I'm sure that there will not be any casting off of brassieres for a quick camera shot. However, the faculty and staff of Ashland Seminary are calling women to cast off any modest, Biblical restraints which befits a Christian woman in their fall conference.
Breaking Stained Glass Ceilings: Women Called to Preach and to Lead, the title of the conference scheduled for this October, is a fitting follow-up to the seminary's Paul Young/Shack conference of last year. Young and his Shack book oozed with egalitarianism and helped to blur the ever fading line of orthodoxy. Now that some significant holes have been poked in the Biblical notions of Scripture's authority ATS is seeking to ram a truck in to finish off what may be left of any sort of Scriptural understanding of manhood and womanhood.
At least ATS is not being anywise subtle about what they are seeking to accomplish. The phrase "Breaking Glass Ceilings" is an overt feminist motto. The only way they could be more accurate would be to label their conference "Breaking Eternal Truth."
You might say that the only glass ceiling ATS will be breaking with this conference is their own. Up until this time the seminary has seemed to be somewhat quiet in their promotion of feminism. With this conference they seem to be now making a public declaration that they are full blooded feminists and biblical frauds.
Those who call themselves Bible scholars should easily understand the plain teaching of the Scripture on the matter of women in office. The Bible is quite clear on the subject. It says that there isn't supposed to be any.
In the beginning God created man to be the leader and head of the family. This is evident from the fact that Adam was the representative of mankind in the fall. And because society and churches are merely groups of families, it naturally follows that men are to be the leaders in those spheres.
With the fall the battle of the sexes began. God says to Eve that her desire will be for her husband, a reference to the desire to usurp his rightful position as leader. The sinful nature now produces a discontent with her God given position of submission.
In the book of Isaiah 3 (particularly verse 12) we see this curse played out. The passage make it clear that women leading is a sign of God's curse upon that society. The state of Israel at this time was one of complete apostasy. With the declension of spirituality there came a deficit of good, manly leadership. Women and children came to be authoritative heads. In a mocking tone Isaiah prophesies, "Women and children rule over you." For an in depth study of this passage, please refer to this message entitled, "When Women Rule Us."
It is interesting that the ATS "scholars" cannot bring together a biblical theology of womanhood up to this point. What's even more distressing is that they gloss over 1 Timothy 2:12, which billboards God's disapproval of women in office. The Spirit expressly says, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather she is to remain quiet." The various Biblical studies Ph.D's at ATS would be able to tell you that the words "to teach or to exercise authority" is a literary device called hendiadys, where two words are used to describe one thing. In this case the referent is the authoritative teaching office of minister/pastor/elder.
Were that not enough, God mentions immediately afterwards in verse 13 His creational structure as the reason for this command, "For Adam was formed first, then Eve."
Of course, there his that whole notion of an elder being the "husband of one wife." But obviously this is the next stained glass ceiling that will need to be broken. Elders won't have to have just one wife. And the women pastors won't either.
From what I know ATS has not reached that level of their apostasy yet. I pray they never do. As I walk through the campus, I pray that the Spirit will bring a spirit of repentance to the administrators and faculty.
Until then, steer clear of the cesspool.
5 comments:
This is so sad. Too bad they couldn't have been at the True Woman conference this past weekend in Indianapolis where 6100 women were saying "Yes, Lord!" to Biblical womanhood! Did you know that Mary Kassian just wrote a book entitled, Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild? She spoke on that at the conference. Nancy Leigh Demoss said that we are definitely like salmon swimming upstream--even amongst so many other Christians. We're in a battle, but praise God, we know who the victor is! Thanks for your post.
UGH...I agree this is very sad. Why must you take everything in the Bible so literally. The ideas and "laws" found in the Bible were created to restore peace during a time of complete moral and mental chaos. We now know that woman are just as capable as men of being in charge, of working, and of being a faithful christian. The whole point of feminism is to drop those ancient rules from women and let them be whoever and whatever they want.
Anon: I never said that women were uncapable. God has gifted women with extrodinary capabilities. However, those gifts and talents are to be used in the way God has ordained.
At the same time we don't deny the Scripture's truth and relavance to today's world. If we take your approach and say that those laws were only for a long time ago we do a number of things: The first is to deny that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His law code is an expression of His divine will that cannot change.
Secondly, we lose any divine guidance as to what makes for appropriate womanhood (or manhood for that matter). As sinners we should admit that our tendency is to deny our God given design. That we are wicked at heart (Jer. 17:9) should remind us we need direction on the matter of who we were created to be.
Thirdly, to take your approach opens the door to all kinds of evil. We could say, on the basis of your reasoning, that we ought to drop those laws pertaining to homosexuality, rape, incest, bestiality, murder, dishonoring parents, lying, etc. because they were for a different, chaotic time. We shouldn't worry about such things, but let people be whoever and whatever they want.
In the end, this kind of interpretation leads to a book of Judges kind of life: everyone doing what is right in his own eyes.
As Christians, we confess that God knows what perfect femininity (or masculinity) really is and He has revealed it in His eternal word. By faith we trust what He has caused to be written and seek to conform our lives to it.
I'm not saying we change our current "laws". Rape, insest, and murder hurt others and that goes against common morality...it's not just a christian law. However, homosexuality has absolutely nothing to do with you...what I do in my bed is no concern of yours nor does it affect your life in anyway. My point is that first off...these feminist aren't the kind of girls you see on "Girls Gone Wild". Feminists throw off their bras to represent their freedom from a male dominated society not to get on tv. (and they still keep their shirts on) I completely respect your view on how God wants manhood or womanhood to be. However, we know way too much about human sexuality that reaches way beyond religion to say that people should stick to their gender roles just because they are born with certain body parts. That is what feminism is about, not being constricted to a position that society or religion gives us. I guess I just don't understand why you would want to keep women in a Biblical position when we know that women can do so much more for society.
Anon said, "However, we know way too much about human sexuality that reaches way beyond religion to say that people should stick to their gender roles just because they are born with certain body parts."
What you just said, if I could summarize, is, "We're smarter than God."
I don't know what you mean when you say, "Women can do much more for society." If you look at Proverbs 31 and the other passages of Scripture that deal with Biblical womanhood, it would seem to be hard going to top all that a Biblical woman does in and for society.
What you cannot fathom is that a position of humble submission is a position where a woman maximizes her potential and becomes most productive for society.
On another note: To say that homosexuality does not hurt society and is of no business of others because it happens behind closed doors is a very naive statement. Marriage was instituted for the common good and for building societies. When the God ordianed sexuality is disrupted, society is disrupted.
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