Ladies: 81 year-old Sunday School teacher gets boot for being a woman. Agree? Why?

Question

"The First Baptist Church dismissed Mary Lambert on Aug. 9 with a letter explaining that the church had adopted an interpretation that prohibits women from teaching men. She had taught there for 54 years."

"The letter quoted the first epistle to Timothy: 'I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.'"

"The Rev. Timothy LaBouf, who also serves on the Watertown City Council, issued a statement saying his stance against women teaching men in Sunday school would not affect his decisions as a city leader in Watertown"

"'I believe that a woman can perform any job and fulfill any responsibility that she desires to' outside of the church, LaBouf wrote Saturday"
- excerpts from AP report

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-men22.html

"just because I'm a Christian and a woman doesn't mean I won't be your President" - Blondie (from an earlier question)

Answer 1

I heard about this and found it very disturbing. Was she working for them or a volunteer? What if she just taught kids? And why now? Did this man just suddenly show up and decide to make a change?

What I see here is a total lack of compassion and understanding from this church leader. You do know the entire city council is made of men, too, right? So even bringing it up there - then what? Does he follow everything by the letter (or what he perceives is by the letter), or only what he would like? Very sad.

So she could teach in a local college, but not in Sunday school? Makes total sense to me.

Answer 2

I used to attend the Church of Christ that was that way. They didn't let women do anything. They weren't allowed to preach, teach, or even help with collection/communion. If they had something they wanted to say, they said it through their husbands/fathers/brothers, etc. I quit going because of that. They sited that bible passage and some others for the reason behind this belief. I hated it. I'm not a feminist or anything like that, but to say that a woman must be silent merely because she is a woman is absurd. They had alot of strict beliefs like that though. Another was that there were no musical instruments to be played in the church. No choir or anything. All the time they were qouting scripture as their reasoning.

I feel bad for that woman. After 54 years, they just up and change their minds. I would be outraged. If I had been employed by them and not just a volunteer, I'd also be speaking to my lawyer.

Answer 3

A lot of people do not know how to interpret the Bible correctly or they fail to understand that things were a bit different then. God used women in the Bible days and now. I go to a church and we are affilitated with other churches in the south. They had the old fashioned idea that women can only do certain things in the church, but through much prayer they now have a women minister in a very high position. Thank God my church is not like that! Email me and I can give you more information about what that scripture actually means.

Answer 4

If that hypocrite really wanted to follow the bible, he'd resign his city council seat. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's" means religion and government don't mix, dummy!

She didn't lose her job because she's a woman -- that's just his pious excuse. She lost her job because she disagreed with him.

If every woman in that congregation would stand up and walk out the next time LaBouf steps into the pulpit, the entire Christian church would disintegrate like a wet napkin.

Answer 5

I take into consideration that the cultures no matter which religion,were basically, all male dominated. the the woman took care of the children, the men worked outside the home, if you think about the times??..." not to mention the middle eastern philosophy,as well as Jewish beliefs. .. a woman couldn't work outside her home or she was coincided a harlot and stoned to death,this was the way the men ruled and wrote the laws of God with this soc ail mentality. I mean? ..look even as we speak 2006, women still are under this same rule, though the human rights issue re; woman, have nothing to do with oil. in Saudi, the worst of all middle eastern countries re; woman.but?. we back them.. ?" anyway?, that's another subject.. LOL my point . it was the sign of the times written by hand with ingrained environmental social prejudice ." the times .."

Answer 6

The Southern Baptist allow women to teach and also be a minister. They do not think women should hold the Pastorate in a church.
In the first century church the term "teacher" was used to signify pastor (Rabbi).

Answer 7

Disagree...this doctrine does not match Jesus' heart. I invite Christian men and women to pray and ask the holy spirit to speak the truth directly to their heart. This yields results much more in keeping with what Jesus said and did and who He was and IS. Church policies, even if well intended are constructs of man, not God. The church universal is not man-made and its "membership" may surprise you. It surprises me more every day!

Great question! You invite us to trust what we already know. Thanks bobkgin!

Answer 8

It is interesting that in general, women are more spiritually sensitive than men....Maybe that is what they don't want in their church....

Religion and spirituality cannot coexist. One is man controlled and one is following the spirit of truth, where man is not in control.

Answer 9

Idiocy. Truly idiotic.

Biblical laws are hard at work here.

Next, they'll be prohibiting crab salads, polycotton blends in the church.

I hate religious bigotry.

Answer 10

Doesnt Christianity preach equality? Jesus loves all his children.

oh wait by children, he means only men.

That's ridiculous, and it's people like them who WONDER why they get called hypocrites.

Thanks for ruining the bible you tools.