This has been a tough week for me. I’ve shed a lot of tears, said many prayers, and tried through it all, to keep my eyes focused on the Lord and what He would have me do. You see, I’ve been involved with discussions about the topic of whether and how women can serve/lead in ministry. This is a really challenging topic – and something far bigger than me for sure. The discussions haven’t been about me personally, but more about women in general. And they’ve dealt with policies that have long ago been established….
Just this afternoon one of my seminary cohort-mates sent me a link to a great Top-10 list on Eugene Cho’s blog. Eugene hadn’t written it – in fact the author is unknown. Because it was so well written, I’ve borrowed the list to post here. It is an excellent way for all of us to humorously, and yet honestly, reflect on the topic of women in ministry.
10 Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained For Ministry.
10. A man’s place is in the army.
9. The pastoral duties of men who have children might distract them from the responsibility of being a parent.
8. The physique of men indicates that they are more suited to such tasks as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do ministerial tasks.
7. Man was created before woman, obviously as a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. Their conduct at football and basketball games demonstrates this.
5. Some men are handsome, and this will distract women worshipers.
4. Pastors need to nurture their congregations. But this is not a traditional male role. Throughout history, women have been recognized as not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more fervently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are prone to violence. No really masculine man wants to settle disputes except by fighting about them. Thus they would be poor role models as well as dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. The New Testament tells us that Jesus was betrayed by a man. His lack of faith and ensuing punishment remind us of the subordinated position that all men should take.
1. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep sidewalks, repair the church roof, and perhaps even lead the song service on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the church.
[original source unknown]
