The first time I heard a women preach, I almost left the sanctuary. I studied the relevant passages a few times and heard a woman preach again a few years later. I didn’t want to leave this time, but I said to myself, “Boy, she’s a bad speaker.” I read some more, took some classes at a Restoration Movement school and heard females preach in my preaching class. My first thought was, “She’s a better preacher than I am.” Then I got a seminary degree from an RM school and don’t even blink when I hear a woman preach.

It is hard for me to articulate an argument in favor of women preaching without making analogies to racism throughout the last 200 years or so, without foregrounding Galatians 3:28, without using Greek words, and without discussing the context of women’s role in the first century.

The argument I would make is this: in the verses surrounding the “women” passages we find contextual commands (braided hair, max of three speakers, head coverings, etc) that we ignore…I mean apply what it means rather than what it says. We need to do the same thing in “confusing” passages that we do for “easy” passages. What works for Acts 2:38 works in 1 Timothy 2 or 1 Corinthians 11 or Titus.

Don’t over think things. God did not intend us to spend hours debating how old a boy becomes a man, how many men in a group makes it a mixed audience, whether prayers in between songs are the same as prayers before communion, whether missionary reports are the same as sermons, whether communion meditations are a teaching time, or whether teaching adult Sunday school is the same as teaching the whole church. God intended us to use the gifts the Holy Spirit gave us to best serve God’s church. In God’s church there is no “male nor female, slave to free, Greek nor Jew…we are all one in the body of Christ.”

Jodi and Jen did not ask to be mentioned in an article, nor do they need a “platform” out of an unhealthy drive.

The decision for them to teach is mine, i am their boss, servant, leader, advocate and friend—any quarrel about if they “should” teach is a quarrel with me asking them to…some of the previous comments jumped to some pretty crazy assumptions about the character/motive of these women!

You can challenge a lot of things…but when you challenge the character of Jodi, Jen, and Rhesa (also a great friend)…you are so far out of line…and out of your league!

-At best this is a non essential…which i think means liberty.
-Cultural context (of that day and today) has to play some role in how we understand this topic
-Historically there is lots of room to land on both sides of this topic…without being evil

i won’t go back and forth with any of you on a message board–in fact i’ve already wasted too much time on this one, but if you want a legitimate conversation (vs telling me how wrong i am) here is my email: mike.hickerson@missionventura.com

You brought to mind some comments that were published in the Christian Standard back on Jan 2, 1892 as a yearly report “From the Field” by Mrs. Clara C. Babcock:

“Rock Falls [IL], Nov 1 — Have closed my year’s labor, and have received a call to the fourth years’ work for Erie and third for Thomson, and have entered upon the new year hopefully. Although I have not reported work done since my last annual report, I have not been idle. My eye has caught from time to time contributions from the fertile brains of my strong brethren, with some editorial hints against woman’s work in the ministry, as well as some words of encouragement. Regardless of all this I have patiently and steadily worked on, and can say with the apostle, none of these things move me. . . . The visible results of my year’s work are 96 additions . . . preached 240 sermons, 16 funerals . . . , 12 weddings, 470 visits made, 1,500 miles traveled to and from my labor. Am now in perfect health. Have not missed an appointment in over four years. I feel strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, and in his strength shall continue the heart-to-heart conflict with the enemy of souls and for the extension of God’s kingdom.”

Mrs. Babcock continued to preach and baptize in a number of Church of Christ and Christian Church congregations until suffering a debilitating stroke in Savanna, IL, at the age of 74. Her obituary (published in the Christian Standard on July 25, 1925) reports that she “was taken sick at the Sunday evening services after administering baptism to two candidates, making 1,502 she had buried in baptism.’

She is only one among many who were/are part of a long (and continuing) heritage of women and men “patiently and steadily” serving together in the work of the gospel in the Churches of Christ and Christian Churches.

So, I think you’ve done a wonderful job identifying this undercurrent in our churches. But the deeper question is, once a problem has been identified, what should we do about it? I think it’s wrong to shrug our shoulders and say “that’s just the way it is, until culture changes”… what happened to the church driving culture instead of culture driving the church?

Just questions to ponder. Thanks for another great post!

I will say this, women, you are joining a long line of women in ministry. A tradition that is traced back to Scripture, not culture. Continue in your work for the church and for the Gospel with the knowledge that you have the prayers and support of millions behind you. The work you are doing is changing the world for the better and for God. He will continue to bless your ministries as you continue to follow him!

Well done Jim. Thanks for the insight!