I put together a little video to encourage SBC Tomorrow readers to savor all the Christmas goodies over the next couple weeks. 

Enjoy!

With that, I am...

Peter

While BWiM does not seem to be an auxiliary of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), the two surely are strongly networked together (//link). Yet, according to one study Allen cited, a mere 6% of CBF churches have women as lead pastors.  That would be approximately 120 churches. 

Comparing the number of invitations issued last year for women to preach during Martha Stearns Marshall Month at 110 to the number of female pastors leading CBF churches at 120 surely offers little encouragement to the CBF, especially since one of CBF's "founding principles" happens to be gender equality in ministry.

CBF is now well into its second decade of existence but no real progress seems to have been made in gender-neutrality.  At least  so far as the practice of gender-neutral ministry goes, one would have to wonder how much better off women in ministry are in CBF in contrast to SBC.  

More significantly, Allen's short article appears to fudge a little bit in his presentation of Baptist history and the role of women.  After rehearsing how "New Lights" Shubal Stearns and Daniel Marshall separated from New England Congregationalists and headed south to sow a new breed of Baptists which came to be known as "Separate Baptists," he writes,

While historians routinely note the white-hot evangelistic fervor of Sandy Creek Baptists in definitive contrast to the cool,  or at most, luke-warm evangelism of the "Charleston tradition," Allen rightly asserts Separate Baptists stood out in other ways:

It's the last assertion which Allen teases out--that is, being "more open to women in ministry roles"--the assertion concerning which I think Allen fudged a bit.  Let me show you what I mean.

Allen explains what he meant by Separate Baptists "being more open to women in ministry roles" by suggesting Daniel Marshall's wife, Martha Marshall (Shubal Stearns' sister), was not only known to have preached beside her brother Shubal, but also a mid-19th century historian described Martha Marshall as, "a lady of good sense, singular piety and surprising elocution, [who] in countless instances melted a whole congregation into tears by her prayers and exhortations" (Allen does not identify the historian).  

If I may, I'd like to offer two thoughts constituting why I believe Allen's reading fudges the history of women in ministry among Baptists. 

First, Allen's conclusions are deduced from an obvious anachronistic reading of Separate Baptist practice.  While the evidence is clear Martha Marshall spoke both privately and publicly concerning the Christian faith, by no stretch may we read this practice as identical to a 21st century understanding of women in ministry. By implication, of course, BWiM is peddling the same sack of potatoes.

Could one maintain either Martha Marshall in particular or Separate Baptists in general argued for full gender neutrality in ministry?  If so, someone needs to produce more evidence than thus far has been spawned.

Second, the evidence we have concerning both Separate Baptist practice and belief is sketchy at best.  Interestingly, the quote offered by Allen I could not find in the several histories I checked (I'm not implying Allen 'created' it; indeed my lack in locating it could very well speak more about me than Allen!).  

There is a very similar description of Martha Marshall recorded by both Thomas Armitage and Samuel Boykin, neither of which, however, wrote in 1859 (Armitage, 1890; Boykin, 1881). However, both historians attest not to Martha Marshall's preaching per se.  Instead they point to her unloading a fiery "sermon" toward the law officials for unjustly arresting her husband, Daniel!  Subsequently, the constable was so moved, he was saved, baptized and became useful in Separate Baptist ministry.   

Even so, granting Allen's quote that Martha Marshall indeed possessed  "surprising elocution, [who] in countless instances melted a whole congregation into tears by her prayers and exhortations," offers no evidence whatsoever for an egalitarian's insistence on full gender-neutral ministry.  There is no reason to conclude, at least from these words, that Martha Marshall practiced anything other than public prayer and inspirational speaking before the entire congregation.  What it definitively does not suggest is Martha Marshall either aspired to or set in motion a practice of prophetic exposition as pastor in God's church. 

Allen is not the only one, of course, to employ a little fudging in Baptist history to argue a point about women in ministry.   Dallas Baptist University professor, Michael Williams, writes: "[Separate Baptists] rejected creeds and sometimes also even eschewed confessions of faith. They typically offered a more prominent role to women in their congregations than did the Regular Baptists"(Baptist History & Heritage, Spring 2004, p.33, emphasis mine). Williams offers no evidence for his assertion (in fairness, given the paper was on another subject entirely, Williams' point was incidental and made in passing). 

One may also see an essay by Jann Aldridge Clantan entitled, "Why I Believe Southern Baptist Churches Should Ordain Women" (Baptist History & Heritage, 23 no 3 July 1988, pp. 50-55).  For a counter point, see Dorothy Patterson's "Why I Believe Southern Baptist Churches Should Not Ordain Women" (Baptist History and Heritage 23 no 3 July 1988, p 56-62). Interestingly, those who document "women in ministry" are dependent on a very small sampling of evidence and consequently end up quoting  the same samples.

In Leon McBeth's "A Sourcebook for Baptist Heritage", he offers several pages of original sources on the role of women in Baptist life (pp.332-343). Included in the list of positives is R.B.C. Howell's "The Role of Baptist Deaconesses" written by the influential pastor in 1846. However, Powell's essay submarines 21st century egalitarianism in the very first paragraph:

Howell's understanding is the very idea which 21st century egalitarians reject--women ministering only to women. This is hardly evidence for a 21st century understanding of egalitarianism.

More importantly, McBeth cites a paper by 19th century Alabama Baptist, Sarah Ann Chambers entitled, "Woman's Work in the Church" (1882; p.335-337).  Being the strongest statement in the arsenal of original sources McBeth offers (at least in this volume) to illustrate the role of women in Baptist life, one would hope Chambers could describe women in ministry in a way identifiable to 21st century egalitarianism. 

Unfortunately, for BWiM, CBF, and other egalitarians, Chambers must be disappointing.  She chastises Baptist women in her era who are "quite active in what is called 'church work'" but who nevertheless prescribe rather "narrow limits" for their labors.  They decorate, cook, and raise money for building programs well enough.  However, if they are challenged in "organizing a Missionary Society" they are nowhere to be found.   Chambers argues it is Baptist women's duty to work for missions. 

In addition, she writes,

The difficulty for egalitarians in arguing full gender-neutrality in ministry remains obvious:  Chambers reflects the view egalitarians decidedly reject, a view not friendly to women serving as lead pastors but contrarily serving as children's workers and Sunday School teachers.

For my part, while we cannot deny--nor should we want to deny--the substantial role women have played in Southern Baptist history, the evidence we do have is sketchy at best that women played a more prominent role than the overwhelming majority of present Southern Baptist churches allow. 

In fact, many times we observe those who historically argue for egalitarianism in Baptist tradition either reading anachronistically contemporary understanding back into Baptist roots or drawing far more from the sketchy evidence than reasonably warranted.

With that, I am...

Peter   

Just how anyone could so easily part with an incredible slice of nostalgia I cannot figure.  I picked this up at Salvation Army a few years ago for about a buck.  My grandies now enjoy. So.....

Enjoy!

just a little toy...

With that, I am...

Peter

With that, I am...

Peter

Looks I'm going to be on the run for a while. 

Check ya'll later!

With that, I am...

Peter