The Only Thing Worse than a Woman Pastor

A church in our local vicinity recently changed their denominational affiliation when their denomination took a turn into liberalism. The denominational change took place in June of 2023 when women were allowed to be ordained as "Pastors" or "elders."

I applaud my brother's courage for leaving that group. And, let's not fool ourselves. Such a step requires great courage today as the great momentum of our culture has turned to egalitarianism.

Egalitarianism is the false assumption that men and women are completely interchangeable. They claim to strive for "total equality," but it must be mentioned that that includes equality of function and purpose, not just worth and value. It is this moronic ideal that has men today attempting to chest-feed their hungry babies [spoiler alert: they stay hungry].

It's important to remember that God created man as male and female. The two genders have distinctive and important roles and functions, while maintaining equal value and worth. Like the plug and socket on an appliance, each is equally important but serves separate functions.

When liberals get on an airplane, they still hope it has a right wing and a left wing. Both are equally important. You don't get very far off the ground with two right wings! Let's just not forget that all creation has an intended order and an intended function.

Suffer Not a Woman to Teach

I'm going to begin by saying that not everyone on my side has this one quite right and we have done some damage to right thinking on this issue. But even the guys on my side who are a little off are far closer to the truth than the egalitarian will be.

The apostle Paul writes,

1 Timothy 2:11-14, 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. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Many Ephesians did worship in Greek cults, but Paul's arguments are based in creation order!

Conservative Christians are often beat down in our day with the false notion that Paul was addressing a local Ephesian heresy regarding the Artemis cult to Timothy. But Paul is clear. This is not a localized issue, but rather a general creation order issue.

Paul gives two reasons Timothy should forbid women from holding a pastoral teaching office in the church.

1. Adam was made first, then Eve.

2. Adam was not deceived, but Eve was deceived.

I take it that Paul is addressing two different issues because he says, "AND Adam was not deceived..." [emphasis mine]. In other words, there was something in Adam's nature that resulted from him being formed first that qualified him for leadership. He, by virtue of his nature, was given a different function, a different role.

Some folks take Paul's words to mean that it is okay for a woman to hold a teaching office in the church as long as she is under the authority of a man, but (again) Paul's language says the opposite. The two things he forbids are the woman who teaches and the usurpation of authority.

Who's the Boss?

This doesn't mean that every man is over every woman. It doesn't mean that women are not allowed to teach. It doesn't mean that women aren't allowed to teach things to men. It just means that, in the church of Jesus Christ, those who hold the office of teaching God's word in an authoritative way are to be men.

Women should teach in the assembly in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

In Colossians 3:16, the apostle encourages all of the church to teach one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. In our church, we know that songs teach and we encourage our women to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in their homes, in public, and in the assembly. These women are teaching good Bible doctrine, but they are not disobeying the apostle's charge to Timothy.

Jesus told his disciples to, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (see Mark 16:15). We fully anticipate that women will speak gospel truth to their friends, neighbors, and family. In this way, women can and should preach (even to men) and they are still not living in disobedience to Paul's word to Timothy.

Paul is speaking to Timothy about leadership within the church. He is talking about ordained elders, leaders, rulers in God's house. He is talking about the one who will stand before the assembled people of God, open the Bible, and say, "Thus saith the Lord..."

In a word, he is speaking about "authority."

Women Who Rule...

Rebellious "Christian" women get grumpy when you use that word. They say, "All the authority ought to belong to Jesus."

Of course, I agree with that, so I counter with, "Why then does it bother you when you don't have it?"

If all authority belongs to Jesus and he tells women not to rule in the churches, then you ought to obey Jesus. After all, that is all us men are trying to do. We simply want to agree with Jesus and his apostles. We're only trying to be obedient to our Lord when we tell women to get out of the pulpit.

In his message of judgment to God's visible people, Israel, Isaiah writes:

As for my people, children are their oppressors,

and women rule over them.

O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err,

and destroy the way of thy paths. (Isaiah 3:12)

Part of God's judgment was children and wives whose hearts were turned away from their fathers/husbands.

Part of God's judgment on his people was rebellious children who would not submit to the rule of their parents and rebellious women who would not submit to the rule of their husbands. In our day, as in Isaiah's, women are trying very hard to take ahold of the reins of the church. It is not working out so hot.

Women, in general, are proving they do not have the backbone to stand against new age heresies, "apostolic" revolution heresies, and LGBTQ+ agenda heresies attacking the church. They lack the spine and fortitude necessary to oppose false gospels and anti-Christ hopes.

This sort of thing is a direct attack on God's creation order and it cannot last. Perhaps my favorite fictional novels are the C.S. Lewis space trilogy. In the third and final book [spoiler alert (again)], the Naitonal Institute for Co-ordinante Experiments (the N.I.C.E.) is supremely evil in every way imaginable. At the end of the novel, in some of the best and most hopeful scenes in all literature, all creation revolts against their sinful "progress."

That's the kind of happy ending that we expect (as believers). Those who hate, defy, and redefine their nature to suit their sinful whims CANNOT last. We should stand against their sinful desires to butcher men and women and recreate them in their father's image. But we should recognize we are on the winning side as they are fighting against nature and nature's God!

But there is something even worse than women who pursue power.

...Men who Love to have it so.

I think the only thing worse than women who set themselves up as spiritual teachers over the flock of God are the men who empower them.

Watching screeching, childless, cat moms try to handle God's word is the equivalent of handing a two-year-old a sharpened sword. You know it's going to end in a bloodbath, but you're not sure how many people are going to be maimed in the process.

But I've noticed some of these churches have full audiences. And, man, I have got to admit... I don't get it!

Our society often shames men for being men. Sadly, many men have become accustomed to it.

I cannot imagine the kind of weak, sissified, beaten down, emasculated kind of man you would have to be to even darken the door of one of those places. When I was younger, my dad would reminisce, "Those were the days when men were men and the women were glad of it." I think I know what he meant now!

I'm so thankful for my wife. Just a few weeks ago, we saw a clip of a woman "preaching," and I made a similar comment. She told me she was thankful for my leadership in our home. I believe she would have a hard time respecting me if I led our family to such a place. She is such a grace to me and I am thankful for her being willing to submit to my leadership. It means the world to me and it is all of grace.

But that does not take away from the fact that God's grace, when it is bestowed, comes with certain obligations. God showed me grace before I ever met my wife and it taught me that I needed to be a leader in my home. I must be a man who can take a stand and protect those weaker than myself from the predators of the world (even if they are in sheep's clothing).

Female leaders are a huge problem in our world today. The only thing worse than a woman pastor is the men who empower them.

Let us pray for revival.

Men, grow a spine and take a loving stand. Love your wife as Christ loved the church, put one hand on the mast of your family and the other on the pulse of your family and let the Lord teach you how to steer the ship. Be the leaders God called you to be by leading your family to the safety of good, Christ-honoring leadership.

Women, submit to your husbands. Be thankful for loving and sincere leadership, even if it is flawed!

This is how we submit to Christ!