Elder Blogs

Some blogs are devotional while others are missions oriented. Some give personal journals while others address political issues. Some minister to women while some come from specific denominations. Some are from an emergent dialogue and others deal with reformed perspectives. There are revival blogs and there are church history blogs. But I want to address something that doesn't seem to be addressed Scripturally in the blogasphere.

There are blogs that correct men and their ministries. They deal with doctrinal and methodological issues and they use the blog format to preach correction to whomever they chose. In reality these blogs are electronic pulpits which not only serve to preach the Word, but they in fact serve in the elder capacity especially given the corrective nature of their ministry. They actually Biblically correct men who they usually name, and in that vein they act as an elder. The Scripture is clear that preachers, evangelists, and pastors who need correction doctrinally and even morally should be confronted by other elders in the body of Christ. That is my point.

I have only posted a blog for less than a year and I have been edified by many others. There are others with which I disagree in doctrinal perspective and I have outlined my reasons via some of my postings. On Following Judah's Lion I post a variety of types of articles which range from verse by verse Bible study, devotional, correction, prophetic, pastoral, and a mix of all these. I enjoy reading many blogs in those different genres, and there are a number of devotional blogs that are overseen by Christian women that I have found edifying both personally and to the body.

But there are a number of blogs that act in the office of elder in their doctrinally corrective nature that are written and overseen by women. Now men and women are equal in Christ as children of the Father, but God has specifically taught us that women and men do not have the same callings in the church. How is it Scriptural that a woman can take doctrinal authority over men in the church? It is not, and it is clear that a woman cannot be an elder in the church therefore she cannot Scripturally correct another man much less an ordained preacher. It is blatantly against Biblical teaching for a woman to act as an elder no matter whether in a church building or in a blog capacity.

These women may even be correct in many of their assessments of certain preachers and movements, but they are outside the confines of Biblical calling when they speak as a doctrinal elder. The elders were called to prayer and the ministry of the Word, and we now see women acting as male elders behind the shield of a blog. It is unscriptural at its core, and because many of them hold to some of the same beliefs as orthodox teachings they have flown under the radar. Christian women have been an incredible blessing to the church of Jesus Christ over the centuries, but they are not to be in ecclesiastical leadership. That is not bigotry, that is Bible. And some of these same blogs that criticize woman like Paula White and Joyce Meyers because the Bible forbids woman preachers, are not only preaching but publicly correcting other ordained men. And many of the comments on these very blogs come from very orthodox men, some of them real "fire breathers". And by their comments, which have in the past included me, we have given doctrinal support to an unscriptural forum.

In our church if a man disagrees with my doctrine or methodology he doesn't send his wife to rebuke me, can you imaging that? It is obviously wrong and completely out of character of the New Testament teachings. And having only been a blogger for less than a year the question comes to me why do orthodox men of God, who sometimes fight over the smallest issue, allow and even support women who are overtly disobeying the Word of God and openly rebuking ordained pastors and preachers? I have come to the conclusion that compromise rides inside the Trojan Horse of the "same enemy fellowship". That means that if you and I see the same doctrinal compromise in Rick Warren, then I'll look the other way concerning your disobedience because we are shooting at the same enemy.

I am a nobody who was called by the Lord Jesus Christ, but if we are going to honor our Father and the truth of Scripture, we must correct our sisters in Christ, which I believe they are. We as elders in the body of Christ are doing them a disservice by not guiding them in this issue and we will be accountable for it. I may stand alone on this, but so be it. If a blog is going to speak correction to other men, including ordained men, then it should come from an ordained elder who runs the blog. This is not meant to be corrosive but corrective. We cannot stand on God's eternal truth about other issues while we look the other way on such an historical Biblical standard. And if we ever hope to call this compromising evangelical church back to repentance, we must do it God's way, not ours. Most of these women have a heart for Christ and a burning desire for revival, but they must come under the covering of God's will.

Let us "speak the truth in love", but let us speak the truth. And as I have said so often, those of us who do speak out in correction of other men let us have grace and a Christ-like spirit. I am still trying to understand the exact mixture between the John the Baptist spirit and the spirit of Jesus. I guess they are both the same, but maybe we should err on the Jesus side until we get to ask Him personally.

An unprofitable servant, Rick