Dr. Terry Buxton, Ed.D.

Amen. Along these lines, here is a humble attempt to explain briefly some of the reasons why I, as a complementarian pastor, support women teaching the Bible in mixed-gender contexts such as Sunday School, church-based training institutes, seminary classes, etc. This is, in my view, a tertiary doctrinal matter, so Bible-believing Christians can differ on this issue while maintaining love for one another. But here are a few reasons I support this practice: 1) The Great Commission, which includes the command to make disciples by teaching everything Jesus commanded, is given to every believer in Christ, regardless of gender (Matt 28:19-20). 2) The NT contains examples of women teaching men in certain contexts, such as when Priscilla and Aquila instruct Apollos in the way of the Lord (Acts 18:26 - interesting also that Priscilla is listed first, giving her prominence). 3) Paul gives regulations for the manner in which women are to prophesy (I.e., ‘proclaim’) in the church (1 Cor 11:5), indicating that this was normative behavior in the church. This is reinforced with the presence of Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:36-38) and the daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8-9). This is in keeping with the OT presence of female prophetesses such as Deborah (Judges 4:4) and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), and Joel 2 that says in the last days young women will prophesy, fulfilled also in Acts 2. 4) I believe Paul’s prohibition of women teaching and usurping authority (2 Tim 2:12) refers to the teaching office of elder, not to all teaching contexts. To apply this as a restriction from teaching mixed-gender classes is an overextension of the meaning and application of this text, in my view. 5) God gifts believers with many gifts to build up the church (not restricted to males), one of which is the gift of teaching. The gift of Pastor-Teacher is an office (as in Eph 4), but ‘teaching’ is also listed as a general gift to the church (as in 1 Pet 4:11, Rom 12:7), not always an office. To keep women from exercising a teaching gift withholds a blessing to the body of Christ. The church needs both its spiritual fathers and its spiritual mothers. 6) In keeping with Article VI of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, I believe the only limitation for female service in the church is serving in the office of pastor/elder/overseer. Therefore, I don’t believe females should be limited from teaching or leading men in other ways. 7) There’s a broad history of women teaching and leading in the context of Southern Baptist churches, including great female leaders such as Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, Bertha Smith, Sheri Klouda, Rebekah Naylor, Betty Criswell, and a whole host of others in SBC life. 8) It is inconsistent for pastors to use resources provided by females (such as hymns, biblical commentaries, other books that instruct the church) in public settings, but not to allow females to provide this kind of resourcing in person. If men use the words of females to instruct the church (such as in quoting a hymn) those words ought to be able to be spoken by the female who wrote them. If I’m comfortable singing a Fannie Crosby hymn, I should be comfortable having Fannie Crosby (were she alive) share these words (words that instruct) in person with the gathered church. 9) I’ve personally experienced the blessing of watching gifted female Bible teachers use their gifts to bless the church, always in deference to the office of the pastor, but joyfully as co-laborers in the gospel work God is doing. What a blessing they have been in my life!

Imprisonment rates for Black women declined 70% from 2000 & 2021! For Black males, rates declined 48% during the same timeframe! This is a major step forward to reduce mass incarceration! We need to keep our families together & our loved ones out of jail! brnw.ch/21wE92z

🚨BREAKING: 18 year old biological male, who identified as “trans,” entered the @sunprairiek12 high school locker room and SHOWERED NAKED next to FOUR FRESHMAN GIRLS. The biological male EXPOSED HIS MALE GENITALIA to the shocked and horrified 14 year old girls. The district: ✅DID NOT CONTACT THE GIRLS PARENTS ✅Did not contact a Title IX Coordinator ✅Did not file the required Title IX complaint ✅Did not support the girls and help them through the traumatic experience ✅Did not act as “mandatory reporters” and report the possible violation of Wisconsin Statute 948.10(indecent exposure to minors). @WILawLiberty @VickiMcKenna