Conversation Starter part two

Irish Bible Institute Lecturer Patrick Mitchell talked to author, theologian and Christian blogger Scot McKnight during his recent visit to Ireland. The interview is published in the latest edition of VOX magazine. Here we look at the second of Scot McKnight's more controversial discussions.

Q: In The Blue Parakeet you talk extensively about women in ministry. Why is this issue important to you?

I’ve had female students who were really fantastic thinkers, sharp communicators and godly Christians gifted by God to teach but could find no place to teach.

In the past I’ve had some colleagues that were really strong against women teachers and I respected them and I thought as a young professor ‘That’s not a battle I want to fight right now.’ I developed the idea that women don’t need men defending them, it’s patronising. So I stayed out of the conversation.

But over time I became convinced that women needed male voices speaking on their behalf. I’m convinced that the Bible has so much evidence of women in actual ministry that conflicts with the restriction of women in ministry in our churches.

I like to ask a very simple question: ‘Do you allow in your churches women to do what women did in the pages of the Bible?’ If you do, you’re being biblical and if you don’t you’re being unbiblical.

In the Bible women can teach (like Priscilla), they can be apostles (like Junia), they can prophesy, they can publicly pray – all these things occurred in the pages of the New Testament, not to mention prophets like Huldah, a prophet-singer like Miriam and a queen of the land like Deborah. In the pages of the Bible we have plenty of evidence of women in leadership.

Join the Conversation... Scot McKnight raises the controversial topic of women in ministry. Share your views below this post.