Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting: Thoughts
Bravo for their trying to address sexual abuse and racism. It's imperfect, though. I doubt they will ever please everyone, but I have to agree with the "disfellowshipping" of churches that harbor abusers and racists and do not want to address the problem in their midst. Of course, SBC churches are independent, not like United Methodists or Episcopalians in that regard, so compliance will be hard. I hope it's not just grandstanding. I trust Russell Moore.
Semi-bravos for their trying to address, or re-address, complenentarianism. I'm ambivalent here.
1. Women should be able to use leadership gifts and be seminary-educated if they are so lead.
2. I'm not ready for female head pastors and probably never will be but think ordination for deaconships and other roles is valid.
3. I wish someone other than Beth Moore was at the forefront of this issue. I would prefer a woman with "in-the-trenches" ministry experience (like foreign missions) and a seminary degree, a non-celebrity, perhaps even a widow of more years, to be the leader. I don't need to go off on Beth Moore here, but she brings some baggage in too many people's eyes. She has a wonderful ministry with certain types of women, and is to be commended; I'm not a huge fan, but that's me and I don't put my judgment as universal. However, most SBC members are against egalitarianism anyway, and she is not a proponent of it. I am thankful for her stand on the abuse question, though.
4. As an educated older woman with ministry experience, I'm pretty tired of the overall sense that women just don't have the ability or smarts to do leadership or be involved in it. The convention should affirm women's gifts with an enlightened complementarianism.
Semi-bravos for their trying to address, or re-address, complenentarianism. I'm ambivalent here.
1. Women should be able to use leadership gifts and be seminary-educated if they are so lead.
2. I'm not ready for female head pastors and probably never will be but think ordination for deaconships and other roles is valid.
3. I wish someone other than Beth Moore was at the forefront of this issue. I would prefer a woman with "in-the-trenches" ministry experience (like foreign missions) and a seminary degree, a non-celebrity, perhaps even a widow of more years, to be the leader. I don't need to go off on Beth Moore here, but she brings some baggage in too many people's eyes. She has a wonderful ministry with certain types of women, and is to be commended; I'm not a huge fan, but that's me and I don't put my judgment as universal. However, most SBC members are against egalitarianism anyway, and she is not a proponent of it. I am thankful for her stand on the abuse question, though.
4. As an educated older woman with ministry experience, I'm pretty tired of the overall sense that women just don't have the ability or smarts to do leadership or be involved in it. The convention should affirm women's gifts with an enlightened complementarianism.
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