FEMININE GENDER AND THE PASTORATE

There is a stir amongst the wagons and it is a struggle that has affected many a denomination. This issue has been tied to racism as well as homosexuality by those arguing for and against women pastors. There are those who say that the restriction against women pastors is simply a cultural issue and the opposing view which states that the Bible restricts the position solely to men in spite of cultural tides. The pastoral epistles have been dissected by both sides of the issue and not surprisingly, both sides claim that theirs is the right interpretation. Here is how I see it.

Jesus chose twelve MEN to be His disciples. If Jesus was going to dismiss all gender distinctions through the cross, then why did He NOT pick six women, or three women or even just one woman to be a disciple. Jesus, for certain, was not afraid to break cultural traditions that were not biblical in foundation. He spoke to a Samaritan Woman when it was not proper to address either a Samaritan or a Woman(especially an adulteress) as taught by His contemporaries. Jesus was not afraid to challenge the cultural/popular notions of Sabbath keeping. Jesus was not afraid to challenge the cultural/popular notions of piety. Certainly, He was not afraid of addressing any issue that He faced. He reminded His listeners in the Sermon on the Mount that marriage was intended by God to be a relationship between one man and one woman. Why, then would He be afraid to challenge the cultural norms/popular notions then that only men could be elders/priests/Scribes etc.?

The cross did not erase any gender distinctions, socio-cultural distinctions or governmental distinctions. What the cross did erase is the fact that salvation was not afforded to a single race and gender but rather the Gospel was freely offered to all races, genders, social levels and governmental rankings. The Mosaic Priesthood was limited to the male gender. Apostleship was limited to the male gender. Paul, in his letter to Timothy, limited the office of elder and pastor to the male gender. This does not make the modern appreciation of this truth any more sexist than it was in Moses day, Jesus' day or Paul's day. It was simply a difference of role. It makes no distinction about who had the ability, but rather to whom the office was made available. This no more makes women second class citizens than it does a man who is not able to teach. It simply is the way that God designed this portion of the ministry. Please understand reader, that holding to the view that the pastorate is reserved for male gender only does not imply that I think of women as lesser vessels. The body is made of many parts. Each has a design and each has a role. The heart is no more capable of surviving without blood than the blood is capable of surviving without the heart. Yet, each has its role and design and cannot usurp the role of the other. Women are in fact instructed to teach. The older women are to instruct the younger women. Rather than seeking to take the role of the man, perhaps the woman ought to focus on that which was given to her.

And this is how I see it.