Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 04-04-2008, 11:46 AM

Baptist Seminary refuses to allow a woman to teach men

Quote:

Klouda filed suit against Southwestern a year ago, citing gender discrimination and breach of contract, after leaving the school to take a teaching position at Taylor University in Upland, Ind. Her case was publicized by critics of Patterson, including prominent reform-minded Southern Baptist bloggers Wade Burleson and Benjamin Cole.

Klouda was hired to teach Hebrew in 2002, under a previous president’s administration. Patterson became Southwestern’s president in 2003. According to court documents, he decided that women should not teach theology to male ministers-in-training because the Southern Baptist Convention’s confession of faith says the office of pastor is reserved for men.

Nonetheless, according to Klouda, Patterson assured her that she was safe in her tenure-track position. However, in 2004, she was told that she would not be granted tenure. In 2006, according to Klouda, seminary officials told her she would be terminated at the end of that year.

Among her complaints were that the seminary had violated its promises to her, and that there was no clear justification in the Bible or the SBC confession for Patterson’s decision to bar women from Southwestern’s theology faculty.

The decision was framed as a victory for church autonomy by the church's attorneys.

It was extensively attacked in The Wittenburg Door blog for relying on a forged letter of Paul.

Quote:

In 2003 Dr. Patterson became president. She went to him to ask him whether she should be worried about his well known opposition to women in the ministry. He said she had “nothing to worry about.” She pointed out that she had freely signed all Baptist faith statements, including the parts about women, and that she didn’t regard this teaching position as a pastorate—did he? He said no, he did not.
...

In 2006 her teaching contract was not renewed. The reason given was that they interpreted a verse in 1 Timothy to mean that no woman can be in any position of authority over a man, and therefore there’s no way for a woman to teach in the Department of Theology because almost all of the students are male.

In 2007 she suffered a series of financial setbacks related to her having to move herself, her invalid husband and their three children to a small college in Indiana while being unable to sell their house in Fort Worth.

She reluctantly filed the lawsuit, and only at the urging of many Baptist pastors. She was not surprised when it was thrown out by the judge, who cited the university’s right to use Biblical reasons to hire and fire faculty.

The blog then goes on to say that 100% of scholars dispute the authenticity of 1 Timothy, and counters it with Galatians 3:27-29.

Huon · 04-04-2008, 11:52 AM

1 Timothy and Galatians belong to the Sharia (xtian style).

Toto · 04-04-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huon

1 Timothy and Galatians belong to the Sharia (xtian style).

Um, not exactly. Leviticus is the analogue to Sharia. Galatians says that in Christ there is no male or female, contrary to the mean spirited misogyny in 1 Timothy (sit down and shut up, little lady.)

The interesting part to me is the split among Baptists on this issue. It is good to know that there are reform minded academics in the Southern Baptist ranks.

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04-04-2008, 11:52 AM	#2
Huon Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bordeaux France Posts: 2,796	1 Timothy and Galatians belong to the Sharia (xtian style).

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