What About Women Leading Worship?

Bob Kauflin is a well-known "worship leader" and has written songs that are sung around the world. I asked Bob if he had ever posted on his blog about females leading worship. Here is what he wrote:

The question of whether or not a woman can "lead worship" is determined by two things. 1) How you understand what Scripture says about male leadership; and 2) how you understand the role of the worship leader. Our culture has worked overtime to persuade us that there is no difference between male and female leadership, or at least that men and women can lead in any situation. I think the Bible disagrees. Here are some relevant Scriptures:

1 Cor 14:34-35 "women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."

1 Tim 2:11-15 "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing--if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."

Titus 1:6 "An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient."

The Bible clearly teaches that the role of Pastor is reserved for those who meet the qualifications laid out in 1Tim 3. Since one of these requirements is to have a wife as your spouse, it is impossible for a woman to meet these qualifications. Furthermore, the Bible commands women to teach other women and not to have authority over a man in the church.

Because there is no “worship leader” role in Scripture, we have to determine what biblical roles it fulfills. Sovereign Grace see the role of the worship leader primarily as a pastoral responsibility. Those who lead congregational worship will fulfill at least four functions: leading, pastoring, teaching, and prophesying. Only prophesying is specifically a male/female gift. The others are defined as male functions in a mixed gathering. Of course, church environments exist where the leadership does not want the worship leader teaching, pastoring, etc., or at least they do not function in this way. A church may have a “music leader” that does nothing but play an instrument and lead rehearsals. Perhaps a pastor is more involved in the singing portion of the meeting, or the "worship leader" is more of a "song leader," or the comments made by the leader are confined to more brief spontaneous encouraging comments. In those situations the male/female distinctions are minimized. However, in our understanding, there would always be a tension between what a leader could do, and possible misunderstanding regarding a woman's leadership role in the church. Of course, a woman can lead worship in a women's meeting, or in children's ministry, or can be a major contributor as part of a worship leading team. It also seems possible that a woman could lead worship in a small group, where the leader is exercising clear directional and pastoral authority.

In any case, God’s desire isn’t to limit our serving, but maximize it by seeing us function to the fullest extent in the complementary roles that he has ordained for us.

Cultural Issues

Here are a couple of good posts on the cultural issues facing biblical manhood and womanhood.
1. Egalitarian Orthodoxy?
2. Yet Another Minister is "Let Off the Hook" for Blessing Same-Sex Unions

There are no dumb questions?

Most of us have heard the old saying, “There are no dumb questions, just dumb answers.” I disagree with this. I think there are lots of dumb questions. For example, a husband saying, “Sweetie, would you like that Ryboi 10 inch Bench-Top Drill Press or the Milwaukee Compact Electromagnetic Drill Press for Christmas this year?” or someone on the sinking Titanic saying, “So do you think the water is cold?” These are dumb questions.

However, I was asked a question by a fellow blogger that I did not feel was dumb. He asked: “It seems that in your general line of thinking that women should not hold political office or hold management positions in a company. Is that a logical conclusion to your line of thought or am I reading something into your view of the man and woman Genesis dynamic?” (to get more on the previous conversation click here)

To answer this question, I would first like to say that I do not wish to ever degrade or minimize the important role of women in marriage, society, ministry, or in the work force. Men and women are equally made in the image of God and God has used females for His glory and for His good purposes (and for the good of men). My wife is a “stay-at-home” mom and I know that she works harder than me every single day. She joyfully manages our home while I am working and she does an excellent job of modeling godly, humble, intelligent submission.

Secondly, I do not think that Genesis 1-3 speaks of the role of a woman in the work force or in political realms, but in the role of a wife. Genesis 1-3 speaks of Eve as Adam’s wife and the name of the role she is given is “helper suitable” or “helpmate.” I don’t think I could improve on Wayne Grudem’s answer to a similar question when he said, “What we find in the Bible is that God as given commands that establish male leadership in the home and in the church, but that other teachings in His Word give considerable freedom in other areas of life. We should not try to require either more or less than Scripture itself requires.”

Equal, yet Different

I was reading a blog by a female pastor the other day and she referred to a passage in the book of Galatians which speaks on the equality of men and women. She would say that this passage is speaking both of the role and function of men and women being equal.

The passage is Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The lady pastor would probably say that this passage shows clearly that there is complete unification here and that this is a proof for the egalitarian position (males and females being equal both in role and function). However, I do not think that “unity” and “sameness” mean the same thing. I do not think that Paul would say the person born under a Jewish heritage who came to know Jesus would cease to have the Jewish lineage. I have both German and English ancestry, but I don’t cease to have these just because I am a Christian. Neither do I cease to be man nor does my wife cease to be a woman. In Paul’s context, I don’t think he would say that a slave would cease to be a slave just because they were converted to Christianity. The slave would have still had the role of the slavery, but would have been united with the people of Christ. Paul’s point is that there is unity in Christ because of his finished work on the cross…which brings us to unity as Christians who can celebrate our lack of “sameness” but see our roles as joyfully serving the body of Christ. If we draw the conclusion that this passage teaches a sameness of men and women then we have to think through quite a few things:

1. What do we do with all of the other passages in the New Testament that teach in the differences between males and females (specifically with “husbands and wives” and “ministry roles”)

2. When we are in church on Sunday, which restroom are we supposed to go in?

3. What would be wrong with homosexuality if men aren’t really men and women aren’t really women, but we are all simply Christians and Christ came to break the gender barriers?

The real question might not be about gender at all. The real question may be about how we read our Bibles. Is Scripture the ultimate authority or is OUR interpretation more authoritative to us?

(Wayne Grudem’s Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth was a helpful resource for this post)

A Small Look at a Great Book...

I just finished reading Gary and Betsy Ricucci’s book Love that Lasts. Let me just say that this is a “must read” for those who desire to have a good marriage (which I hope is every married person reading this blog).

The Ricucci’s speak of everything from the “roles of men and women” to “sexual intimacy.” Here is what they say about what every marriage needs…

1. Humility
2. Hope
3. Realistic expectations
4. Consistent application from biblical conviction.
5. Beginning with grace, gratitude, and faith

I think we can all benefit from stepping back and taking time to evaluate our marriage. This book will help you see what changes need to be made and rely on God's grace to apply the gospel to your marriage.

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning, a Very Good Place to Start…

You are probably either one of those people who loves the Sound of Music or hates it. My wife and two-year-old love this movie and sing the songs frequently. In this musical, Maria (played by Julie Andrews) seeks to teach the children how to sing. The beginning of her music lesson she sings, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. When you speak you begin with A, B, C, when you sing you begin with Do-Re-Mi.” This lesson is also good for us in first looking at biblical manhood and womanhood. We must start at the beginning…Genesis 1-3. There is much that can be said about these chapters, for they are foundational for so much of Christianity, but when we put on our “biblical manhood and womanhood” lenses, we can see that this text is very important for how we live out our gender roles.

Notice from this text that the roles for Adam and Eve were made before sin came into the world. Many who disagree with the Complementarian position (meaning that men and women are equal in personhood, but different function and role) would disagree with this. However, those who take the text at face value (as being the very words of God), can see the roles are laid out in Genesis 2 and that the distortion of roles is part of the curse of sin.

Wayne Grudem in his lecture, “A Crucial Call to Faithfulness on Gender Issues,” gave several ways we can see that gender roles were spelled out before the fall. Here are a few of his points.

-->Order: Adam was created first and then Eve was created

-->Representation: Adam is the one who represents humanity throughout the Bible and though it was Eve who first ate the fruit in Genesis 3, it is Adam who is blamed for not leading his wife. It is from Adam that we inherit our sinful nature (Romans 5:12-14)

-->Naming: Adam named Eve and naming is always seen as a type of authority. Parents name their children because they are in authority over their children.

-->Helping: Eve was created as a “helper suitable” for Adam and not Adam as a helper for Eve. The term “helper” is not a demeaning term. God is even called a helper at times.

Grudem’s understanding of the beginning of the world has massive implications to our daily lives. They are not written to degrade women or puff up men. The difference in gender roles (from the foundation of the world) helps us to know how men should be men and how women should be women. It frees us rather than restricts us. Grudem says that the proper view of biblical manhood is a “Loving, humble headship” and the proper view of biblical womanhood is “joyful, intelligent submission.” This is where God starts his teaching on manhood and womanhood and this is where we must start…at the very beginning.

One Step at a Time

The other night, my wife and I went to see Step Afrika. It is a “step show” of recently graduated college students who are simply amazing in the moves they make. I honestly can’t do it justice in explaining it, so just click here if you want to check it out.

During the show, they grabbed some people out of the audience to participate and I was one of those people. Though I think I have some decent rhythm skills, (I can clap on a 2/4 beat or a 1/3 beat…on demand) I was quickly humbled because after every “step move” we were given, they then added another move. After about three moves, I was getting a little overwhelmed.

It is similar in our spiritual growth. If we are trying to apply everything that we are learning, we will get overwhelmed, but if we seek to apply one truth at a time, then we will continually be growing. In the view of biblical manhood and womanhood, we can think everything has to be applied right now, but what if we sought out to apply one thing today. What if a dad sought to teach his son how to treat his mom respectfully as a young man should? What if the “stay at home” mom sought to honor her husband by gearing her day toward serving him? What if a college student realized that he/she did not have strong enough convictions about biblical manhood and womanhood and sought to gain more knowledge about this area, so they picked up a good book on the subject? These are all small steps that we can do today, but they will affect many areas in our life though we are just seeking to apply one truth.

This concept is not one that I have come up with on my own, but have heard and read in many books by the people at CCEF and Sovereign Grace Ministries. One step you may want to make if you are married is ordering a good book on marriage. I recommend Love that Lasts by Gary and Betsy Ricucci. If you are one who has been struggling with the issues of biblical manhood and womanhood and how they function, you might want to start with John Piper’s What's the Difference.

Marriage Going Out of Style?

Al Mohler has a great article discussing some concerns about marriage. Check it out...

Jerry Bridges on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Being a rookie blogger, I thought it would be fun to interview Jerry Bridges (one of our instructors for a week at the Pastors College). So here is my extensive and thorough interview with Mr. Bridges on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

MS: Mr. Bridges would it be okay for me to interview you for an article on biblical manhood and womanhood

JB: Sure that would be fine.

MS: So what are your thoughts on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood?

JB: Though I have not spoken much on it, I am all for what is going on with the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. I say Amen to that! (Mr. Bridges then pauses waiting for another question…and I say nothing, my mind goes absolutely blank…but, I nod my head with much grace and dignity… then Mr. Bridges turns to pack up his stuff indicating he is done with the interview)

MS: Thank you so much for your time Mr. Bridges (then I sheepishly walk away not quite sure what just happened).

I respect Jerry Bridges a great deal and many of his books have impacted me to focus daily on the Gospel. Mr. Bridges is a Gospel-centered man and his view of biblical manhood and womanhood reflects that conviction. At the heart of biblical manhood and womanhood is a desire to hold a high view of Scripture and not compromise the gospel. This is reflected in Mr. Bridges position on gender roles.

Man Law

Some of the guys at Cornerstone Church in Knoxville came up with some humorous video clips making “Man Laws.” Enjoy!

A Moment with CJ...

One of the privileges of being part of the Sovereign Grace Pastors College is that we get to meet with C.J. Mahaney once a month. Last month, we asked C.J. to talk a little about his concern with feminism in our culture. He spoke much about how the battle for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is going to grow and get more hostile in coming years for the church. "Feminism is in the air we breathe," he said. His desire is not to fight with aggressiveness to slander feminists, but to grow in humility and to be bold in taking a stand where the Bible stands.

One interesting point that C.J. made was how the "Sunday Meeting" could be a teaching time for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (even outside the preaching of God's Word). He said that one of the reasons that many of the pastors are on stage during the "Worship through Singing" time of the meeting at Covenant Life Church is to help lead in expressive worship to the glory of God. The pastors provide an example of masculinity in passionate worship and this communicates much to the young men in the congregation as well as demonstrating the church's desire to have male leadership as biblically defined.

C.J. also expressed that the women in the church should not be restricted where the bible does not restrict them. The Covenant Life women should feel the care of the male leadership in their church. There are many areas for both men and women to serve in the church, but Scripture must be the guide as to how these areas of service are applied.

Are You a Sissy?

The other day I turned on the radio and was flipping stations and I happened get to a talk show that got my attention. The host was Michael Baisden, a black man, who seems to be speaking to non-whites in his radio show, so I thought I would listen in...

As I listened I discovered that he was talking to a guy about some black men being "sissies" because they were not being good husbands or fathers. I thought, "I don't think this is just black men being ‘sissies’...I think there are a lot of us whities that are also not taking on the responsibilities of manhood." Though I don't think Baisden was speaking of biblical manhood, it is interesting that he is crying out for some real men to stand up.

What we need is not the "wife beating" man who "tells his woman what to do." We also don't need some passive guy who does not care for his wife or kids but simply plays the latest Madden game eating Taco Bell at midnight while his wife cares for the crying baby. I am making the plea for men who will stand up for true manhood, biblical manhood. We are called to love and lead. We are called to protect and encourage. Don't be a sissy, be a man!

Put That in Your Piper and Smoke It

John Piper has many helpful things to say in his works on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. In his small book, What's the Difference, Dr. Piper gives, "nine clarifying statements about the meaning of mature masculine leadership." I think if men were to really grapple with these statements, it would change our homes, our churches, and our lives.

1. Mature masculinity expresses itself not in the demand to be served, but in the strength to serve and to sacrifice for the good of woman.

2. Mature masculinity does not assume the authority of Christ over woman, but advocates it.

3. Mature masculinity does not presume superiority, but mobilizes the strengths of others.

4. Mature masculinity does not have to initiate every action, but feels the responsibility to provide a general pattern of initiative.

5. Mature masculinity accepts the burden of the final say in disagreements between husband and wife, but does not presume to use it in every instance.

6. Mature masculinity expresses its leadership in romantic sexual relations by communicating an aura of strong and tender pursuit.

7. Mature masculinity expresses itself in a family by taking the initiative in disciplining the children when both parents are present and a family standard has been broken.

8. Mature masculinity is sensitive to cultural expressions of masculinity and adapts to them (where no sin is involved) in order to communicate to a woman that a man would like to relate not in any aggressive or perverted way, but with maturity and dignity as a man.

9. Mature masculinity recognizes that the call to leadership is a call to repentance and humility and risk-taking.