In the neverending battle for orthodoxy in the Southern Baptist Convention, every single day, we face the influx of liberalism–both theological and practical. As the fight over wokeness, #metoo, and religious freedom ramp up, those who should be leading the charge to biblical fidelity seem to be the ones fighting against the historic biblical orthodoxy that the true Church has held for two thousand years.

At the forefront of the issues war in the Southern Baptist Convention is the doctrine of Complementarianism–that is, that men and women are equal but have separate functions in the body of Christ and the home. Primarily, the fight is over women functioning as an elder by preaching and teaching when the Scriptures clearly command otherwise.

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:12:

I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

Paul echos this sentiment in 1 Corinthians 14:34:

The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.

From this, we know that the command was not limited to a single church in a single context; it is clear that Paul’s instructions were universal to the Church. The idea here is not that women are less valuable, but that God designed men for the role of leadership (1 Peter 3:7, Genesis 2:18, etc.)

Yet, despite the clear teachings throughout the Old and New Testaments, the effete male sisterhood of the Evangelical Church continues to surrender to the egalitarian feminist mob because, well, it’s the easier thing to do. These people know what the Scriptures say, yet, they opt to oppose the Scriptures rather than oppose the feminist mobs.

For example, Southern Baptist pastor and ERLC leader, Jay Adkins, calls into question Paul’s authority when he commands silence from women in the churches by suggesting that Paul’s command may have been out of line with God’s will:

One then must ask the question: if Paul’s command is not authoritative, then why does Mr. Adkins say he holds to “male only ordination”?

He continues,

Suggesting that Paul’s commands to the Church are not authoritative–as the Southern Baptist Convention is increasingly ordaining female “pastors”–should only serve to expose these frauds as capitulating to the world rather than standing on the authority of God’s word. Not only does this call the authority of the entire Scriptures into question–the Church has historically held to the inerrant, divine inspiration of the Scriptures–but it calls into question the entire foundations of the Church altogether.

This pastor should be ashamed of failing to stand up for the truth; his congregation should hold him accountable. The Southern Baptist Convention should hold him accountable. But it won’t, because our leaders are more concerned with appeasing the culture than pleasing God.