The Truth in Print Vol. 25 Issue 10, Nov. 2019
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
Website
Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, TX Adds
Women Preaching (Part Two)
As I finish this recent article explaining
how Highland arrived at having women preachers you younger in our brotherhood
should be able to see why we teach you on the necessity of having scriptural
authority for what we practice in the organization, worship and work of the
local church. Here is the remainder and for good reason that it presents a
clear pattern of what is happening in the Liberal brotherhood.
The Abilene Reporter News ran an article
titled “Add Highland to the list of Churches of Christ elevating women to
preaching roles” (Loretta Fulton, Special to the Reporter-NewsPublished 12:06
p.m. CT Sept. 15, 2019 | Updated 10:11 a.m. CT Sept. 16, 2019).
The
Account Begins With Some History of Karen Cooke a Student at Abilene Christian
University Seeking a Master of Divinity Degree — Viewed as Breaking Ground as a
Woman in the Pulpit
“Palm
Sunday 2019 is a day that Karen Cooke will look back on the rest of her life as
a turning point.
“She
is in her second year at Abilene Christian University’s Graduate School of
Theology, where she is seeking a master of divinity degree. Cooke has three
more semesters to go, but what she learns during that time isn’t likely to have
the impact she felt in the spring.
“That
was the day she was invited to be guest preacher at The Refuge, a small Church
of Christ congregation that meets in the old Northwest Church of Christ on
North Willis Street.
“I
was the first woman I ever heard preach in church,” Cooke said.
“She
will preach again Sunday at Minter Lane Church of Christ, where she is a
member.”
Next
Mentioned is Candace Nicolds Who is Said to be the
First Female Heard At Minter Lane
“Cooke’s
voice, however, won’t be that of the first female that church members have
heard from their pulpit. That voice belongs to Candace Nicolds, a former
associate member of Minter Lane Church of Christ, who now is the senior
minister of Brookline Church of Christ in Massachusetts.
“She,
too, remembers the weight of the moment she first preached at Minter Lane.
“I
was honored that they asked me to be the first,” Nicolds said. “It was a little
daunting. It was heavy.”
Since
Minter Lane is Discussed in Detail in Part One We Looked at Minter Lane’s
influence. Now in Part Two, Highland and What is Going On There. Here is how it goes:
“And
now Highland
“With
that precedence, it isn’t surprising that an announcement made a week ago at
Highland Church of Christ that women will now be allowed to preach was met with
neutral response.
“It
wasn’t the bombshell news flash it once would have been. Church of Christ
congregations are autonomous. There is no hierarchy in place, no jurisdictional
conferences led by bishops such as in the United Methodist and Episcopal
churches, among others.
“Though
individual congregations aren’t subject to directives from ruling authorities,
historically they have been united in denying women the opportunity to preach
or to hold other leadership roles.
“Among
those hearing the announcement at Highland Church of Christ last Sunday was
Carolyn Dycus, a longtime member of Highland who served on a committee tasked
with developing a process for creating a timeline for opening more roles to women
at Highland.
“We
just threw out all kinds of suggestions,” Dycus said.
“The
big one was that women be allowed to preach. Though there were no audible gasps
or raucous applause Sunday when the announcement was made, Dycus said people
commented after the service.
“One
member of her committee said he had heard two versions of the same comment:
“If
they don’t allow that, we’re leaving,” and “If they do allow that, we’re
leaving.”
“Time
given to change
“The
decision to open more roles to women at Highland was a long time coming.
“Bill
Fowler, chairman of the elders at Highland, made the announcement and read from
a letter sent to the congregation Sept. 4. He noted Highland engaged in a
lengthy congregational study and discernment process in 2000-2001.
“After
that study, the Highland elders concluded that Scripture supported increased
roles for women in our worship,” the letter stated.
“Since
then, women have been allowed to read scripture in worship services, lead
prayers and participate in other worship activities. However, women still were
not allowed to preach at Highland, though the elders decided, based on findings
of the study, that “scripture supported a woman preaching in our assembly.”
“The
preaching minister at Highland at the time was Mike Cope, who still is a member
at Highland and lives in Abilene while also serving as director of ministry
outreach for Pepperdine University, a Church of Christ school in California.
“In
that position, Cope is director of Harbor, a Bible lectureship at the
university, similar to Summit, which begins Sunday at ACU. This year’s Summit
includes two women preachers. The first woman to preach at Summit was Barbara
Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest. She was one of the main theme preachers in
2014.
“Cope
said in an email that he was in favor of opening the pulpit to women preachers
when the study was done at Highland in 2000-2001. At Pepperdine, he has invited
women to preach at the Harbor lectures, including the keynote speaker at the
May 2019 lectures.
“This
was also my conviction in 2001,” Cope wrote, “but the elders determined that
the church needed more time to absorb the changes that were made and to study
and discern further on preaching.”
“New
pulpit minister praises Highland leadership
“Eighteen
years apparently was the time needed for that discernment, with the
announcement coming Sept. 8 by Fowler. Going forward, both men and women will
be considered for guest preaching opportunities and for church positions that
include preaching.
“The
preaching minister position at Highland isn’t likely to open in the near
future. A new minister, Shane Hughes, came on board in August after holding the
same position at Campbell Church of Christ in San Jose, California.
“In
an email, Hughes said he knew the elders were in a discernment process
concerning women’s roles when he was interviewed. That process didn’t conclude
until after he had been offered the position.
“Hughes
had determined that Highland was the right place for him and his family, no
matter the decision on women preachers. He was impressed with the “faithful and
mature ways” that Highland’s leadership took on important decisions.
“Although
I am theologically aligned with the elders on this decision,” Hughes wrote, “it
would not have changed our decision to serve in Abilene.”
“Hughes
said in his email that he had served at churches that included women in various
ways in leading worship, but not preaching.
“Although
I am theologically aligned with the elders on this decision, it would not have
changed our decision to serve in Abilene.”
“Though
women now can preach at Highland, they still can’t serve as an elder, or
shepherd, as they sometimes are called. However, Fowler said in the letter he
sent to the congregation that the church made a commitment in 2017 to study
that issue as well.
“To
honor that commitment,” the letter stated, “we plan to have a churchwide
discernment process on that topic.”
“Fowler
said in an interview that the changes occurring at Highland have been ongoing
for so long that it wasn’t surprising that his announcement didn’t elicit much
reaction. He did hear a lot of positive reinforcement during the discernment
process and not much negative.
“That
wasn’t the case, however, in 2001 when the discernment process began. The
elders got a lot of pushback then, Fowler said.
“It
certainly caused reaction,” he said.
Notes:
1.
It wasn’t the bombshell, the article says, it once would have been. Then
why
not? Now do you young people understand why “we” teach and warn on apostasy and
how it works? (Act 20: 27-31).
2.
Time to get there. Notice this was met in 2019 with “neutral response” and yet
that wasn’t the case in 2001 when the elders said more time was needed —
apparently 18 yrs. Neutral is defined as not aligned with, supporting or
favoring either side in a dispute etc. When you put a truck in neutral there is
no connection between the tranny and wheels. If on a hill without the brake on
it either rolls backwards or forwards — if the wind blows hard enough it rolls!
This reminded me of Eph. 4:14 and how the unsteadfast can be blown about with
every “wind of doctrine” (Cf. Matt. 14:24: Eph. 4:14; 2 Th. 2:15; 2 Tim. 1:13;
I Th. 5:21).
3.
Think of our brethren’s time-line taken to introduce human organizations into
our brotherhood (individually supported) — first you accepted Florida College —
then years later further suggestions that we can build human societies that
intrude into the work Christ gave the churches to do — then years later on to
the GOTF Lectureships — and now our warning that your children will be working
through human organizations engaged in worship, edification and evangelism,
having intruded into the work Christ gave the local churches to do, is a common
practice.
4.
The article said congregations are autonomous with “no hierarchy in place, no
jurisdictional conferences led by bishops such as in the United Methodist and
Episcopal churches, among others.” Oh there’s a Hierarch for Christ’s churches
alright! The church is His for He established it and He is the one Head of it
(Matt. 16:18; Eph. 5:23). There’s no democracy! The Liberal churches have
progressed further and further from the N.T. patterns for the organization, worship
and work of the church — the foundation for such being laid in the first
century (Eph. 2:20; I Cor. 3:11; Jude 3).
5.
Concerning their committee tasked with developing a process – timeline for
opening more roles to women. How did you like the “We just threw out all kinds
of suggestions”? The “Biggy” of course
could have been answered quickly with scriptures! (I Tim. 2:11-2; I Cor. 14:34,
37-38). What made it big it appears was a prolonged push for what they finally
got — through steps of leading prayers etc. yet still not preaching over men —
though the elders had decided they could do so after the study 2000-2001.
6.
Amazing! I see this article as telling their own members how they got lead away
from the New Testament patterns for the work and worship of Christ’s
church. Young people never let anyone
tell you there’s not much difference between the two of us. And remember that there is a certain point at
which there will be no return to the New Testament patterns.
7.
The preaching minister at Highland (2000-2001) and still a member said that he
was in favor of opening the pulpit to women preachers when the study was done
in 2000-2001. He also serves as director of ministries at Pepperdine (not ACU)
— there he has invited women to preach at the Harbor lectures, including the
keynote speaker at the May 2019 lectures. We have warned you young people
about these big liberal universities and what they really are for decades.
8. Of all things, mind you — it said that ACU’s
“Summit” this year includes two women preachers. Adding this: “The first woman to preach at
Summit was Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest. She was one of the main
theme preachers in 2014.” An Episcopal
priest!!
9.
Highland hired a new preacher in conformity with their women preacher view
shortly before making their announcement, go figure.
10.
Not surprising is the elders announcing that women serving as elders will be an
issue to be studied. And that too is settle scripturally as quickly as women
preaching over men — “If a man desires…must be the husband of one wife...” (I
Tim. 3:1-6).
The Word, my brethren, prevents apostasy:
2Ti
4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort,
with great patience and instruction.
2Ti
4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves
teachers in accordance to their own desires,
2Ti
4:4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
Valley Church of Christ
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 782-5058 ~
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Sunday Services – Classes ~10:00;
Assembly 10:50 am; Evening: 6:00 pm.
Wednesday evening – 7:00 pm
To learn more call, visit or visit our website at:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com