From the Institute-of-Lutheran-Theology
By Kip Allan Tyler
Throughout the history of God’s people men and women have been called by God to serve God and His people faithfully. This has happened in various ways as demonstrated in Holy Scripture. We are going to take a journey through God’s Word, so please take out your Greek New Testaments.First of all we need to understand, the term ‘pastor’ does not appear in the Bible. The etymology of this word is traced through Latin and not Greek. The Latin word for “pastor” means a herder of a flock and the verb pascere means “to feed.”
The closest koine Greek word would be found in 1 Peter 5:1-2 where the πρεσβυτέρους (Adjective Accusative Plural Masculine πρεσβύτερος) “elder” is to ποιμάνατε (Verb 2nd Person Plural Aorist Active Imperative ποιμαίνω) “shepherd, feed, tend” the flock of God among them.
Although the term pastor is not mentioned in the New Testament it is common among us today. The role of a pastor is really an amalgamation of numerous Old Testament and New Testament functions, such as priest, servant, overseer, prophet, teacher, etc.
The challenge in this study is to not only look at the passages from the Bible which have been used by some to deny the possibility of women serving as pastors, but also attempt to understand the role of women throughout Scripture and reconcile the seeming Biblical tension.
A verse often cited to argue against a woman serving as a pastor is 1 Timothy 2:11-12 which is translated in the NIV as “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” Paul is writing to Timothy giving him advice as he provides leadership for the church in Ephesus which is being influenced by false teachers. (cont.)
The full Bible Study: The-Role-of-Women-as-Pastors
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“Overall, I am not too crazy about women pastors in the church. Although, I have met some very good ones.”
That statement alone, has gotten me literally booted off some blogs by LCMS bloggers, with whom I was previously quite friendly. A couple of them (they will remain nameless) will no longer even speak to me.
I have also been booted off blogs by ELCA bloggers, as well (not on this topic), just to be fair.
This can be a great discussion if we can keep from getting emotional. Please read the entire Bible study before commenting pro or con.
I’m going out to the desert to visit my Mom later today (at least a five hour roundtrip) so I won’t be able to participate until later tomorrow.
This can be a heated topic, so I’m asking all that would like to participate to keep the discussion civil. No name calling, please.
Remember, like Dennis Prager, I prefer “clarity, rather than agreement.”
We probably aren’t going to win anybody over, here. But we can make some good arguments and hopefully learn a thing or two ourselves.
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The Old Adam Lives! 