Reader Question- Female Ordination

What is your view of "the call" and churches that don't ordain women pastors? How do you feel about it... are women just called to be helpers?- Jennifer


Short Answer, no.

Long Answer,  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Interesting thing about the word helper. The phrase is often taken from Genesis where it is said that Eve was created to be a "helper" to Adam. The same word is used to describe exactly one other being in the entire Scripture. That being? God. So the word itself certainly cannot be said to imply subservience.

I understand that there is a long and time-honored tradition of excluding women from, well, pretty much anything, but I am happy to say that this position is very difficult to back up, Biblically. Sure, there are some texts that can be taken to mean that women should be silent in Church, but given that the letters with those exhortations were being written to churches with female leadership, it seems that either A) Paul didn't practice what he preached or B) There was more going on in that conversation than we know.

This puts us in a situation where the Biblical record is unclear when it comes to direct exhortation on the issue of female leadership, which then takes us to looking for examples. If the Bible should prove to be devoid of any female leadership, then the weak case from exhortation becomes stronger.

Yeah, not happening.

Given the context in which it was written, the Bible is packed to the gills with female leadership. Rebekah (the one who actually made decisions during Isaac's "Patriarchy," remind me to tell you about her sometime.) Miriam, the one who actually arranged for Moses to be raised in Pharaoh's household. Mary and Martha, who where the first to discover Jesus had risen. Dorcas, from the book of Acts, who brought her entire household into the faith.

And Deborah. Oh Lord, Deborah. ANYONE who tells you that women are not meant to be leaders have huge blinders where Deborah is concerned. Here is a woman who was not just a prophet, (a spiritual leader, like a pastor) but also a Judge, which meant she was a Political and Military leader as well. And a darn good one, easily the best of the Judges, the LONE Judge who didn't come with a catch, whose rule was entirely positive for the people of Israel.

As for me, I never really questioned female leadership, because I knew female pastors growing up. I felt the Holy Spirit stir in me as they preached.

And frankly, if God is going to bless their ministry like that, then who the hell am I, or anyone else, to deny them?

Women can absolutely be ordained pastors. And I am really looking forward to the day when no one will have to run the question past me to make sure its all legit.