Dr. James Forbes Jr. when asked at my first church in Indiana in 1983 about what he thought about “lady” preachers. He pushed back his chair with a smile and said, “Well, if you’re not willing to ordain them, certainly don’t baptize them.” The room was silent and the topic never came up in the church again.
Wesley did ask his mother, Susannah, about women’s fitness to preach, to his question she asked, “does her preaching bear fruit?” Unfortunately JW never had the opportunity to know Phoebe Palmer, as she was born over a decade after his death…and in New York City.
But the basic point is a good one, and I especially appreciate Dr. Forbes thoughts!
Biblical teaching. Christian tradition. Current experience.
The trinity of authority for ‘reasonable evangelicals.” At least theoretically we evangelicals listen first to the teaching, emphasize current experience, and then consult Christian tradition last.
Tradition largely speaks for itself. The ancestors largely vote no.
Current experience votes yes. And I think that includes folks like Piper, etc. I don’t know many conservative evangelical leaders who wouldn’t acknowledge the tension they feel between what they think the bible and tradition teach and what they experience. Secular feminism has changed the whole playing field, though many religious conservatives struggle to acknowledge it.
Biblical teaching?
Well, those of us who pay more attention to experience hear the text differently than those who pay more attention to tradition.
Having said that, since the biblical texts were mostly written a very, very long time ago they clearly trend toward the very conservative and traditional.
If you’re a person with progressive leanings who has committed herself to evangelical Christianity, well, you’re getting what you deserve in terms of frustration and potential discouragement. Institutional religion is mostly the realm of the cautious and conservative.
The good news? Evangelicals will receive experience as a part of their ‘hermeneutic.’ So the folks that value experience more than tradition have just got to keep pushing :^)
Don, your quotation from Forbes made me smile. Thanks for sharing that.
Dr. James Forbes Jr. when asked at my first church in Indiana in 1983 about what he thought about “lady” preachers. He pushed back his chair with a smile and said, “Well, if you’re not willing to ordain them, certainly don’t baptize them.” The room was silent and the topic never came up in the church again.
Wesley did ask his mother, Susannah, about women’s fitness to preach, to his question she asked, “does her preaching bear fruit?” Unfortunately JW never had the opportunity to know Phoebe Palmer, as she was born over a decade after his death…and in New York City.
But the basic point is a good one, and I especially appreciate Dr. Forbes thoughts!
Biblical teaching. Christian tradition. Current experience.
The trinity of authority for ‘reasonable evangelicals.” At least theoretically we evangelicals listen first to the teaching, emphasize current experience, and then consult Christian tradition last.
Tradition largely speaks for itself. The ancestors largely vote no.
Current experience votes yes. And I think that includes folks like Piper, etc. I don’t know many conservative evangelical leaders who wouldn’t acknowledge the tension they feel between what they think the bible and tradition teach and what they experience. Secular feminism has changed the whole playing field, though many religious conservatives struggle to acknowledge it.
Biblical teaching?
Well, those of us who pay more attention to experience hear the text differently than those who pay more attention to tradition.
Having said that, since the biblical texts were mostly written a very, very long time ago they clearly trend toward the very conservative and traditional.
If you’re a person with progressive leanings who has committed herself to evangelical Christianity, well, you’re getting what you deserve in terms of frustration and potential discouragement. Institutional religion is mostly the realm of the cautious and conservative.
The good news? Evangelicals will receive experience as a part of their ‘hermeneutic.’ So the folks that value experience more than tradition have just got to keep pushing :^)
Don, your quotation from Forbes made me smile. Thanks for sharing that.