Women professors unbiblical?

[MrVersatile48]

From http://www.crosswalk.com

Baptists Divided Over Female Professors Teaching Men

The Christian Post reports that Southern Baptists are divided over Southwestern Baptist Theological seminary's decision to dismiss a female faculty member because of the Pauline stance that women should not be allowed to teach theology to men.

Sheri Klouda received her doctorate from Southwestern and was hired for a tenure-track position in 2002 teaching Hebrew. In 2004, however, Klouda was informed she should seek another job as tenure would not be an option. Klouda now teaches at Taylor University in Indiana.

Van McClain, chairman of Southwestern trustees, said the seminary is holding to the "traditional, confessional and biblical position" that women should not teach men in theology or biblical languages, calling Klouda's hiring, "a momentary lax of the parameters."

Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson, calling the decision "a very serious, ethical, moral breach," countered: "Sheri Klouda is not a pastor, she has not been ordained or licensed, she does not perform ministerial duties. She is a professor, for heaven's sake. The same institution that conferred her degree and hired her has now removed her for gender."

Klouda's take: "I don't think it was right to... remove me without any cause other than gender."

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Priscilla & Aquila together taught Apollos in Acts - which also refers to prophetesses & to a female apostle, Junia, yes?

Ian

 

[Imagican]

Ah, another case of those 'poor misunderstood women'.

The 'world' is NOT interested in The Word. Therefore it shuns such understanding and behavior. Those that seek power, prestige and position CERTAINLY do not understand why ANYTHING should 'get in their way'. Too bad, really.

MEC

 

[jsasaki06]

Jesus was against injustice and spoke on behalf of the oppressed. Making life better and more fulfilling for people (everyone, not just those in majority power) was part of what made Jesus' teachings great.

 

[Timf]

1 Timothy 2:11-14
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

One reason for women not to teach is a greater inclination to being deceived. However one can make a case that assembly line seminary classrooms are removed from the Biblical model of apprenticeship anyway and what passes for ministerial "education" is just indoctrination into denominational franchise administration. Given that most seminaries are off track to begin with, can women contribute anything more harmful?

The question should not be can women be allowed to teach, or can women be allowed to teach languages. The question should be are seminaries the Biblical way to prepare men for the ministry.

 

[Imagican]

1 Timothy 2:11-14
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

One reason for women not to teach is a greater inclination to being deceived. However one can make a case that assembly line seminary classrooms are removed from the Biblical model of apprenticeship anyway and what passes for ministerial "education" is just indoctrination into denominational franchise administration. Given that most seminaries are off track to begin with, can women contribute anything more harmful?

The question should not be can women be allowed to teach, or can women be allowed to teach languages. The question should be are seminaries the Biblical way to prepare men for the ministry.

WOW!!

Tim,

Words of wisdom indeed.

If we look to the secular world in which we live it is OBVIOUS that it teaches EQUALITY in 'station' that has NEVER been offered in scripture. For WOMEN ARE to be in submission to men. That this is NOT The 'way of the world' offers NO 'truth in Spirit'. For the 'world' IS lost and WILL NOT submit to the authority of God.

Gay pastors, women teachers, these things are NOT as offered in 'truth'. That the "world'' ACCEPTS 'their OWN' has little effect on those that follow in TRUTH.

I have NO PROBLEM with women being 'WHATEVER' they CHOOSE, nor do I have a problem with MEN accepting it. But as far as scripture is concerned, the Bible SPEAKS for itself. Either one ACCEPTS the TRUTH or they simply DENY IT. That IS up to the INDIVIDUAL. But in ORDER to become as CLOSE to God as we CAN, we MUST adhere to that which He has offered through the prophets and apostles. Were the word of Paul INSPIRED or 'just his own'? An answer to this question IS able to TEACH those that are willing to face the question in TRUTH.

Blessings,

MEC

 

[cyberjosh]

I think this topic needs to be clarified, because there is certainly no problem with women professors in general. I didn't know this was about women teaching in a seminary until I actually read a little down. But yeah think I may have to agree that women are not to teach theology to men, although Women (as Mothers) have the distinct privilege and duty to teach their own children and raise them up, and the Bible also admonishes the older women to teach the younger (so women can teach women - and that's why some Churches have a "women's ministry"), but they are always to be submissive to the elders or pastor or whoever's headship they are under. I've always been iffy about "Women Pastors", but I believe it may be alright if it is a co-partnership with the woman's husband (if he is a Pastor) where even if the woman teaches she is immediately answerable to her husband in accountability. But women that are pastors whose husbands are not, upsets the God ordained authority structure in the Family. This is a very big topic, and I'm only generalizing, but these were the thoughts that hit me at first.

 

[Free]

I think this is all a case of one verse gone awry. This puts such theology on a slippery slope. If women can't preach in church, teach men in Sunday school, teach men in a seminary, then it would also follow that women can't tell men the good news while on missions or at work, therefore changing what Jesus meant by the Great Commission.

And once one is going down that slope, one must ask whether or not women should be taught in the same setting as men. After all, if women are taught in the same setting as men, who are the women teachers going to teach? We are now reverting back to the segregation between men and women during teaching, much like Judaism and Islam. Jesus did much to set women free and give them value; we ought not go back to the way it was prior to Christ.

It is very dangerous to build a theology out of such a small mention of something in Scripture.

One reason for women not to teach is a greater inclination to being deceived.

I don't think that is the case. It's not like Adam spoke up and said, "I think we're being deceived." He was there and deceived just as Eve was.

However one can make a case that assembly line seminary classrooms are removed from the Biblical model of apprenticeship anyway

No, one can't. That was just the way it was done back then. It would be like those who make the case that churches as we know them, with large buildings, etc., are unbiblical since there were only house churches back then. It's all just absurd, as though Christianity has to be stuck in a time warp and can't grow as the living Church that it is.

what passes for ministerial "education" is just indoctrination into denominational franchise administration.

And what's better? Using the model of apprenticeship in a particular church? That is no different and perhaps worse since even within denominations there are a variance of teachings. Just as with seminary, a future minister will choose who will teach him and it will likely be someone in the denomination he already belongs to. Any which way you go about Christian education, you will never escape "denominational franchise administration".

Given that most seminaries are off track to begin with, can women contribute anything more harmful?

They are not off track to begin with. And yes, women certainly could contribute something more harmful, such as selling their bodies on the street. I really can't believe that Christians can be so concerned about whether or not a woman teaches a man while there are women selling themselves, among other things.

I think the doctrine that women can't teach men is extremely harmful and I think a biblical and historical case can be made against it.

 

[Devekut]

I think the doctrine that women can't teach men is extremely harmful and I think a biblical and historical case can be made against it.

I agree. While avoiding falling into that modern error that male and female are simply the irrelevant "packaging" that the person appears in, making them interchangable in all things, I do think we need to excercise reason and remember the God-given dignity and equality of both sexes. Certainly there are places for men and women respectively, but women are not intellectually nor spiritually inferior, they are as capable of men, I think, in conveying the Gospel truth.

[sidenote] from my Catholic perspective the above opinion makes a distinction between being teachers of the Gospel and belonging to the priestly ministry.