Cheryl Schatz

Kay,

I just posted a comment on my own post at the conference at http://www.achurchinryde.com/blog/?p=262 in answer to Martin who is now admitting from my reasoning that using 1 Timothy 2:12 to stop women from ministry or teaching men is “ill advised”. I praise God that at least some are hearing and taking notice.

I trust that Peter Barnes will also hear in time. He apparently is a man who loves to jump into a debate and a good challenge spurs him on. Even though he said that he had “pulled up his stumps” he did come back one more time because of all the challenges I gave him. I think these challenges will keep him awake many nights knowing that he could not keep in the debate on this issue and he could not answer the hard questions. If he is a man of integrity (which I have no doubt that he is) this will nag him until he does something about it.

I have offered to him in a private email to continue the discussion and we will see if he eventually takes me up on my offer. All we can do is pray for these men that their conscience bothers them because of the strong argument they have heard that they cannot answer.

I too was hoping that Peter wouldn’t run but what else could he do? Until he is at the point where he is willing to change his view back to what he formerly held and admit that his was convinced to the complementarian position by invalid arguments, he can’t do much else but run away because he has no answers. I have been praying for Peter. I pray that God won’t give him peace until he deals with this issue.

I believe that reaching out and influencing even one pastor who has been teaching that women are not allowed by “law” to be in ministry because of 1 Timothy 2:12 will eventually bring great fruit. When Peter’s eyes are opened he will then be able to touch a whole lot of other people in that great land of Australia. Perhaps he will even be used to touch a few pastors here in North America where we are inundated with men taking authority over women and stopping them from being used for God’s glory.

This issue cannot be won merely by logic or argumentation. It must be won through prayer. I am going to keep praying that God will do the work that we cannot do. He can touch the heart and turn it from a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.