John Piper says women shouldn't be seminary professors. Should we get angry?

It's easy to get angry with John Piper. The conservative pop-theology hero, whose 'Desiring God' brand is a flagship of reformed thought leadership, has a big platform for his views and isn't afraid to use it. Thanks to the viral nature of internet-age communication, his regular click-baiting missives on the intersection of theology and culture, given from an ultra-conservative perspective, are often prone to drawing support and fire in equal measure. His ideas often divide and define the Christian internet, and while he's a poster boy* for his legions of fans, he's on the metaphorical dartboards of plenty of others.

*Slash poster-elderly-gentleman.

Part of this is because his ideas are – to many ears – rather toxic. He seems to enjoy the idea of eternal conscious hell a bit too much (as I wrote previously here) for example; and he's very clear on that apparently-definitive issue for conservatives, male headship. Not only does he feel strongly about it, but he's keen even to expand its boundaries. We'll get on to that in a moment.

John PiperFacebook

This is important though: part of the reason why John Piper makes so many angry is that they don't really listen to what he says. It's symptomatic of the age of course, but we tend to skim headlines and read tweeted approximations of articles and positions, rather than engaging with them in full. Piper is usually quite careful to explain that his comments are boundaried within his own theological position, and if we believe in free speech at all, we should defend his right to explain a conservative approach to any issue. When we simply read the headline, we cast him as an angry old bigot; I don't believe he is. Do I agree with his position on male headship and female leaders? Absolutely not. But I'd defend his right to hold a considered theological view, and I'd also urge us not to caricature him as lacking any nuance.

The latest source of Internet-enabled rage at Piper is his recent 'Ask Pastor John' podcast element, which appears transcribed on his website. In it, he suggests that not only should all church leaders be men, but seminary professors too, on the basis that their role in the formation of male pastors is just as profoundly responsible as that of the leaders themselves. At surface level it sounds outrageous to many, but a full reading reveals that Piper is framing this within the conservative, complementarian position. If you hold that view of men and women, I guess the line of his argument makes sense. And he even takes pains to point out that this isn't about competence, gifts or character, but his own interpretation of Scripture.

It is however entirely reasonable to argue with a theological position that denies female leadership. From my perspective it seems flawed, rooted in thousands of years of male-dominated church culture more than in scripture itself. Paul's oft-quoted line about not permitting a woman to teach in 1 Timothy 2 v 12 is much more complicated than it first seems, and is written in the context of an Ephesian culture that had become subverted by a particular group of women. More importantly though, it's counter-balanced by the many instances of female leadership in the early church, by Jesus' own refusal to discriminate on the basis of gender, and by and Paul's own assertion that 'there is neither... male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus' in Galatians 3 v 28.

Then there's the fact that experience tells us that God clearly calls, and equips, women for leadership. Not only that, but he empowers some with the extraordinary intellect and skills to enable them to teach the teachers, in roles such as that of seminary professor. I am privileged to know a couple of the world's leading female seminary and Bible college professors, and I can attest first-hand not only to their searing intellects and depth of Biblical and theological knowledge, but also to their profound Godliness; they love Christ and walk closely with him, and their very choice of profession is itself an act of obedience. That's not a competence argument, but rather a testimony of the Holy Spirit's work in calling and enabling female leaders.

The trouble with John Piper in the Internet age is that he – or those who are managing and building his brand – seek to push and promote his views beyond the limits of his theological stream. Many conservative men and women thoughtfully share his position, and as their leader and figurehead it makes sense that he would teach them in this way. But Piper also presents his viewpoint as Biblical, correct, and therefore as a sort of prophetic voice to the erring majority of the church. He doesn't say that conservative seminaries should only employ male teaching staff: he applies this to ministerial training and formation across the whole church, and that's what is damaging. In so doing he undermines the many brilliant women in such roles, some of whom have had to fight hard against chauvinism and prejudice to get there. He also discourages those women who faithfully believe they are called by God to pursue the same calling.

John Piper is a bit like an idiosyncratic Great Uncle who only comes over at Christmas. The family understand him, but you wouldn't want to unleash him on the rest of your friends. I respect his right to hold orthodox but different views to mine, but increasingly it feels as if his ideas are unsuitable for the general population. Those outside his stream of thought get angry, and worse still, those outside the church entirely hear him and write us all off as elderly-minded bigots. In the context of his loudly-voiced comments, it's vitally important that men and women throughout the church stand up and voice the opposite position, and get behind the many wonderful, gifted, Godly women involved at every level of Christian leadership. Meanwhile, maybe it's time Desiring God became a subscription service. For conservative men only.

Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.