When I was a child, I wanted to be a preacher. My dad was a preacher, after all. I looked up to him and wanted to follow in his footsteps. The problem was that such a thing was prohibited. I was raised, after all, in a Southern Baptist church. They, to this day, will not ordain women—clinging as they continue do to the Bible’s command in 1 Timothy 2:11: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
It’s odd, then, that it has taken so long for someone to point out the obvious. Sarah Palin, who has supposedly solidified the conservative Christian base for John McCain, would not qualify for leadership within the church.
These same conservative Christians who agree with Palin’s political views and are thrilled by the idea of her serving just one heartbeat away from the presidency would argue that it would be inappropriate for her to exercise leadership in her marital relationship at home. Instead, as the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) says, she should “grow in willing, joyful submission to (her husband’s) leadership.” Many of the conservative Christian leaders who have so warmly endorsed the nomination of Palin, mother of five with a grandchild on the way, have spent most of their careers arguing that the primary responsibility of women is to tend to their homes and families.
It is indeed odd to see conservative Christians rallying behind this woman as if they were actually proponents of women’s rights in any other arena of life—especially within the pulpit or other church leadership positions like deacons. Gushee, however, tries to end on an optimistic note:
The nomination of Palin offers conservative Christian leaders the chance to rethink an archaic theological vision that wounds millions of devout Christian women and restricts the full exercise of their gifts. This is an unexpected gift from presidential candidate John McCain to evangelical Christianity. May Sarah Palin flourish in her new role, and may she open many new doors for evangelical women in America.
Call me cynical, but the freeing of the slaves was also an opportunity for conservative churches to open new doors for African-Americans but the Southern Baptists didn’t apologize for their support of slavery until 1995. I expect it will be another hundred years or so before women gain equality in these churches—if they ever do.
