US preacher defends belief women can't teach men

Reuters ^ | 08/24/06

[presidio9]

A U.S. Baptist preacher has publicly defended himself for firing a female Sunday School teacher after more than 50 years on the job because he believes the Bible bans women from teaching men.

Watertown First Baptist Church Pastor Tim LaBouf, also a city council member in Watertown, N.Y., said women could fulfill any role or responsibility they wanted to -- outside the church.

"My belief is that the qualifications for both men and women teaching spiritual matters in a church setting end at the church door, period," LaBouf said in a statement on the church Web site (http://www.nnyinfo.com/firstbaptist).

LaBouf and the church board fired Mary Lambert, 81, earlier this month in a letter that cited the scriptural qualifications for Sunday School teachers, Lambert said.

"They quote First Timothy Two, 11-14: 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," Lambert said, reading from the letter.

"I was astonished," she said. "I would not go back and teach as long as this is their thinking."

Watertown is 250 miles northwest of New York City.

William Carlsen, executive minister for American Baptist Churches of New York State, said U.S. Baptist Churches are autonomous and that there would not be many other Baptist Churches that share LaBouf's view.

"A considerable number if not a majority of American Baptist Churches have been quite aggressive in affirming the place of women's leadership roles within the church," Carlsen said.

The board of the Watertown First Baptist Church said in a statement on its Web site that the scripture rules concerning women teaching men in a church setting had only played a small part in Lambert's sacking.

"Christian courtesy motivates us to refrain from making any public accusations against her," the board said.

[1rudeboy]

How many Baptists believe women should not teach men? At least one.
How many Taliban believe women should not teach men? At least one.

[najida]

Yep,
Religion of the "We All Wear Size 4 Shoes".

[Cicero]

I think the operative words are "in church." To me that means from the pulpit, not down in the basement or the annex, teaching Sunday School. If that was a problem, then maybe they could have found a gentler way to deal with it.

[driftdiver]

Ahh so you take one piece of a huge complicated puzzle and then equate Christians to a bunch of murderous thugs.

talk about brains slamming shut.

[JimSEA]

As long as these folks do not attempt to force their will upon me and mine, and as long as their practices do not violate laws constitutionally passed for the protection of the men and women of this country, they are free to do as they wish in their church. I don't really care if Muslim women choose to wear Burkas (subject to security related requirements for identification and "bomb" checks) as long as the state does not require it for all women. At the same time, my lack of a beard and my wife's pre-retirement occupation as a nursing teacher is not subject to any religion's censure. That's what the First Amendment actually means.

[Preachin']

People like to have their favorite scriptures, but they overlook others:

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ACTS 18

24Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor[b] and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

---

Apollos, as the passage above demonstrates, was taught by a woman.

The issue really is about the "authority". A woman has all right to teach, but the point is that she should not do so from the perspective of authority.

It is worth mentioning that Priscilla is mentioned several times in the scriptures with her husband. At least twice she is mentioned first with her husband's name following.

---

[1rudeboy]

Trust me, it's not that complicated.

[presidio9]

You just had to go and do it,didn't ya!

I can't help myself. You should know that about me by now.

[thoughtomator]

There is plenty that women can teach men.

Sure are!

[Hila]

The pastor's statements reads: "relieve a member from teaching an adult class". So it seems she was not only teaching women; she might have had a co-ed audience and that is why it was unbiblical.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Yes, but you are doing so in order to deceptively link his perfectly rational belief with the particularly reprehensible things people associate with the name "Taliban".

NOT, as you not innocently but falsely protest, to merely connect the two minor things they have in common.

Which by the way isn't so minor, as he is following the word of the one true God, while the Taliban was not.

[Preachin']

' Religion of the "We All Wear Size 4 Shoes". '

And tell us: What is your religion?

[ansel12]

Thanks to your post, we again see how the media has managed to twist nothing into a national attack on Christians and Christianity.

[newcats]

See...I knew you couldn't stay on the subject.

[thoughtomator]

How many Amish wear beards? At least one.
How many Taliban wear beards? At least one.

[Squawk 8888]

Not including driving, of course.

Unless you're learning to drive a plane. One female instructor got me my licence and another took me through the Night Flying Endorsement :-D

[hosepipe]

Philip(the apostles) daughters were Evangelists..

[presidio9]

Plenty of men drivers in my city, holding phones to their ears, totally oblivious to traffic. So, there you have it for men's driving "superior" skills. A guy totalled the neighbor's brick mail box not long ago, he said it's the third time and each instance was a man. Etceteras.

Agreed that me tend to have more spectacular crashes. Women drivers just don't pay attention.

[Soul Seeker]

I'm not a baptist, but I'd say there is a distinct difference between women teaching children about their religion in Sunday School and women preaching from the pulpit.

That is generally the difference of position my Church takes.

[Hila]

You must know that the word church means its members; it is not a building. The church is formed of believers, not of buildings; sadly, few are taught that and they think they are "going to church".