Why I (Speaking in Servant-Love) Believe Men Should Not be Church Leaders

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.  

I have shamelessly cut and pasted the hilarious above-quoted post from Serving Bread, and was made aware of the post by Helen from Conversation at the Edge.  We talk about women’s issues here a lot, since exiting the bowels of patriarchy has been a huge part of my life these last couple years. 

I know that those of you who were once, like me, fully invested in all the “godly” and “Biblical” and “logical” reasons for subjecting women will truly appreciate the above quote.  Good grief.  Men wouldn’t put up with this stuff.  I could never sucker my husband into believing the above.  So why did we women ever sit quietly and buy it?  Why do many women I know today still sit quietly and buy it—-an argument no less foolish than the one above? 

I only have one answer and it’s found in the prophetic words of Gen. 3:16, since no other explanation makes any shred of sense.  It wasn’t supposed to be this way.