledge, upward capabilities, beliefs and aspirations for servant hood, and as best we can, ascertain their personal character qualities.
I hope that we as a civilized society can someday look to the issues and to the qualifications, and get away from the present focus on issues of race and gender. But, today is not that day.
My prayer is that we are coming closer and closer to that day as we all learn together.
Terri Jo Ryan interviewed DorisAnne Cooper, pastor of Waco's Lake Shore Baptist Church to obtain her views on the matter. I thought DorisAnne did an admirable job in vetting the issues.
(Although I would not classify Lake Shore as conservative, or evangelical. :))
Several things have emerged from this ongoing discussion that I feel strongly about.
I will begin by posing them as questions --to more effectively frame the discussion:
1. Is there truly a parallel between the qualifications between (A)secular, high level, elected governmental office and (B) sacred, God ordained, selected church office?
2. Is gender or race for that matter really an issue for us in this culture, as it regards (A)?
3. Is gender an issue as it regards (B)?
For a patriarchal, ideologically homogeneous society, such as the theocratic, totalitarian regime in Iran, or in pre-9-11 Afghanistan, the answer is certain.
There is not an issue of women being qualified for high level service in government. There is a societal consensus, centered around an interpretation of the sacred text which is held as the highest law for society--that women are to be completely subservient.
Gender is interpreted as having everything to do with the right to govern and lead. If you're a male, you have that right. if you are female, you don't. It is as simple as that.
Over the 55 years of my short life, I have observed that there is a strong attraction among the sapient beings called humans, to the simplicity of such a governmental theocracy which can settle complicated matters such as this by "fiat"*.
In American, conservative, evangelical, even Southern Baptist fundamentalist terms--this simplistic ideology can be summed up in the saying: "The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it!" (Isn't that comforting?)
I am suspicious of right-wing Christian folks who seek to sway voters to return the US to the days when we were a country that followed Christian values...etc.
When humans seek to view their world in this way, then the answer is simple--women should not be allowed to serve in positions of leadership in the church...and this view causes people to question whether or not women should serve in high level governmental office either. To some of our more conservatively bent idealogical citizenry, the Bible speaks more for patriarchy than for gender equality. (This posture is NOT how I interpret the teachings of Jesus Christ, as He informs my daily walk.)
Thankfully, we are not living in a theocratic country like Iran.
The gender issue( and for that matter, the race issue) becomes quite problematic in a free society, where thoughts, interpretation and practice are allowed to flourish alongside one another. It leads to a clash of viewpoints.
Our westernized society has been profoundly influenced by a posture of acceptance and promotion of freedom of religion, and ideology(thought).
Whew. I am so thankful for the far sightedness of our founders in this regard. I am grateful that they were able to learn from the profoundly negative issues pertaining to freedom of thought generated by the marriage of church and state. Madison, Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, Hancock, Lee, Lincoln, M.L. King, I join the millions before me in a salute to your courage and fore-sight.
With this being our heritage, the ideological position of "keeping women in positions of subservience" has, like the institution of slavery, for example, gone by the wayside--although even this ideological issue wasn't really settled in the USA until the suffragette movement finally gave women the right to vote. M.L. King gave us clarity in the race issue only as recently as the 1960's.
Therefore, over the past century in the United States, many people have indeed progressed in their view of race and/or gender as an issue which informs a free thinking person of an individual's qualification to serve in governmental office.
As far as I am concerned,(and understand--I confess, I am a recovering, backwoods East Texas redneck ideologue!) with true conviction, the matter of gender and/or race is almost completely irrelevant as it regards a person's qualifications, gifted-ness, ability to govern, and yes, even to exercise the gifts of leadership and service in a body of Christ following believers.
I have personally experienced the potent leadership of a very gifted and qualified pastor in my home church of twenty years, Calvary Baptist Church. Even today, over a year after our "superstar", "exemplary woman in ministry" pastor has left us for a "bigger and better" place of service.( Thank you, Julie PR) the raising up of excellent leaders from among the body, and we include all the women of our church.(We collectively believe that the Almighty God, the Father, is able to gift women as well as men-through His Spirit-in any way He so wills.)
Therefore, I have no issue whatsoever taking direction as a council member from our current organizationally gifted Coordinating Council chairperson, Dr. Dawn Carlson( who is a PhD in organizational management, and teaches Graduate level Management at Baylor) ; or as a deacon from our Deacon Chairperson, Sharon Hoffman, who has recently led the local Bible Study Fellowship non profit organization for ten years, quite effectively.
I praise God who has raised up such gifted-ness and talent from amongst our membership to assume these leadership positions.
Moreover, in the secular realm, our city of Waco has benefited from gifted and qualified women serving as City Manager and Mayor, within the past decade.
Did they serve without opposition?
No, and neither has any male in such office.
Do women in ministry serve with a 100% consensus from the whole population within and without the church body itself?
No, and neither has any male pastor I have ever served under, and worked with.
So, to boil it all down, I am certain that women and men-- including people of minority racial background, are at least by gender and race-qualified as leaders, in both governmental and church settings.
But, is the whole of society in the United States as certain?
Probably not. ( or else we wouldn't be seeing frotn page articles about it.)
Will many people cast their vote based on gender or race?
Probably so.
Is this a good thing?
No, not in my opinion.
The necessity in this election season, and in this season at our church as we seek a new pastor to lead our body, is to consider our leaders as we vote, or as we call pastors, based on their own individual qualifications in regards to their wisdom and knowledge, upward capabilities, beliefs and aspirations for servant hood, and as best we can, ascertain their personal character qualities.
I hope that we as a civilized society can someday look to the issues and to the qualifications, and get away from the present focus on issues of race and gender. But, today is not that day.
My prayer is that we are coming closer and closer to that day as we all learn together.
| *Definition: fiat- a formula containing the word fiat, by which a person in authority gives sanction. |
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