Cheryl Schatz

Mark,
You said:

This is perplexing since several times Paul instructs that elders are to teach and protect the church.

They certainly must teach and protect, but this is quite different than saying that ONLY elders can teach and ONLY elders can protect. The gift of pastor also is a gift that protects.

My entire ministry is based on my gifts that protect the church. When you come against women using the gifts of protection/pastoring/shepherding, you come against my own ministry. Is it your intention to stop my ministry to the church in protecting them from the cults?

It is hardly a comparison to say that the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection were ‘preachers’ in the same sense as someone at a pulpit. These have no correlation biblically.

Well I have to agree with you here. There is no comparison at all. The witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection who were personally ordained as preachers of the good news by Jesus Himself are not the same as those who think they have special authority because they stand behind a pulpit. When we compare Jesus’ personal ordination of individuals to a non-biblical pulpit, honestly there is no comparison at all.