Dear Highland Family,
Recently, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s president, Dr. Al Mohler, again spoke out against female pastors and led a measure inviting the Southern Baptist Convention to go even further in condemning female pastors and disfellowshipping churches led by them. As Highland’s second female senior pastor, I am not interested in re-litigating God’s call on my life to prove to Al Mohler that I am worthy of my title. Highland Baptist Church affirmed 41 years ago God’s call for women to serve as deacons in the church, ordaining Lillian Brown, Linnie Edwards, and Fay Jeffries. Since then, Highland has ordained countless women as preachers and teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
While I would prefer to ignore Mohler’s stance, God calls us to live and work in the world, which means acknowledging that we minister just one mile down the road from where Al Mohler lives and leads. However, I choose to resist the trap of letting him dictate how we must respond. We will not debate women’s worth in the church. We walked away from fighting with the SBC years ago.
Instead, we want to raise our awareness of how misogyny in the church affects far more than the gender of the preacher. Mohler’s definition of gender roles (men as God’s leaders and women as men’s subservient helpers) contributes to the ongoing crisis of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and sexual misconduct in churches, homes, seminaries, and denominations. God dreams of a world where justice and love are abundant, so we join in that work by encouraging men of faith to let go of the patriarchal assumption that they must exert power over women to be valued in the church.
This June, we shift the spotlight from the pulpit to organizations that support survivors of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, and domestic violence. From our Mission and Justice funds, Highland plans to donate $2,500 to Family Scholar House, which assists families who have experienced persistent poverty, unstable housing, and domestic violence.
I invite you to join Highland’s efforts by supporting organizations committed to caring for survivors of abuse spurred on by misogynistic theology. You are invited to contribute to Highland’s donation to Family Scholar House anytime between now and June 30. You can donate through our online giving site by selecting the “Other” category and entering “Family Scholar House.”
Liberated from the tyranny of pulpit control, let us heed God’s call to help all women and children who pray daily for a safe home and for a God who hears their cries.
Recently, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s president, Dr. Al Mohler, again spoke out against female pastors and led a measure inviting the Southern Baptist Convention to go even further in condemning female pastors and disfellowshipping churches led by them. As Highland’s second female senior pastor, I am not interested in re-litigating God’s call on my life to prove to Al Mohler that I am worthy of my title. Highland Baptist Church affirmed 41 years ago God’s call for women to serve as deacons in the church, ordaining Lillian Brown, Linnie Edwards, and Fay Jeffries. Since then, Highland has ordained countless women as preachers and teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
While I would prefer to ignore Mohler’s stance, God calls us to live and work in the world, which means acknowledging that we minister just one mile down the road from where Al Mohler lives and leads. However, I choose to resist the trap of letting him dictate how we must respond. We will not debate women’s worth in the church. We walked away from fighting with the SBC years ago.
Instead, we want to raise our awareness of how misogyny in the church affects far more than the gender of the preacher. Mohler’s definition of gender roles (men as God’s leaders and women as men’s subservient helpers) contributes to the ongoing crisis of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and sexual misconduct in churches, homes, seminaries, and denominations. God dreams of a world where justice and love are abundant, so we join in that work by encouraging men of faith to let go of the patriarchal assumption that they must exert power over women to be valued in the church.
This June, we shift the spotlight from the pulpit to organizations that support survivors of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, and domestic violence. From our Mission and Justice funds, Highland plans to donate $2,500 to Family Scholar House, which assists families who have experienced persistent poverty, unstable housing, and domestic violence.
I invite you to join Highland’s efforts by supporting organizations committed to caring for survivors of abuse spurred on by misogynistic theology. You are invited to contribute to Highland’s donation to Family Scholar House anytime between now and June 30. You can donate through our online giving site by selecting the “Other” category and entering “Family Scholar House.”
Liberated from the tyranny of pulpit control, let us heed God’s call to help all women and children who pray daily for a safe home and for a God who hears their cries.
~ Carol Harston, Senior Pastor