Caller: Where is this in the Bible that there should not be women preachers who do their sermon in the church, in the pulpit?
Pastor Doug: Where does it say there should not be women preachers?
Caller: Right.
Pastor Doug: Well there are a number of statements, most of them made by the Apostle Paul, that talk about women talking in church and women praying with their heads uncovered. Some of those have been taken to try and support that women should not preach but I don't find Paul really saying women should not preach. There's no statement like that. The Bible does seem to indicate - by example - that it was God's plan for a patriarchal system where the men were the Priests, servant leaders in the families and in the churches. Jesus had a number of disciples, men and women but among the Apostles, He only chose men. God had a number of Prophets that were men and women. Of course, Prophets are women that preach you realize. That's what prophecy means, to preach but God never had any Priests that were women.
Caller: Right. Right.
Pastor Doug: Let me see if I can find the best example I think of in the Old Testament.
Caller: When you say Priest, what's the difference between a Priest and a preacher?
Pastor Doug: Not a lot. There is a difference between a Prophet and a preacher. For instance, in the Old Testament you've got the three children of Amram and Jochabed were Miriam, Aaron and Moses. They were three siblings. All three children were Prophets. How would you like to have three children that are Prophets Pastor Dick? Have them giving you messages?
Co-Host: Strong huh?
Pastor Doug: But, only the boys - Moses and Aaron - were the Priests. In other words, nowhere in the Bible does a woman offer an offering. In part of being a being a Pastor or a Priest, Priest in the Old Testament, Pastor in the New, was the Priest and the Pastor would make the offerings for the family. The Pastor would, in the New Testament times, administer Communion. So you have no example in the Bible of a woman being ordained as a Priest or a Pastor but you do have women who are teaching and preaching and doing evangelism. Do you see the distinction?
Caller: Yes. So are you saying that ...
Pastor Doug: Women do have gifts of ministry, but I don't see a precedent in the Bible for women being ordained as Pastors or Elders.
Caller: Okay so are you saying then maybe - I don't want to put anything in your mouth but - you know because I know some - two women I know of are Pastors.
Pastor Doug: Yes I realize there are a lot of women Pastors and I'm not seeking to condemn people who may beg to differ. I've got friends that are women Pastors but in my personal convictions from studying the Bible, I don't find an example of it in the Bible and whenever I challenge them to produce one they just change the subject - because the pattern of hundreds, if not thousands of Ministers and Priests in the Bible, all of them were men.
Caller: Okay.
Pastor Doug: Hey I've written an article you can send for. It's called Unisex in Jesus. It talks about the distinctions that God identifies in the Bible. It's free. Call the resource number and tell them you want Pastor Doug's article called Unisex in Jesus. And it says a lot more than I can say right here probably says it better too.
Resource Number: 800-835-6747