JD: David it seems to me this is going to be the growing issue as time goes by. Remind us what are some of the main arguments used to say that women should be Pastors and elders and then how would you respond to them in general?
DJ: Well first of all Jimmy this isn’t about women being inherently inferior to men or less qualified or less gifted in any way. In fact I know women who are better preachers with better leadership and people skills and who are smarter and know the Bible better than many men I’ve heard from pulpits or who lead mega churches or reach millions by tv each week but that’s not the point.
One argument for women is pastors and leaders is often the example of strong women leaders in the Old Testaments. According to Jewish tradition there were seven prophetess that of course God raised that Debra as a judge. However there were gender specific roles in the Old Testament. Prophets, priests, kings, and judges were intended by God to be primarily gender specific with only a few exceptions not as a general order of business. So they were exceptions not rules.
Another argument is that women were the first to be eyewitnesses of the Resurrection and were foundational to spreading the gospel message. And yet it was Peter and John who assembled the disciple in Galilee to meet the Resurrected Jesus. And as much is made of the many women who Paul mentions in his letters. They did have significant roles specifically Priscilla’s role along with Aquila and discipling Appuals yet that doesn’t place her in a public role of teaching and having leadership in the local church. Another argument is that there is no male or female but that’s about salvation not service. And then finally in II Timothy 2 the context is about raising up spiritual leadership to combat false teachers in the church. So Paul goes back to the order of creation and the nature of the fall as the historical and theological basis for his instruction for women to not teach or exercise authority over men and this transcends both history and culture.
JD: David James with the information on a mega church ordaining women to be pastors in that mega church.
We report this information because it is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
David’s response to those who use the Bible however, wrongly to back up their opinion of ordaining women as pastors is a key point in this discussion. It is not opinion but God’s absolute instruction in the Bible that are the pathway forward especially in these the end times. Paul wrote in I Timothy chapter 3 the requirements for ordination.
