I cant! I just cant-Part 2: No Women in your pulpits, SBC?

The Southern Baptist Convention has ruled that women are abolished from pulpits and the pastorate.  I can't!  I just can't! Join Rev. Dr. Aimee Copley Mulder as she sounds off on this as a preacher mom and a scholar of scripture!  Quit using 1 Timothy 2:12 as a bludgeon to keep woman in a lane created by men!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I can't, I just can't anymore, with denominations, with fellow Christians, with people of the Christian faith who say that in order to have a preaching voice, in order for God to have called you to pastor, that you have to have male genitalia. The people that have used the Bible in 1 Timothy as a way to say, women, you are not welcome or allowed. I can't, I can't anymore. I am Amy Copley Mulder, the preaching mom, and in my life, I'm calling you out, Southern Baptist Convention. It is time for Christians to realize that Jesus is the liberator of women and the caller of pastors who are women. Join me.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, doesn't matter if you're young or alive. Often matters if you answer the door when Jesus comes to change your life. All the glory to God. And let's get all the glory to God.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

I can't, I just can't anymore, with this absolute limiting of women from standing behind the pulpit. The Southern Baptist Convention has restricted women from being pastors as of this week. It has been a discussion among them for a really long time. And what they have had to do is they had to make a decision, I think, today. There are two big churches, Saddleback and Fern River in Kentucky, two big churches of the Southern Baptist Convention have pushed them. We want women to be pastors. Rick Warren has said he doesn't want to take half the church and put them on the bench. He wants them in ministry. He wants them in leadership. He wants them in voice. And the Southern Baptist Convention got together this week and said, no, women should not be pastors, but we want them in church, but we don't want them to be pastors. And I can't, I just can't anymore. As a preacher mom, I am so tired of 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 12 being used as a bludgeon and a way to make a lane for only men to preach. I've had it with it. No more. So let me just quote what the Southern Baptist Convention says. This is from an NPR article where the interviewer interviewed Daniel Darling, who is one of the professors at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. And this is what he says. Southern Baptists believe that men and women are equal, and women have full, you know, participation in the life and ministry of churches. But there's a particular role of pastor we believe the scripture has restricted to men. Okay, that's what he says. And then the interview says, so what what are the points that have you restrict women to being pastors? And Daniel Darling says one verse would be 1 Timothy 2, 12. And the the qualifications for pastor in 1 Timothy and Titus are patterns that really are preaching and proclaiming are restricted to men. So I am going to talk about those specific structures. Those specific, I'm going to talk about those specific script scriptures in a minute. And friends, as you listen to this, I do not have time to edit this morning. So just keep listening, um, even with my ums and my whatevers, because this is important stuff. Okay, first of all, Titus and Timothy are epistles in the New Testament in the New Testament, they are important scriptures. First Timothy and Titus are epistles in the New Testament scripture, but I want to talk before we get there about the whole of God using women in leadership in the whole of scripture. Because if you think that God is in the business of creating lanes and rolls for women to stick their bodies within, then you are not looking at the whole of scripture. First of all, when God created man and women, he uh used the word Ezra connecto in Hebrew when it was written down. And what that means is standing together, holding hands, facing each other. God included partnership within the creation model of man and woman. And this beautiful, this beautiful part of creation is what causes so many of us to know that men and women should serve God together in ministry, including ministry behind the pulpit. Also, Deborah, Deborah, she was a judge, and she was a leader of the nation of Israel, and she led them with song to great victories. She was known as one of the good judges. Her story may keep getting forgotten and not told, but let me tell you, Deborah was a woman who served God with her leadership. And even in the stories of Tamar, which is a which is a horrific story of women being discounted, and other and other stories where like Sarah was used in a weird way, all of these cultural moments, women are a part of God's story for the whole of scripture. And Esther, why do we get the the picture of Esther, who is a queen, right? But her predecessor got killed for not bringing the king his 24th drink, and she boldly is used of God to make sure the nation of Israel is not wiped out. Was she not supposed to do that in leadership as a role of taking over? And Ruth, why do we get the story of Ruth, who's not only a woman but a foreign woman, who totally sacrifices her future in trusting the God that Naomi serves? And God not only hears her, uses her, her story gets recorded, she is included in the genealogy of Jesus. And why would God come to earth and decide in the incarnation to come through a woman? So Mary, the mother of Jesus, carries Jesus for nine months and bears him in a beautiful holy moment on in Bethlehem. And you're telling me that a woman cannot have the word of God in her mouth for, I don't know, 40 minutes after the word of God was born by a woman. You know, God could have chosen to come to earth just by walking down here, and he comes to in the incarnation intentionally through a woman. And if we keep looking at the story of Jesus, women are always there. Jesus looked into the eyes of the Samaritan woman, and he said, Hey, I see you. I know what you've done. But I have living water that will spring eternal. And then she is told to go tell. She becomes one of the first evangelists for Jesus in Samaria, and what does she say? She says, Come see the man who's told me everything I've ever done. Why would Jesus spend time with a woman at a noonday on the well if he didn't mean to value and for her to be ordained by the beautiful presence of Jesus? And the resurrection after Jesus has died. All the men left and the women are attending to Jesus at the cross and at the tomb. And Jesus appears to them after the resurrection and he says, Go tell my brothers I have risen. Why would Jesus do that if it wasn't an intentional purpose? Are you telling me it's incidental? Oh, it doesn't really matter. Why would Jesus use women to tell the resurrection if it wasn't important that women were the first to know? Is God accidental in his use of women for the for him to be brought glory? Think of all the glory that God has received from the beautiful mouth and leadership of women. It is in the whole of Scripture. And in the early church, Lydia was a leader who was the who was the mother of Timothy, and Phoebe, and look up Junia, the apostle that gets forgotten, and Phyllis and Priscilla. Think about all of these women that God uses to lead the early church, and they're not supposed to lead it, right? So the first Timothy chapter 2 passage, the first Timothy chapter 2 passage says, and I'm starting at verse 8 just to give you some context. This is Paul writing to Timothy, and Paul has instructions for Timothy. There's been some disruption in worship, and he's really trying to say, listen, I am a teacher of Gentiles and faith and truth. You need to listen to my authority. And this is what Paul says. I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument. Also that the women should dress themselves in moderate clothing with reverence and self-control, not with their hair braided or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good works, as it is proper for women who profess reverence for God. Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man. She is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but women the woman was deceived and became the transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness and with self-control. So this is the word of Paul writing to Timothy. Timothy had some issues happening in his church. There was disruption in worship. The men were on one side, the women were on the other side. The women kept trying to get clarification during the worship service. So it was a little disruptive. So Paul is writing to Timothy kind of to address this issue. And he's trying to say, like, I am the authority here and prove that Timothy listened to me. And he first of all says, every man should pray in the service. And then he's encouraging women not to draw attention to themselves with the way they look. And then there's this verse I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man. She is to keep silent. Now, in the translations, that is what Paul said. I am not saying that Paul didn't Paul did not say these things. What I am saying is this one scripture in the middle of an epistle to one pastor, Timothy, has been used as a bludgeon, as a paradigmical scripture. Now the um now this is not okay. This is not okay that this is the scripture that gets proclaimed as one with great authority. So Paul is saying this one scripture, and it has been used as a paradigm to keep women in the lane that man has created. And Paul also does talk about the fall that Adam was formed first, then Eve, and um the woman was the big deceiver, and you know, it's her fault that the fall happened. And I have some issue with Paul, but there's no dis there's no discussion that Paul wrote these words, and he said, I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over man. She is to keep silent. He is talking about a specific situation in that church, and this scripture, no matter what scholar you look at, was not meant to be a paradigmical scripture that was supposed to run the church forever. It was a specific situation. It has been used, it has been plucked from its context and used as a paradigmical thing. Women be quiet. But when you look at the whole of scripture and the story of God with his people, let me tell you, there is more to what God wants to happen in churches than women be silent. There is so much more about women being used in leadership and women being used to preach and women being used to lead the early church. There's so much more than this one little tiny scripture has. And I just want to read to you from the qualifications for being a pastor in Titus. Now, Titus is another letter that was written to a specific church. And Paul is saying these things, starting from Titus verse um five through nine in chapter one. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town as I directed you, someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop as God's steward must be blameless, he must not be arrogant or trick quick tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain. But he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, self-controlled, upright, devout, and restrained, holding tightly to the trustworthy word of the teaching, so that he may be able to exhort with the sound instruction and refute those who contradict it. Okay, so this is these are the qualifications for pastor. Explain to me how these are only male qualifications. Someone who is blameless, whose children are believers, um, must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain. He must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, self-controlled, upright, devout, and restrained, holding tightly to the word. These are not male qualifications. It says nothing about having a certain kind of genitalia or penis. It doesn't say anything about being able to lift more heavy packages than a woman can, even though there's some women that can lift heavy packages. It just says these qualifications. And it's something that I try to be with when the Holy Spirit fills me, which I hope happens all the time. Goodness, self-controlled, upright, restraint, holding tightly to the word. These this is your qualification. This is your qualification for women not being pastors. Why would God who created us male and female, why would God want to restrict it so much and say you don't belong in the pulpit? And let me tell you, I have heard every argument. People love to come up to me or love to tell me, even in my own church, that they don't believe in women pastors. Well, friends, we're here, we're not unicorns or fairies, we're right here. Women have been preaching, and I have been preaching since I was 15 years old. I'm 50 now, and I have been a pastor for 20. And what I need to tell you is that God has ordained me. It wasn't a conference call. I I can't anymore with apologizing for the path and calling that God has called me to. And it wasn't about trying to fit within the culture or to shim or to limit myself. It's about being bold about the calling God has. And I can't anymore. How dare you? How dare you, Southern Baptist Convention, use this scripture as a bludgeon to tell women to stay in line. And we, you're equal. You're equal. We want you a part of things. Yeah, yeah, we want you. Yes, you do. You want the women there because they do a lot of work for your church. They're the ones that are getting business done. Not that the men aren't, but the women are doing business. But women, we'd like you to set up the potluck and you know, keep all the records and teach all the children, but don't go behind the pulpit. Why would God be so limiting? Why would God want that kind of life? Where the question is, well, what role should I be, Lord? What things should I do for you? Hey, when you follow Jesus and accept the calling of being a pastor, there is freedom within it. And God has set me free. And I can't just anymore trying to to say the right things and keep this nice for you. I can't anymore. I am Amy Copley Mulder. I am ordained and called by God to preach, to lead just the way that God is creating to me to be. I can't do it alone. I humbly submit myself to God right now in this moment and so many moments before. I surrender. I need God's help to lead and preach. And God says, you know, when I created you, Amy, that little girl that got all her stuffed animals saved, that little girl that wouldn't that tried to baptize all her stuffed animals, but her mom wouldn't let her, that little girl is a preacher of the word. And do you know what's so exciting? With all this time I've preached, there's still so much to say about scripture and about what God is calling the church with. Do you realize as a study, as a person that has studied scripture, who has the degrees, who who gets to interpret the Bible for a living, do you realize I've never run out of anything? That the word has never come back empty, that God has always filled. Now, I'm not saying every sermon was awesome. It wasn't. Some sermons don't work. Sometimes the room's too hot. Sometimes, you know, sometimes some sermons are not your best, but you you're giving it your best, but sometimes it doesn't return. But God has been faithful. God has always filled the word that has been spoken. God has always found a way. And I just can't wait for the next 20, 30 years for God to continually fill me with the power of His Holy Spirit to preach the word. I can't, I just can't anymore. With denominations and institutions and things of this world saying, women, stay in your lane. This is your role, and this is the word of the Lord. No, it isn't. I have called you, I will equip you, and I have created you in the beautiful image of God, God says. And as a woman, as a proud woman and a proud preacher, I say, thank you, God, for equipping me, for calling me, and for making a way. And for the Southern Baptist Convention, you are missing out on the beautiful offerings that women have. And I hope you lose a lot of women who realize that God has called them and God will take them where he needs to take us. Oh, all glory to God. I give you all the glory, Lord. Thank you for calling me. This is Reverend Dr. Amy Copley Mulder, and I got to get ready for Sunday because I'm preaching the word.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

It's done that time.