Women in the Church
Patrick Mitchell from the Irish Bible Institute is a passionate advocate for women in ministry within the church. In his latest blog post here (key sections quoted below) he refers to a recent post by Vinoth Ramanchandra and adds his own observations on the issue:
Vinoth Ramachandra fires from the hip. Here is a passionate post articulating for full equality for men and women in church ministry and criticising the inconsistency of a male-led hierarchical position.
This is what men in the church who hold an 'egalitarian' view need to be doing - speaking out. What he says here is nothing new. But it needs to be said and keep being said.The status quo of male priority in leadership within large swathes of evangelicalism (and beyond) is shifting gradually towards a mutual leadership position between men and women. Different people will have different interpretations of that shift. Some of course will see betrayal of the Bible and compromise with the spirit of the age.
I see it differently. I see the Spirit at work in liberating his people to serve and use their God-given gifts together within the body of Christ for the glory of God. I see the deeply embedded cultural assumptions underpinning male-only leadership being eroded under the probing searchlight of Scripture. I see a welcome reformation of the church at work.
What about you? Do you agree with Patrick and Vinoth? Do you agree that there has been a shift in the status quo or do you still experience a male leadership within the church? Is this good or bad? Share your thoughts here in the conversation!
