“Settling this exegetically won’t settle anything, as the last several decades have demonstrated. If there is enormous pressure to go in this direction, and there is, then we need to bring the gospel to bear on what is causing that pressure, and stop bringing isolated texts to the symptoms of that pressure. Trying to stop …
Compare and Contrast
“At the same time, we don’t want to assume that any position that ticks feminists off must be biblical. That can’t be right — it is far too easy to do. And, as with so many issues, we have to distinguish different levels and layers. If, as I have noted, our holy fathers used to …
Or From Anywhere Else?
“If the apostle Paul would not allow an inspirited prophetess — whose words were from the Spirit himself — to join in the weighing and sifting of the prophetic utterances, then why would he let her do it just because she has an MDiv from Fuller? (Why Ministers Must be Men, p. 29).
That Languid Soccer Player Way
“Before the discussion gets sidetracked on the basis of caricature, lett us grant that the arbiter of long and short ought not to be a particularly strict dorm monitor at a fundamentalist Bible college. Paul says short, not ‘less than a quarter inch, with pink sidewalls around the ears.’ He says long, not ‘over a …
A Miss As Good as a Mile
“A common evangelical saying is that many miss heaven by eighteen inches . . . the distance between the head and the heart. We also need to remember that many others miss heaven by thirty-four inches” (Why Ministers Must Be Men, p. 23).
How Bad Theology is Incentivized
“When men follow a teacher like Jezebel of Thyatira, they are doing so not because her doctrinal reasons are so compelling and her academic credentials so impressive, but rather because following her will greatly increase their chances of getting laid (Rev. 2:20). If a prophet comes prophesying wine and beer (Mich. 2:11), he is sure …
Fabulous Hats
“Looking for flourishing chastity in such settings is a sexual snipe hunt. Just ask the question directly. Those denominations that worked through the controversy of women’s ordination a generation ago have certainly moved on. Their controversies now concern whether sodomites should be wearing sodomitres in solemn procession up the central aisle” (Why Ministers Must be …
Sexually Realistic
“Paul is concerned throughout the passage with men and women maintaining a sober and dignified relationship to one another, and this includes the men avoiding prize-fighting, the women avoiding trying to look like the prizes, and the women avoiding a usurpation of teaching authority” (Why Ministers Must Be Men, pp. 19-20).
As Cool As That
[1 Tim. 2:12] “Paul then gives the prohibition that has been the cause of so much controversy. It must be said that the controversy exists, not because Paul said something that was unclear, but rather because he said something that is inconvenient for us, especially for those who want to have a ministry as cool …
Expecting Trouble
“When women dress in the ostentatious ways described, it is not an act in isolation. It is because they are vying for the attention of the males. And when this kind of sexual parade is tolerated, they will get that male attention, and almost always from more than one guy. When Helen of Troy starts …