November 5, 2001
Southern prof says women may be deacons
___LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The pastorate is absolutely limited to men, but women in some cases might be accepted as deacons, according to a New Testament professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
___In a new book that analyzes two views of women in ministry, Thomas Schreiner argues that the doctrine of creation provides biblical support for limiting the office of pastor to men.
___However, women might be allowed to serve as deacons in Baptist churches if those churches see the deacon ministry as one of service rather than authority, he adds.
___Also, to be consistent, churches that adhere to the biblical teaching on women's roles should not allow women to teach men in Sunday School, Schreiner added.
___In the book, "Two Views on Women in Ministry," Schreiner advocates the so-called complementarian view, which says that while men and women are equal before God, they have different roles as defined by Scripture.
___These different roles, as taught from the creation passages in Genesis on through the New Testament, exclude women from service as pastors, he contends.
___It is a fair criticism that complementarians are inconsistent with their own teaching when they forbid women to be pastors but allow them to teach Sunday School classes that include men, Schreiner notes. He says complementarians should not allow women to teach adult Sunday School classes in which men are taught biblical doctrine.
___Female deacons could be allowed in churches that use elders as the authority for leadership and teaching and employ deacons in roles of service only, he allows.
___However, "most SBC churches are composed of only deacons, and in that case I don't think it is wise to have women deacons."
___"I don't have a problem with a woman serving as a deacon (in a church with elders) because I think it is a ministry office of service and not of teaching or exercising authority."
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