“These feminist groups say the Bible diminishes women. GOD! gave you a position comparable to the Holy Spirit! You are EXALTED!” So says the pastor of BBC (Big Baptist Church) in my hometown.
I was wondering what they would say after my book signing event made the newspapers. This pastor’s sermon was on the Trinity, and you see how he managed to diminish God, the Trinity, and women in his sermon.
Pastor, you have misled your congregation. You have been dishonest with them.
1. Women are not EXALTED! When a woman cannot be a deacon, usher, take up the collection, read a bible scripture, say a prayer or teach a mixed group of men and women, she is not EXALTED!
2. Women are denied these positions and it is written the church by-laws what women cannot do.
3. Women are not comparable to the Holy Spirit.
4. The Holy Spirit is not comparable to women.
5. Feminist groups do not say that the Bible diminishes women.
This pastor was talking about me when he spits out feminist groups. We know he was talking about me since you may remember in a previous blog I told you that he wrote me that it would not benefit either of us to discuss anything.
I do not say that the Bible diminishes women. I say that pastors diminish women. Preachers diminish women. Seminary professors diminish women. Women in the congregation who buy into this EXALTED stuff diminish women.
This pastor is guilty of the biggest sin of all. He diminished God.
I believe and teach that the Bible empowers women. You can read about it in my book “Dethroning Male Headship” which, by the way, brought forth the comment by this pastor.
Read for yourself what Christian feminist groups say. This pastor did not say “Christian feminist groups” because when he used the words feminist groups, he diminished Christian groups. Feminists is a dirty word to Christians in the south. He knew that.
Will you promote Christian feminist values? Will you stand up to these pulpit bullies? Will you help educate those who have been influenced by this dishonesty?
bWe Baptist Women for Equality's Blog 
My mother was an active member of Second Baptist Church in Rockmart GA for 52 years. She used to come straight from working third shift at Goodyear, still in her work clothes, to help in Vacation Bible School. When she died at age 86, we were told that we could not have her funeral at the church because we had asked two women to read scripture. The current pastor is a disciple of Piper and Grudem. Our church, Heritage Baptist Church in Cartersville GA, honored my mother like one of its own and gave her the homegoing she deserved. On All Saints Day 2009, without explanation or comment, my mother’s name was included on the list of members of Heritage who had died within the past year.
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Thank you for sharing this story with us. I know a church that allowed the boys to stand up and give the eulogy for their father, but the daughter was not allowed behind the pulpit or up front to say a few words about her father. Can anybody imagine that this is pleasing to Jesus?
I am glad your church honored your mother who gave so much for the gospel. God bless you.
Women don’t want to be exalted. We just want to be equal.
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Both these stories are unbelievable. I’m so glad we held our parents’ funeral services at the funeral home rather than in church. It’s degrading and disgusting to treat the deceased’s loved ones this way.
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Lamar: this is why we should join hands to rid Christianity of the bad fruit of gender bias. So many people listen to Piper and Grudem. Thanks for speaking out. We need to let people know that if we subscribe to the teachings of Piper and Grudem, this is what would happen. The pastor of SBC in Rockmart is not as much just a bad apple, he is one of many apples in a rotten barrel. I DO NOT accept the argument that you can listen to Piper since he is right about other issues. No, if he gets this one so wrong, how can I trust him in anything else? To say women cannot read the bible out loud in public is not just wrong in this one thing, it is a fundamentally wrong mindset and attitude. How can the Holy Spirit be working in him? No way.
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Lamar: when did this incident happen?
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The incident with my mother’s funeral happended in 2008.
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I agree. This preacher knew exactly what he was doing when he attached the word ‘feminist’ to group. I live in South Georgia and am well aware of how that works. The moment the TNIV came along, (In my church) it was called the ‘feminist’ Bible. In other words, the congregation was not to even consider opening this version (not even for inspection). I get so frustrated because the underlying assumption is that women are stupid and do not understand that they are being condescended to. Oh, you are exalted and comparable to the Holy Spirit! I would ask, does he exalt the work of the Holy Spirit as displayed in the Bible? I would think not. Has this preacher actually studied the functions and workings of the Holy Spirit? Did he stop and consider how much power the Holy Ghost displays all through the Bible. Those words are empty while at the same time meaning to smooth down the ruffled feathers of the ‘feminist’ hens in the congregation by throwing them a few bread crumbs. Not fooled.
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