If you tell me, even in your most honest, genteel voice, that
you are worried, troubled even by the alarming amount of pastorless churches, about the need to think of creative strategies to fill these pulpits in America I will
probably laugh in your face. I laugh not because I am normally a spiteful
person, but because I am the "laugh so you don't cry" person. I am the "can't hold it in" person. I am the" laugh so long until it
becomes a deeply guttural, bone-shaking movement that comes from an
awareness of pain far more than humor" person.
When I look at the list of cities with the least gender equality and see three south Texas cities, including Corpus Christi, the site for this year's BGCT (or whatever they are calling themselves now) annual meeting, I want to scream for Texas Baptists to do something about it. Then I remember the only time I've ever experienced sexual harassment is in the BGCT office in Dallas, known not so affectionately as "the building." I also remember that my experiences were quite mild compared to the stories of others I carry with me. I can't rightly ask the church to respond prophetically to the glass ceiling, the bamboo ceiling or any other oppression when its stained-glass ceiling encompasses them all.
After closing out the article in disillusionment, I stumbled across this gem (because of a tweet) by Sarah Bessey:
I’m done fighting for a seat at that table.
The one filled with white men, all reading the same books, spouting the same talking points, quoting each other back and forth. It’s the table where the men – a small, select, vocal group in no way representative of men in the Church overall – sit around and discuss who is in and who is out, who is right (usually them) and who is wrong (every one else) and, a favourite topic, whether women should be allowed to write or teach or preach or even read Scripture aloud, what women should be saying and doing, how marriages should look, how children should be raised, how everyone else should live their lives in holiness.
Me? I am simply getting on with the business of the Kingdom.
Enjoy your table, gentlemen.
Sharyl, do you consider yourself Baptist? This is the first blog post I've read of yours, so I don't know much about your background. I went to college at East Texas Baptist University but recently joined the Brethren in Christ, which is fully egalitarian. I'd be happy to chat with you about that if you're interested.
I share your frustrations with the BGCT and SBC.
Definitely following your blog, now!
I definitely dig the post, but I want to point out what I think might be a hasty misstep: you call the dismissal of someone's calling a "whim" of the Church.
I don't think there is any whimsicality about it. I think it's an attempt to be faithful to what the Scripture says, **even if that's not what it means.**
I'm not asking you to give a charitable reading here - an entitlement to such does not exist. I'm pointing out what one would be.
Side note: confrontation and subversion are both tools a pastor needs. We might benefit from the humility that reminds us there are many pastors out their wielding the latter whilst we chip away with the former.
Repost from Facebook:
You are right on 2 levels Dustin.
First, I was definitely hasty or I would have waited for your feedback. I knew I could count on you to push back where it was needed.
Secondly, in regards to women in ministry, I believe you are right that it is not a whim. I don't think I fleshed it out enough, but I was trying to also point to the other reasons someone is often overlooked that I believe are far more whimsical than biblical, such as a married man with children, or a guy with a goatee, or wears TOMS or whatever it might be.
Oh and I found a 3rd, so 3 things I think you are right about, I took out a a bit of a rabbit trail I had about guys I know that are serving in these situations as faithfully as they know how. I think I was trying to point to the sadness that they cannot serve completely to their giftedness because they have to tote the party line to keep their jobs. In some ways, I have it easier, because I am already discounted for those types of churches, while I have friends who are trying to figure out how to wade those waters.
Woah, did I just agree with Dustin 3 times
Josh,
I'm sorry for being unclear. I was raised SBC, went to DBU and then Truett. I would consider myself a moderate baptist.
It's funny that you mention Brethen, because I recently found out my great grandfather was an itinerant Brethen pastor in Southwest Virginia. I'm open to that conversation. You can find me through Craig I'm guessing.
Honoured to be included as part of your processing and learning, Sharyl. Blessings.