Women Pastors: Unfit for Public View?

Shocked, offended, disappointed...and not all that surprised.

That pretty much sums up my reaction to this story about Lifeway Christian Stores pulling the magazine Gospel Today off its shelves and hiding it, like so much pornography, behind the counter.

What, you may ask, was so horrible about this issue that it would be hidden away, only available if asked for, and kept safe from the public eye (and impressionable young children)?

Well, duh - because the cover story reported a shocking reality: there are WOMEN who are PASTORS!!

Let's leave aside for a moment the complete idiocy of pretending that women clergy don't exist in this day and age, and the asinine assumption that reporting something exists means promoting it.

Let's jump straight to the dangerous mind-control exhibited by the Southern Baptist Convention in believing it needs to shield people who shop its stores from even the knowledge that such a thing exists. Oh sure, they say it's because it's against their doctrine. But don't you think it's really just that seeing women in that position gets under their skin? The reaction - to place the mag behind the counter - makes clear that they view the very position of these women as so offensive as to be pornographic, as unfit for public viewing.

That makes me sick. And as a woman who's trying to be in ministry professionally, it hurts.

And besides, I'm sure the "gay agenda" or Satan worshipping or abortions are against their doctrine too, but that hasn't stopped many Christian magazines with cover stories reporting on those issues from being displayed in stores. The key here is that the magazine was simply saying this exists, it's an interesting phenomenon, and desiring to start a conversation.

But God, we can't have conversation! That might lead to independent thought! And then...well...they'd probably lose a good number of their members. Let's hope at least the females.

This reminds me of the story I wrote on about seminaries running degree programs in Christian homemaking. It's just ugly behavior toward women, particularly these women who have answered their callings despite many barriers and odds against them. I'm surprised they haven't mandated the head coverings called for by the apostle Paul for women in church. As long as they're letting women get away with the makeup, hair, and jewelry I see on TBN, I don't get why showing a woman in pastoral garb is unbiblical. Have you people read 1 Timothy? You can't take the Bible literally and then let your wives, even with their degrees in home cookin' and Sunday School teachin', get away with that kind of display!

Well I have to get on to watching the debate. Here's another version of the story. And thanks to Episcopal Cafe, where I found out about it.