Women Preachers and the Problem With Following Traditions

In a June 2020 article on cbmw.org, the website of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, scholar Wayne Grudem wrote,

“Until 2019, I held the common, historic Protestant view of divorce, namely, that adultery and desertion were the only two legitimate grounds for divorce allowed by Scripture.[1] This is the position set forth, for example, in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646):

In the case of adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce: and, after the divorce, to marry another, as if the offending party were dead. . . . Nothing but adultery, or such willful desertion as can no way be remedied by the church or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage. (24.5, 6)

I defended this position and interacted extensively with numerous other positions in a forty-five page chapter in my book, Christian Ethics, and I will not repeat those arguments here.[2]

However, as a result of additional research that I carried out in 2019, I now believe that 1 Corinthians 7:15 implies that divorce may be legitimate in other circumstances that damage the marriage as severely as adultery or desertion. This change in my position has come because I reached a new understanding of Paul’s expression “in such cases” in 1 Corinthians 7:15.”

Additionally, in an article on Christianity Today, Grudem describes how he changed his stance due to his own instincts and hearing multiple testimonies of victims, mostly women, who remained in abusive marriages because of this teaching—a teaching he promoted for about four decades. He says:

“As I mentioned, I’ve been teaching Bible and theology classes since 1977, so that that’s now just about 43 years, and I’ve been reading the Bible for almost 60 years. And so my theological instincts are not totally untrustworthy or unreliable. They give me some reason for looking into a matter more deeply. But the facts that made me change my mind were discovering new examples of a Greek phrase behind 1 Corinthians 7:15, where Paul talks about when an unbelieving wife or husband can legitimately consider the marriage to be ended and get a divorce.”

You can read the full-length articles via the links I provided. But doesn’t this lead one to think: What else could he and others be “wrong” about or change their stance on in the near future? What teachings have God’s people been blindly following, sopping up like soup with biscuits for years, until one day, someone says “Oops! I made a mistake? I didn’t see this 20 or 30 years ago. The instructions I gave you were incorrect.”

Naturally, I have questions after reading Mr. Grudem’s words. First, why did it take so long to “return” to Scripture and make this discovery? Why is he, as he maintains, the first person in history to investigate this further? It’s because most of us aren’t seeking truth in the Scriptures, but relying on man’s interpretations and traditions.

It’s not the revelation of a new meaning behind a Greek phrase that leads one to change their mind, but rather, it is God’s grace that opens their understanding, giving them insight into the will and heart of God. Only when we’re actively seeking truth can this be possible.

I commend Mr. Grudem for acknowledging and correcting what he viewed as an error in his understanding. But my point is not to say he was right or wrong with his previous or current position, but that he wasn’t and still isn’t infallible. 

And let me just add that, I find nothing wrong with being unsure or even wrong from time to time, but, when an issue in the Bible isn’t black and white, it’s foolish to create an entire rule or restriction based on human perspectives. 

Now. There’s a good reason why I bring all of this up.

Grudem is also a fierce opponent of women preachers and teachers. In fact, he’s written multiple books on the subject, including, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism and also, Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth: An Analysis of More Than 100 Disputed Questions.

There are many believers who trust the ideas of Mr. Grudem and other popular pastors and Bible teachers without a second thought. For years, they cling to their teachings because they trust that these fallible men have all the answers, when they don’t. In most cases, they’re just going by the traditions they themselves have been taught, which is exactly what happened with Grudem.

This is also true for many who oppose women preachers and teachers. They haven’t examined the text themselves, but are simply following traditional translations and teachings. The reason I know this is because, when studying the topic thoroughly according to Scripture, there is no way one can conclude with certainty, that God forbids women to preach or teach—to men, or to anyone.

A century ago, it was more understandable for a person to be ignorant of the simplicity of God’s Word, but now with the internet and all the available resources, what is our excuse? Are we purposely hiding our heads in the sand, too afraid to look into the light, and find the truth because we’re so comfortable in our traditions?

Rather than relying solely on human beings, elevated to human-made positions, God’s people need to pray and read and study the Bible for themselves, in an effort to discover truth; because let’s face it—church leadership today is nothing like it was in biblical times, when one could confidently trust a noble messenger of God, to give them the straight truth of God’s Word.

Now, we’re faced with a choice – either to remain ignorant and confused about basic biblical truths or to truly seek God and his will for ourselves. Let’s think things through and come to a conclusion based on Scripture and not man’s theology or opinions.

My next posts will begin to examine common “proof texts” that are used to support the idea that women are forbidden by God to preach and teach to men, in a church.