Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 10:2 (Spring 1996)
Article: An Open Letter
Author: Susan Finck-Lockhart

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An Open Letter

Susan Finck-Lockhart

Susan Finck-Lockhart is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and serves as part-time Pastor of Louisa Presbyterian Church in Louisa, Virginia. This letter was sent to the Editors of Christianity Today, Susan has been active in various PC(USA) renewal organizations. She and her husband, the Pre. William Lockhart, have 3 children.

It is interesting to compare Christianity Today’s cover article on John Stott with the cover article featuring “Ministering Women.” The “ministering women” are presented in mannequin-like poses, in full color, standing on thin air. Out of their mouths come comic-strip-style blurbs. Pastels are the chosen colors for sidebars and screens. It was hard to tell if the layout was a take-off on “Designing Women” or “Sister Act” In the Stott article, the “ministering man” is depicted black and white, face-only, with meaningful quotes set apart by boldface black type. The accent color is red. Despite the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, a comparison of even the layout of the two articles reveals clues that seem to suggest that some “priests” are taken more seriously than others.

Ironically while Stott remains “fuzzy” on the issues of eternal punishment, there are many of us “ministering women” who believe those outside of Christ are destined for eternal punishment, and thus feel an urgency to answer God’s call to preach the word “in season and out” and to equip God’s people to lead others to personal saving faith in Jesus.

Secondly, any discussion of “what God wants from Eve’s daughters” should be built around Scripture. Although the headline heralded the article as a discussion of “what God wants from Eve’s daughters,” not one biblical scholar was interviewed or quoted, and not one single question from CFs reporter invited the women to wrestle with either the “problematic” texts or other NT passages that could be cited as restricting or affirming the full participation of women in ministry. Jean Thompson was the only one who consistently sought to bring actual Scripture to bear in her answers. Although the headlines pointed to the article as being an attempt to see the heart of God as to what God wants from women (assuming it is something different than what God wants from men) most of the answers represented human extrapolations, and discussed cultural norms in various neighborhoods of our evangelical subculture. Such hermeneutical gymnastics about what women can or can’t do, and under which carefully crafted circumstances they can or can’t preach, teach, lead, etc., is undoubtedly a subtle, carefully-dressed ploy of the Enemy to keep us evangelicals turned inward. There is enough kingdom building for all of us to do: Let’s get on with it.

Fi...

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