Missing grace

We can’t change the world’s treatment of girls and women, but we can change ours. Over 275 girls were recently kidnapped and stoned in Nigeria by Boko Haram. We change by starting at home and raising up women and girls to full equality in the church and home.

We quit throwing word bombs at women. We quit holding seminars telling women they are equal-but. We change our seminaries to teach full equality instead of some made up term such as ‘biblical womanhood.’ We recognize grace for both men and women.

“I know you don’t like Thom Rainer, but listen to what he says about church bullies.” The truth is that I neither like nor dislike Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Resources. I don’t know him.

What I do know is that he chooses books and literature for LifeWay Resources that speak out against equality for women in the church and home. What I do know is that he subscribes to wives submitting graciously to their husbands and that women cannot be pastors, as is indicated in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

Thom Rainer wrote the “Nine traits of church bullies” but he left off a Number 10, which would be: “They are often the pastors themselves. They preach, teach and post that women are equal-but.” I can’t hear you, Thom! Your words are clanging cymbals. You are missing grace.

I can’t hear John Piper, of Desiring God, when he says that Christians should go way beyond justice when I know what he has said about women and what he claims is their submissive role. I can’t hear you, John! Your words are clanging cymbals. You are missing grace.

I can’t hear Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. A few weeks ago, my pastor quoted Timothy Keller from the pulpit, but my heart was not listening because all I could think of was his book The Meaning of Marriage in which he says that women should be joyful in their God-given submissive role. I can’t hear you, Tim! Your words are clanging cymbals. You are missing grace.

I can’t hear Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, when he tells me that he can’t spare a few minutes to speak with me about gender equality because “all such discussions take away from the time we might spend leading men and women to faith in Jesus Christ.” I am offering multitudes of harvesters who will help his men lead men and women to faith. But he doesn’t have time to even talk about their qualifications. I can’t hear you, Paige! Your words are clanging cymbals. You are missing grace.

I can’t hear you because you are not speaking the words of Jesus. I can’t hear you because you are not speaking the words of grace for all Christians, both men and women.

Will you join me in calling for grace by religious leaders for women?