Conservative Christians, Sarah Palin, Women and Theology

From Stanley Scism
To Editor, USA Today
Date 2008 September 18
Re ‘The Palin Predicament’ by David Gushee

David Gushee gushes over perceived contradictions between conservative Christians’ cultural views, v their support for Sarah Palin. While his statements probably hold true for some people, consider:

First, what he says about women being banned from ministry is simply false. I belong to a quite conservative organization and I’ve met women pastors in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Maine, Delaware, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana. These are only my acquaintances–I’m sure there are more. And I know women who pastor in India, Nepal and Bhutan–I’m sure people visiting other nations can point to many more.

Second, he confuses home leadership and church leadership: I’ve asked women pastors about this, and the response is simply, ‘I lead the church; my husband leads our family.’ They follow the Biblical pattern for the family, yet recognize men and women equally inherit salvation and are gifted Spiritually. The roles differ; the family isn’t the church; a pastor doesn’t lead every family unit in the church he/she pastors. Is there something difficult to understand about this?

Third, reality dictates that some women lead homes because the mother is single (or she’s married but her husband is, say, a drunken layabout) and must, or that many women work jobs and help support families because mortgages and college education are expensive and the mother’s income helps a lot. Pastors understand this. Who doesn’t?

Fourth, he misinterprets Scripture. 1 Timothy 2.11-12 says a woman shouldn’t usurp (KJV) or take, grasp (Greek) authority. When a woman is elected or appointed to a position, that isn’t grabbing power. Can Gushee distinguish between taking something and being given it, between democracy and a coup?

Fifth, he tries through his series of questions at his article’s end to ungraciously extract a pound of flesh from his opponents’ imagined positions.

I’ll be first to admit that in the USA/Canada United Pentecostal Church we still define district (= diocese) leadership as being by men only, and I hope that will change so everyone’s gifts can be recognized, appreciated and can benefit us all–in that, I hope in the USA/Canada we will catch up to some of our Third World churches–but that’s one leadership facet only, and in many others, Gushee’s article exaggerated positions conservative Christians hold.

Stanley Scism