10 reasons why men should not be church leaders

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Sunday, November 30th, 2008

10 reasons why men should not be church leaders

i blogged about eugene cho’s website a couple days ago and upon a return visit, i came across some more thoughts on the need for equality for women in church leadership (and beyond). one of his most visited blog posts is a satirical list of the 10 reasons why men should not be ordained. obviously this is a joke, but it serves to show how ridiculous the arguments against women being able to lead the church are.

10. A man’s place is in the army.
9. The pastoral duties of men who have children might distract them from the responsibility of being a parent.
8. The physique of men indicates that they are more suited to such tasks as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do ministerial tasks.
7. Man was created before woman, obviously as a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. Their conduct at football and basketball games demonstrates this.
5. Some men are handsome, and this will distract women worshipers.
4. Pastors need to nurture their congregations. But this is not a traditional male role. Throughout history, women have been recognized as not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more fervently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are prone to violence. No really masculine man wants to settle disputes except by fighting about them. Thus they would be poor role models as well as dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. The New Testament tells us that Jesus was betrayed by a man. His lack of faith and ensuing punishment remind us of the subordinated position that all men should take.
1. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep sidewalks, repair the church roof, and perhaps even lead the song service on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the church.
good stuff.
also, coincidentally, the latest post on cho’s blog is about general injustice against women throughout history. it’s a compelling and worthwhile read.