In the church, one of the primary places were Tertullian’s chokehold is felt and experienced is in the pulpit, as every Sunday morning, our collective gender disparity is put on display.
Now, you might think that Billy Graham’s daughter might be an exception to the rule on this. That, somehow, the old evangelist’s unction, aura and mantle would ease the way for his rhetorically gifted children.
Not so.
In a post from last March, Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, talked about her experience with discrimination in the pulpit (and beyond). The whole post (here) is worth reading, but here’s an excerpt:
I have experienced this discrimination firsthand. I am a woman. And I am a preacher. That combination has cost me privileges and position in the man’s world in which I have moved. I have stood up to speak and had men turn their backs on me. I…
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Ruth Perry
Becky Buck
The Beautiful Kingdom Warriors 
Thank you for sharing this. I commented on the original, but I’ll say it here, too. I never would’ve guessed the depth of the discrimination Lotz has experienced! And an accurate diagnosis: We need to be more like Jesus.
I do wonder about one thing, though. Some of the men discriminating are obviously female-haters. But many (including those in my own denomination, the PCA) don’t hate women. They respect them, even value their advice. Yet, because of their interpretation of certain Bible passages, they cannot allow themselves to allow women to be preachers/elders/deacons. It’s still discrimination, but it isn’t rooted in hatred or fear or disrespect, it’s rooted in (mis)interpreted Scripture. Any thoughts on how to handle that?
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Great question. I thought Larry Walkemeyer’s post on the Junia Project last week was interesting, exploring the stages of moving from an active opponent to women in ministry to an active advocate. It definitely is a process that takes time when we have been socialized to believe a certain way about gender roles. Here’s the link in case you missed it: http://juniaproject.com/becoming-a-champion-of-women-pastors-journey/
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Thank you for the link. I’ve heard of the “Junia project” but never checked it out until now. This was a fascinating post, and I think I know several pastors who fit the “passive advocate” position. They agree, but they don’t want to stir up controversy in their church (at least on that issue.) And probably I fall into that category, too. I’m at a new church, so I’m still trying to “feel” my way as I build new relationships and don’t want to alienate others immediately.
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