The Bible and Women Teachers

W. Gary Crampton

B. B. Warfield once wrote:

It is very plain that he who modifies the teachings of the Word of God in the smallest particular at the dictation of any man-made opinion has already deserted the Christian ground, and is already, in principle, a heretic. The very essence of heresy is that the modes of thought and tenets originating elsewhere than in the Scriptures of God are given decisive weight when they clash with the teachings of God.1

If Warfield is correct, and the present writer is convinced that he is, then there is a great heresy afoot within the church of Jesus Christ. The latter half of the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first century have seen an influx of women preachers and teachers into the church. This is not merely the case with apostate, liberal denominations, but even professed orthodox churches have acquiesced to the pressure of feminism. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church allows for women elders. The Presbyterian Church in America and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church have churches wherein women are allowed to teach Bible classes where men are present. The Presbyterian Church in America, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America all have churches where there are women song leaders in public worship (which, according to Colossians 3:16, is a teaching activity). Elisabeth Elliot, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Kay Arthur are (or have been) involved in speaking engagements in church meetings where men are present. Sadly, the teachings of the Word of God are being deserted to conform to the “politically correct” agenda of our day. What is at stake here is the authority of God’s Word.