| Not long ago we had a family visit the church. After the service the father of the family came up to me with the bulletin in his hand, and I could tell something was wrong. "I have a question" he said in a voice that displayed a mix of concern and curiosity. "I noticed that you list your house churches (small groups) in the bulletin and that you listed a woman as one of the House Church Pastors. Is this a mistake?" I immediately knew where this was coming from, and began to try to explain why we at NPC seek equality between men and women in all things including ministry. Referring to the usual verses (1 Tim. 2:11-15, 1 Cor. 14:34-36) used by those that hold to a patriarchal view of the bible, I was again reminded of the disappointing reality that much of the Christian Church in our world lacks what I believe is a Biblical view of women. I am not saying I have it all figured out, but I do feel there are clear misunderstandings when it comes to how we see the roles of men and women. I will be posting a few thoughts on this issue over the next few weeks, and would love for your thoughts, no matter where you land on the issue. Come, let us reason together. Labels: biblical view of women, women, women in minstry |
Looking forward to more on this. I would love an open dialogue on the differing views on this subject.