Rick Warren recently went on the Russell Moore podcast to complain that his former church is being kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention over the ordination of women pastors.

Saddleback Church, which was removed earlier this year due to Rick Warren ordaining three women to the pastorate and then Rick Warren’s successor, Andy Wood, ordaining his wife, Stacie, as teaching pastor. According to Scripture, namely, 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14, women are not to hold the office or operate in the function or role of elder or pastor in the Church. It couldn’t be more clear.

Yet, Warren took to the Russell Moore podcast to argue that there are “literally hundreds of interpretations” of these passages and that Southern Baptists should be able to disagree on these interpretations and remain in fellowship.

Everybody in the SBC believes in the inerrancy of scripture. Now we’re talking about difference of interpretation. Those particular passages, Titus, Timothy And and Corinthians. Have hundreds, literally hundreds of interpretations. 

We should be able to expel people over sin, racism, sexual abuse, other sexual sins, things like that. But this is over. Over? You mean wait a minute. We can disagree over the atonement, we can disagree over election and and and we can disagree over dispensationalism. 

We can disagree over second coming, we can disagree over the nature of sin, but we can’t disagree over what you name your staff. 

Yes, Rick, the SBC does expel churches over “racism” and “sexual abuse,” even when it’s unproven and hearsay, just like any good liberal denomination. Anything that goes after straight, white men, the SBC is all over. And depending on the actual interpretation of these other things you mention, like eschatology, the nature of sin, etc., if it falls into the category of heresy, then they absolutely should be expelled there too.

But the reason we can disagree on issues like eschatology, but not women pastors, is that a wrong interpretation on these other issues don’t necessarily lead to rebellion and sin—putting women in the pulpit is a clear, gross violation of a clearly laid out command in multiple places in Scripture and to argue that women can be pastors is just as rebellious as arguing that homosexuals can be Christians. The Bible clearly forbids it and the only reason there are multiple “interpretations” of these passages is for the sole purpose of defying God’s clear commands.