Pastor has his eyes opened regarding faulty traditions

Pastor has his eyes opened regarding faulty traditions

I recently received this email from a Southern Baptist Pastor who watched the DVD “Women in Ministry Silenced or Set Free?” this summer:

Yes I did watch the video and thought it was very interesting. You made
some very valid observations…Your DVD was excellent…I must admit that my eyes were opened away from some faulty traditions from viewing your DVD objectively and un biased.

The question is how do we contend without being contentious? Many people, even women are steeped in tradition rather than educated in Scripture. Lord help us all!!!

It is a great question that he asked.

How do we present the message to others that God has not restricted women from using their spiritual gifts in the church when so many are still steeped in tradition instead of understanding the hard passages in context? I think that we need to be respectful and gracious, knowing that those who don’t agree with us are still our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We need to present the truth in love and with a respectful attitude. Anyone else have any suggestions on how to disagree without being disagreeable?

3 thoughts on “Pastor has his eyes opened regarding faulty traditions

  1. Cheryl, Good question and I think it’s one that deserves attention. But here’s the rub. We egalitarians are not going to change the minds of those who hold fast to tradition any more than “they” are going to convince “us” to formally adopt the complementarian view. Christian love and harmony among God’s people is one thing, but at the same time when some in the body of Christ want to make complementarianism an article of faith and indeed even a “condition” for salvation, we must stand firm and resolute. Luther understood this well when he nailed his 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517.
    Respectfully, H.

  2. Hey “H”,

    Yes, I understand what you mean. I was told by a Pastor when I first produced my DVD series that I would have no hope of changing the die-hard complementarians and the die-hard egalitarians would love my work. He said that the best group to reach would be those who are willing to have an open mind and who are willing to look at the biblical evidence. I consider myself to be in this category. I do not hold to the egalitarian position because I think that it is the fair way to treat women. I hold the egalitarian position because my strong belief in the inerrancy of scripture plus my belief that God inspired each word and each piece of grammar requires me to test all things and to hold fast to what is true. I simply have no way to make a complementarian position fit into the scripture when I take the passages in context and when I pay attention to each inspired word carefully laid out in scripture. The grammar itself inspired by the Holy Spirit in these passages literally shouts out the grievous errors of tradition. If someone would be willing to show me where I am wrong regarding the hard passages of scripture regarding women, I would in all sincerity look at what they show me, but they have a lot of scriptures to explain away and I cannot in all good conscience disregard scripture.

    This is exactly the reason why I felt it so important to produce a DVD on the hard passages of scripture on the women’s issue. For someone like me who loves truth more than personal comfort and more than an appeal to what is fair for women, I could not adopt the egalitarian position without knowing what the hard passages mean because scripture cannot contradict itself and truth is a place where all scripture can come fit together without contradiction. In other words if 99% of the bible allows women to minister and use their God-give gifts for the entire body of Christ but 1% seems to suggest that women are restricted by a strict charge of sin to keep them from opening their mouths to instruct a man in righteousness, then it compels me to know how all of these scriptures can be reconciled without contradiction.

    I can have fellowship with those who still believe that women teaching men is wrong but who will not accuse me of sin nor will they accuse me of not being saved. But to those who want to pull apart the body of Christ by saying that women who teach the bible to men and do not repent of this “sin” will find themselves in hell, I say enough is enough. When one part of the body of Christ tries to cut off another part, Jesus himself will bring an end to this internal warfare. Paul said that the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” But these men *are* saying that they personally have no need for women teachers. They say that other women and children need women teachers but they themselves do not have a need for women teachers. But Paul says you CANNOT say “***I*** have no need of you”. How can Paul say you cannot say “**I** have NO NEED of YOU” but they do say it? It is because although they can physically form the words they have no permission to say these words from Jesus Christ. When men in the body of Christ deny their own personal need for women teachers and they judge women as going to hell for being godly bible teachers, these men are going to be dealt with by Jesus and we need to stand up and withstand their error. We do so in love for the body of Christ and for our Savior, but it is time to stop this ungodly attack against Christian women. “Women in Ministry Silenced or Set Free?” is done in a very loving way, but that loving response is nothing less than my own 95 theses pegged on their door. Love is also firm and unbending when error seeks to tear apart the bride that Christ died for.

    Whew, now you sure got me going, didn’t you? I believe in a loving response and respect for men up to this “line in the sand” – when they take this side issue and make it a requirement of salvation, I believe this to be heresy and I for one will not stand for it. When they add to salvation something other than what God clearly told us is necessary, they are denying the true gospel of Christ because they are adding to that gospel. I ask these men to repent and be restored to their sisters in Christ.

  3. Well, right now I’m in a bible study group (is was suppose to be all Women/Only Women) I broke through that wall Praise Jesus. When we went around to tell alittle about ourselfs. I said in Love with a smile, My name is Michael,I’m a Evangelist, I got Ordained, Have degrees, and I’m a Christian For Biblical Equality, Those who might disagree I repect you and I’m thankful for letting me be apart of this group because I need to be fed and my church is giving me the run around. I prayed to the Lord about this and now I’m in a womens group (smile) and everyone Laughted and praised the Lord! So my story is I’m trying to win My/Our Brothers & Sisters to this Biblical View Point by my actions! Because you can talk till your blue in the face to some people, you know. “Be doer’s of the Word not just hearers!”

    I know this will help others!

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