The CBE Scroll

Comment by Trev

November 18, 2006 @ 11:17 pm

Maybe, just maybe they will have a better experience than many of us to date. Sometimes we know too much and expect opposition where newer people in ministry can enter in more boldly and hopefully make an impact before the whole issue of pastoral care versus correct teaching kicks in.

Comment by Kathryn

November 19, 2006 @ 11:49 pm

I hope that they bring books and other materials that teach biblical equality, for the issue surely will come up, and they will need solid information to back up their egalitarian beliefs.

Comment by Lori

November 29, 2006 @ 4:11 pm

It might also be a case that they just don’t feel like making waves. I attended a Southern Baptist church for years, but had no idea about their views on women because the church never talked about it. I knew they were probably complementarian since they had an all-male staff, but to their credit they never pushed any gender relations agenda. Maybe the couple above plans to follow that example. After all, if they “came out” as fire-breathing egalitarians then I can imagine they might get into trouble with their denomination. Perhaps they prefer to minister by personal example instead.

And of course, it also depends on whether any women in the congregation desire to lead anything traditionally led by a man. Having spent my entire life in the church, and most of my life in complementarian churches, I can say from personal experience that few women (and far too few men!) have a desire to step up and lead anything. In complementarian churches especially, since the women have been conditioned to accept the fact that they’re not supposed to lead anything except the women’s ministry, most of them simply don’t think about doing anything else, or if they do they keep it to themselves.