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WHY DO CHRISTIANS HATE WOMEN? The last couple of years we have seen the Southern Baptist Convention making some policies which seem to be counter culture. It even sounds as though they actually HATE WOMEN! In 1999, they stated that women have to submit to their husbands and in 2000 they have said that women cannot be pastors! Whats up with that and do Christians actually believe that stuff? These are the questions which have been on the front of secular minds, and they deserve to be answered. The place in the Bible which best states the Christian principle of marriage is in Ephesians 5: 22 - 33 which says, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church . . .". The Bible says that our marriages are to reflect the relationship of Christ to the church. Christ is the head of the church and the church is to submit to Christ. The husband is in the role of Christ within his marriage and the wife is to submit to his leadership. But it is not one sided. . . The Bible goes on to say, "Husbands, love you wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her . . .". The husband is to love his wife in such a way as to be willing to give his very life if needed. This love is sacrificial and is NOT emotion, but action. The word for love is agape which is a sacrificial love. If the husband is acting in an agape manner, he will be acting in his wife's best interests and she should have no problem being willing to submit to his leadership. If she refuses to do so under those conditions, it is purely out of selfishness and pride . . . she is on an ego trip. Which brings us to the current issue which is that of women pastors. First let me say that the Southern Baptists are by no means the only denomination to take the stance that women may not be pastors. My own denomination has held this position since its very beginning. The reason is not that we hate women, but that we want for the church to be as God has commanded for it to be. In 1 Timothy 2: 12, the Bible says that ". . . I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man . . .". This is within the church, not the work place and within the church the ultimate position of authority (excluding Christ Himself) is that of pastor. To allow a woman to be a pastor is a direct violation of scripture. The bottom line is that Christians do not hate women. We love them and honor them. BUT we do not see them as men with breasts, either. There is a very distinct role for men and another very different, distinct and EQUAL role for women. Did you catch that . . .equal but different. The very same world view which disallows women to be pastors would say that a man cannot get a sex change and take on the role of mother to an orphaned child. God, in His sovereignty, has created each one of us exactly the way we are. He had defined our roles and set us into them and it is inappropriate for us to attempt to change that. In fact any attempt to change our God given roles is rebellion against God; it is sin. |