An Anomaly or a Break in the Dam?

This story, reported by Todd Rhoades' Monday Morning Insight, is notable for two reasons. First is the content. Irving Bible Church's elders made the decision to allow their female Pastor to Women, Jackie Roese, to preach Sunday in the worship service--the first time a woman had been given the right to do so there. IBC is a conservative, evangelical Bible church with strong ties to Dallas Theological Seminary, and this marks the first time of which I am aware that one of the Bible churches within that circle has had a woman preach. Further, the elders have indicated their belief that this is the proper theological direction for the church--espousing what they call "an ethic in progress." Even so, they have concluded that the role of elder is given solely to men, so Mrs. Roese's preaching will be under their authority.

This leads me to the second notable fact--this represents an attempt to place the ability of a woman to preach to the congregation within a "complementarian" framework--that is, it maintains the idea that there are distinctions in roles between men and women within the church (the home would be the second venue of such distinctions, but is not discussed in this report). Most who believe that women are free to preach in churches hold "egalitarian" perspectives (that there are no continuing distinctions of roles between male and female within the church--some would add the home as well--based on their interpretation of Galatians 3:28 and the view that restrictions in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy apply only to the specific cultures and times in which those passages were written). IBC's elders have concluded that women may exercise a preaching gift over women and men.

Is preaching the same thing as exercising authority? And if so, should a woman do so? For most of us, preaching/teaching carries more than the idea of dispensing information--it involves a call to response. It would seem that a preacher, by virtue of his (or her) activity, is in some way exercising authority. In 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul says he does not "permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man..." in the context of public worship, basing this on both the created order (man was created first, then woman) and order of deception in the fall (the woman led the way in being deceived). Some look at verse 12 and see two activities--she may not teach and she may not exercise authority. Others (also complementarians) believe the grammar points to the idea of "teaching as an authoritative leader." It would seem that the elders at IBC have opted for this view and then said that, as long as they (the authoritative leaders of the church) have asked her to preach the Word, then her teaching is actually under their authority.

This is a similar paradigm as was used by Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries in settings where she taught men and women in church gatherings. I'm told that she would even wear a hat to symbolize that she was teaching under her husband's authority and that of the church leaders.

In some of my travels overseas, I have observed that women often fill roles in churches that would be seen by most American complementarians as those that should be filled by men. In some cases those churches make no distinction between male and female roles, but other times it is clear that women are leading prayer, leading singing, taking the offering, or even preaching, only under the authority of male pastors or elders.

Whatever their reasoning, IBC's elders' decision has already had the effect of causing the President of DTS, Dr. Mark Bailey, to remove himself from the list of regular guest speakers at the church. Pastor Tom Nelson, well known and respected leader of Denton Bible Church, has spoken out against this decision as well. Whether it will prove to be an anomaly that isolates IBC from its fellow Bible churches, or the first crack in a dam among them, is a question whose answer will only emerge with time.

Son of Hamas Leader Now Follows Jesus

This Haaretz interview with Masah Yousef, son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, the leader of Hamas tells of the son's rejection of Islam and his conversion to faith in Jesus Christ. The son, now living in California, may well find his life in danger has this report has made its way around the world, including this abbreviated interview on Fox News.

Never be surprised by what God can do.

Follow Up on Todd Bentley--The Collapse of a Ministry

I wrote earlier about Todd Bentley's ministry; now it seems his revival in Lakeland is over and his marriage is ending. I received this article by Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine (not something I normally read). He discusses his reaction to the Bentley tailspin and why it happened. John Piper's blog picks up the story and reminds us all that lack of doctrinal understanding and lack of discernment go hand in hand

Letters to Putin

The invasion of Georgia by Russia is a serious matter, but Kathleen Parker manages to present a powerful comparison of responses to it from America's three major political leaders in Letters to Vlad in National Review Online. Make sure you read all three.

Bob Newhart, Pastoral Counselor?

OK, a lot of us just might wish to practice this approach to counseling. (NOTE: I don't watch this show, and don't endorse it, but this clip is worth seeing)

An Open Letter to Brett Favre

Ethics Daily.com has this excellent open letter written by Pastor Ed Hogan to Brett Favre about his recent highly publicized indecision and then return to football. It analyzes what has happened from a very important perspective, so follow the links above to read some good thinking that has already been ignored.

Joel Osteen's Wife Not Living Her Best Life Right Now

This report details a lawsuit against Victoria Osteen, co-pastor of Lakewood church with her husband, Joel. She is alleged to have assaulted a flight attendant over a stain found on Mrs. Osteen's first class seat. The FAA already fined Mrs. Osteen $3000 for interfering with the flight crew, but the assaulted attendant apparently has read Mr. Osteen's book and is seeking to bring her prosperity into reality. She's asking for an apology and 10% of Mrs. Osteen's net worth as punitive damages!

UPDATE: NOT GUILTY! The jury finds that the claims of the flight attendant were much exaggerated, as were her damage claims. Now life can get good again for the Osteens.