Southern Baptist lurch toward...

The SBCers are at it again, and apologies in advance for anyone whose toes might feel a bit stomped by this... but in a ridiculous effort to show their base that they can keep things in line and downright hierarchical the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) school Southwestern has told a female professor "she would not get tenure" and has encouraged her to find another job.
Why? Because (drumroll)...

She's female.

So why was she hired in the first place, in a tenure-track position to teach Hebrew to seminarians?

"Dr. Klouda's hiring as a professor in the school of theology, which occurred before (current school president) Dr. Patterson arrived in 2003, represented a "momentary lax of the parameters."
...
Southwestern, he said, has gone back to its "traditional, confessional and biblical position" that women should not instruct men in theology or biblical languages.

Aye carumba.

In a related note, the SBC will vote on a motion to censure (in absentia) Priscilla, mentioned throughout the New Testament, both for teaching Apollos, an early seminarian, and for consistently being mentioned in the biblical text ahead of her husband.

Okay, that last part was made up. But to be perfectly honest, it wouldn't surprise me. Increasingly, in an effort to stick to fewer and fewer verses, the Southern Baptists are ignoring more and more of God's Word.

No matter what your theological position on women as pastors, preventing a woman from teaching Hebrew is simply asinine.

Read the rest of the sad, shameful story here

(ht: Scot McKnight)

Comments

[Seth]

And people wonder why Southern Baptists get a bad rap. I'm glad they excommunicated me long ago.

My favorite is still their Disney ban.

[Scott Bridwell]

Yep...This is to say the least very embarrassing. If you are a SBC Geek I would encourage you to visit Wade Burleson's Blog (he's a prominent pastor from Oklahoma, a Trustee with the International Mission Board and an outspoken voice on trends like these)

Bottom Line: This is Wrong!

[bob]

Sheesh...I am increasingly embarrassed to have been Baptist. For a denomination that espouses fidelity to Scripture they sure "reach" when it comes to application. Glad you are calling this out.

bb

[Rachel]

"In a related note, the SBC will vote on a motion to censure (in absentia) Priscilla, mentioned throughout the New Testament, both for teaching Apollos, an early seminarian, and for consistently being mentioned in the biblical text ahead of her husband."

I love it, Bob!

I expect Deborah, Huldah and Phoebe will be next.

[Kipp Wilson]

As an only moderately complementarian English professor, I'm not sure if I'm offended more by their mistreatment of both Dr. Klouda and the biblical text, or by their mistaken belief that "lax" is a noun.

[micah fries]

Bob-

Thanks for posting this. I ran across your blog after reading the recent article about it in the New York Times. I am an SBC pastor who has been increasingly involved in the dialogue occurring that points out the disparity between biblical principles and the fundamentalist attitudes that are being promoted by so many in leadership within the SBC. While there are a great many in the SBC who are causing these problem decisions, there is also a strong grassroots movement to restore biblical parameters to our partnership. I would encourage you to consider Wade's blog (as Scott Bridewell mentioned above) and most of all check out SBCOutpost.com, the blog of Pastor Marty Duren. Notice the links on the side and you'll see a large group of SBCer's that are just as frustrated as you are and are committed to changing the SBC. If you want another opinion you can also check out my blog (http://friesville.net/blog).

[grace]

I agree that was an inappropriate use of the word lax. I wonder if it was supposed to be lapse.

Of course, as a woman, I wouldn't want to take an authoritative stance on language. In fact, I probably shouldn't even have commented.

Never mind.

[Kipp Wilson]

Good point, Grace. You are standing in judgment over leaders of teachers of future pastors in the SBC, by calling their language "inappropriate." Therefore you are asserting authority over pastors, and therefore are unbiblical.

Personally, I am likewise offended at your self-criticism, as criticism of a woman is the place of her husband, father, pastor or pretty much any human being with XY chromosomes, and not the place of a woman (even herself). Consider yourself doubly rebuked.

[Mark McMurray]

"I ran across your blog after reading the recent article about it in the New York Times."...... Those damn widgets will make you famous sooner or later !!

[Randall]

God love 'em, the Southern Baptists are as messed up and broken as anyone on the planet, aren't they? I am an ex-Baptist and now a Vineyard guy... and we Vineyardites have our problems as well... we don't even have a seminary where we can make women pastors if we like!

I too found your blog through the NY Times article, and will bookmark it and see what you're thinking on a daily basis. Keep up the great work, and don't stop blogging, even if it's to write seemingly insignificant things.

PS - It took FOREVER for your blog page to load with all the graphics and links on it, and I'm on a ultra high speed connection. So all the widgets might be slowing down your page load.

[Kester Smith]

You think you're upset? Think about all the young male seminarians who have to go back and take their language classes over again.

[Lacey]

i received my undergraduate degree in christian studies from a southern baptist university in tennessee and i find these developments ridiculous.

i am starting to wonder... if SBC undergraduate schools allow women to get degrees in christian studies but not only limited women's roles in church leadership and now, in higher-ed... why can we still get these degrees? do they think we just want to spend 80K on a piece of paper to hang up in our house as we wear an apron and mop the floors?

[Lacey]

sorry about the typing errors. i type too fast sometimes!