30 Aug, 2006
Sunday School Teacher Dismissed Over 1 Cor. 14, Other Issues; Talk Radio Has Field Day
Posted by: Travis In: Community
Anyone heard about this?
The decision to dismiss 81 year old Mary Lambert as Sunday School teacher was made only partly because she is a woman.
That’s according to statements released by the Watertown First Baptist Church Diaconate Board and its pastor, City Council Member Rev. Tim LaBouf.
Mrs. Lambert was dismissed this month via a letter that cited scriptural qualifications that prohibit women from teaching men.
The dismissal touched off a firestorm of public criticism after Mrs. Lambert made it public.
In a four paragraph statement released Friday evening the Diaconate Board said, “In the specific case of Ms. Lambert the Board’s decision to remove her from a teaching position was multifaceted and the scriptural rules concerning women teaching men in a church setting was only a small aspect of that decision.”
The statement goes on to say, “Christian courtesy motivates us to refrain from making any public accusations against her.”
I heard about this on the radio last week, and honestly? I don’t see the problem here. The remarks I’ve heard seem to indicate people think churches shouldn’t be allowed to change their positions on doctrinal matters or something… or at least, the church can change where it stands, but that shouldn’t have any effect on the status quo.
If you want to learn more about the church, you can visit their web site—or the church’s blog, run by Pastor Tim LaBouf himself.
