Women Preachers are “Deeply Scriptural”?
Yes, according to Halee Gray Scott, a researcher focused on evangelical women in leadership, women being in leadership positions in the church “is a model of leadership that is deeply scriptural, built not on personality nor an individual’s personal charisma, but on partnership,” she said. “It is a model that reflects the fullness of humankind, both male and female.” Thus, Willow Creek Church has chosen a man and woman to be their co-ed pastors.
Is it deeply scriptural? 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 (1 Timothy 2:11, 12). Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church (1 Corinthians 14:34, 35). A qualification for an elder or deacon in the churches is to be the “husband of one wife.” No, it’s NOT deeply scriptural. It’s clearly unscriptural and against God’s will for churches.
Steve Carter, the new male pastor, is quoted in a book he wrote, “My advice for those who want to live an invitational life is to show up with expectancy, with one ear attuned to heaven, so that when God whispers you’ll be ready to respond. God’s heartbeat is for humanity and He is inviting us to be ministers of reconciliation. He has given us a story of reconciliation and we are His ambassadors as if God was making his appeal through us. He wants to use you. When the spirit whispers, please say yes!”
This is dangerous teaching, my sisters in Christ, and it’s becoming all too common among female and male preachers/teachers and books like Jesus Calling. Everything we need for life and godliness are in God’s perfect LIVING Word. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Dan DeWitt responds to the notion that God speaks or whispers to us personally apart from His Word: “You see, the truth is that God has spoken to you. He has preserved his Word. It has been written down by multiple authors across generations communicating one over arching story, providing you with an external reference point to know what God has to say to you today.
‘For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man,’ the Apostle Peter wrote, ‘but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit’ (2 Peter 1:21). Instead of a subjective experience where God ‘speaks’ to you, you have the objective words of God, passed down through the ages, affirmed by the church, and applied by the Spirit.”
According to the Christianity Today article, “About a decade ago, the booming Chicago-area megachurch (Willow Creek) pivoted from what had been deemed a ‘seeker sensitive’ approach’ to explicitly focus more on Christian growth and discipleship among its members.” On the contrary, they’ve pivoted to a lukewarm, non-biblical church as stated in Revelation 3:15, 16.
I have a wonderful study for those of you who are interested. Read slowly through Psalm 119 and list all the things that this chapter has to say about God’s Word and how we are to relate to it. Verse 1: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Verse 2: Blessed are they that keep His testimonies. Verse 3: They walk in His ways. Verse 4: Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. Verse 5: O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes. These are just the first five verses 176 verses!
Every verse explains the importance of God’s Word. His will for us is to walk in obedience to what He has clearly commanded to us and then rest in Him. We don’t twist the Word of God to make it say what we want it to say. We don’t hear a “new and improved” word from the Lord. No, our delight is in His Word.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.
Hebrews 1:1, 2
7 thoughts on “Women Preachers are “Deeply Scriptural”?”
Thanks for the warning, Lori. I came across the article from CT yesterday and was saddened by it. As you say, this sort of thing {women as “pastors” or “co-pastors”} is becoming more and more common. It’s time to leave a church if such a change of leadership takes place. May we all be diligent in searching the Scriptures to see what things be so.
The idea of women preachers is not even remotely scriptural!! I’m sure you get a lot of women opposed to your teachings on this, but you hit the nail on the head with this post. A relative of mine became a woman preacher, and she would send cards with her title “Rev.” on the envelope. I lovingly informed her that this was a title I didn’t recognize or acknowledge according to what the scripture teaches… especially St. Paul’s teachings to the church. Thankfully, she doesn’t use her Rev. title in correspondence with me anymore. Keep up with your blog, Lori. It is so very needful during times such as these.
I’m having a little trouble understanding something you wrote.
Are you saying it’s unbiblical to think or say that God speaks to us currently? At all? Or do you just mean he isn’t speaking through people anymore like he did in the Bible? When someone says they prayed to God and God spoke to them, you are saying this isn’t real? (I’m not sure what I believe, just trying to understand what you meant.)
You referenced Jesus Calling which I still don’t fully understand what’s bad about it. (I’ve read your post a few times.) The author never claims that she is channeling Jesus when she writes. She is just writing what she thinks Jesus might say based on who he was and what we know about him.
I hope you can explain in more simple terms for me. Thanks.
Sarah Young, who wrote Jesus Calling, didn’t think Scripture was sufficient so she needed to sit with pen and paper in hand and listen to the voice of God. The Bible IS sufficient for us. It has everything we need for life and godliness. The problem with people saying they “heard from God” is they leave no room for argument. Women have told me God told them to divorce their husbands, begin a woman’s movement, become a doctor, etc. How do they know God told them this? They don’t. They may feel led to do it or want to do it, but God didn’t speak to them and tell them. He tells us how to live in His Word and then gives us freedom to choose the path upon which we walk.
I have heard some famous female preachers says, “God spoke to me and told me…” When I was younger, this used to intimidate me. “Why isn’t God speaking to me? These women must be so spiritual to have God speaking to them.” But now I know that God speaks to me clearly every single time I open up His Word. He exhorts, rebukes, encourages, warns, and gives me instructions on how I am to live my life. It’s His Word (the Bible) that transforms us as we renew our minds with the truth contained in it, not some woman who thinks she “hears” God speaking to her.
Here is another good article about the dangers of Jesus Calling:
https://www.challies.com/articles/10-serious-problems-with-jesus-calling/
The main problem with people saying God spoke to them is they dont compaee it to scripture. Satan could of put those ideas in their head. He is a cunning liar.
The way I’ve heard it explained was, when it’s God speaking to us, it will be for our eternal welfare. When it’s Satan talking to us, it will be detrimental for our eternal welfare.
If it’s not “good” that we’re hearing (where we think God is talking to us) it’s not God – it’s Satan.
Actually, the way I heard it explained was much better and much clearer, but I can’t remember the exact words I heard, only the concept. Satan is very cunning and very deceptive, but if we analyze what we’re hearing, and pray, it’s easy enough to figure out whether it’s God or Satan.
The word of God is the only way that God is attacked. He cannot be attacked physically. The church of [unspeakable] “damnation” of every generation has as its root some so-called special revelation – some subjective insight — at odds with His written and objective word …His LAW. This ‘free grace’ that is peddled is ultimately at odds with His law, devoid of His law, effectively stating that His law is not binding to those under grace. However, truth be that Christ ‘came to fulfill the law’ of God and ‘faith without works [in obedience to the law] is dead.’ They delude themselves and others; they are willingly ignorant.
The rebellion of women teaching and interpreting scripture for men [and for women beyond their scriptural call] has a long history in our land: Puritan Anne Hutchinson in 1636 Massachusetts Colony [her “intuition of the Spirit”], or Quaker Margaret Fell in the 1660s [“secret work of God going on in people’s minds” …at odds with scripture; God is not secret, but well known by His word], then into full-fledged threats of rebellion and demand for control over men by the likes of Abigail Adams [before the signing of the Declaration of Independence] have all lead to women openly taking over denominations [Episcopal, Methodists to start] of the church around 1800, and the start of offshoots like Unitarianism and Christian Science, on into Pentecostalism and its offspring, that magically cherry-pick obedience to His word.
Feminism in the church started well before the 1960s or even the 1910s. It is little wonder that we have, after 350 yrs of this, most of the so-called church of Christ accepting women in leadership and teaching roles of all kinds …and sorely blaspheming the word of God. This is a fire that no one should be playing with unless their skin is tough enough to withstand the fires of Hell.