Rev. Davis responds: This is the question that was recently asked of a panel of pastors at the Heidelberg Youth Camp. This question comes because of the teaching and impact of feminism in our culture. Just because many might be convinced of the teaching of feminism, it does not mean the teaching is from God.
We must remember that man, male and female, was created in the image of God. Mankind is to reflect the trinity! Mankind's first sin was allowing the woman to take the leadership in the family. Eve partook of the forbidden fruit and Adam followed her lead rather than be the God ordained leader in the family. Because of this, the image of God of righteousness and holiness was destroyed in man. Some of the image remained, but righteousness, holiness, and a proper knowledge of God was lost.
God from the beginning of the fall of man promised to restore the communion which was lost through the rebellion of man. To do so means that the image of God must be restored in mankind. For the image of God to be restored in man, man must be taught who God is and what he requires of man. Thus the first instruction given Adam and Eve was proper family roles.(Genesis 3:16- 17). Eve would bring forth children in pain. Also Eve would desire to control her husband in the same way sin sought to control Cain (Gen. 4:7), but Adam shall rule over Eve. Adam's primary role would be to provide for his family.
We should remember that even in the trinity the Father and the Son are co-etemal God. Both persons are fully God and both are God. But yet there is an order within the Godhead. Christ was submissive to the will of the Father even to the point of death. This did not make Christ any less of a person. A wife who submits to her husband does not mean she is less of a person. She must submit in areas which are not in violation of the teaching of the scripture. If her husband wanted her to sin, then she must obey God rather than man. Thus the order in the roles and equality of persons are preserved reflecting the unity of God and the order within the Godhead of persons.
This order within the marriage relationship is also to be seen in the relationship between Christ and the Church. Jesus Christ is the husband and the church is his bride. We must submit to Jesus Christ as his bride in everything.
Jesus appointed the Apostles to teach his bride how she should obey Him. Paul makes it clear that in the church, women are not to be teaching or exercising authority in the church, over men.
Paul bases his command for women in the church upon the order of creation. Paul writes in 1 Tim. 3:11-14, "Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." Paul is instructing Timothy how a person should act in the Household of God which is the church of the living God. (1 Tim. 3:15). The creation of Adam and Eve in the image of God is the basis for the order of roles between women and men m the church.
Another passage on this issue is 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. Paul writes, "Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church."
There are many things which we could draw out of these passages, but it is clear that women pastors is clearly wrong. The church who has a woman for a pastor is being an unfaithful spouse of Jesus Christ. It is a sin for the church to have a woman pastor. It is a sin for you to even listen to a woman preacher. Should the church reflect the teaching and beliefs of the world or the teachings of the scripture? The church should be transformed into the image of Christ not conformed to the ways of the world (Rom. 12:1-2).
-- Rev. Robert Davis, Herreid, SD, taken from Reformed Herald, July 1999