Brian McLaren’s missed opportunity
by: Matt Hawkins - Sep 9, 2008 - comment
Last week I had the privilege to sit-in ‘off camera’ during a recorded videoconference between Dr. Richard Land and Brian McLaren. (Partial clip seen below.) The occasion was their second appearance together at Bloggingheads.tv. In case you’re not familiar with Bloggingheads.tv (BhTV), it’s worth a look. It is a rather unique approach to a dialog between two Evangelical leaders who presumably are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
I commend both Land and McLaren for engaging in this venue. But I have an issue with the latest entry.
Much of the latest discussion centered on Gov. Sarah Palin’s entry onto the national political scene and, in part, a question much like that posed by the good folks at OnFaith, the Blog hosted by Newsweek and the Washington Post:
Women are not allowed to become clergy in many conservative religious groups. Is it hypocritical to think that a woman can lead a nation and not a congregation?
During the Bloggingheads.tv discussion, Mr. McLaren posed this question to Dr. Land and received the following response:
“First of all, we don’t believe, biblically, that women are to be an authority in the local church. Now you know as a Baptist, that only extends to the local church. For instance, the head of our Washington [DC] office for several years…was a woman because The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is not a church. We have no problem with women being involved in ministry roles outside being pastor of a church. Secondly, the Bible says the husband is to be the head of the home. I suspect that in Sarah Palin’s home it’s something like it was with Mrs. Thatcher. Mrs. Thatcher said that she was the head of the country and Dennis Thatcher, her husband, was the head of the home…” – Richard Land
This was McLaren’s BhTV response to Land’s answer:
“As you say, there is a lot of diverse opinion on that. I do think though, it will make it harder to— I think it will create a social wind that will make the church—churches refusing to allow women leaders—I just think it’s going to raise a lot of questions and probably reopen that issue in a lot of churches.” – Brian McLaren
Fair enough.
Yet, two days later (as I scrolled through my handy Google Reader) I came across a puzzling entry by Mr. McLaren titled Convenient Truths at ‘OnFaith’ when he responds to the same OnFaith question:
“I just talked to a leading conservative religious leader about this the other day. He believes that the New Testament texts regarding women only apply to the church and not the secular world. I find that line of interpretation very convenient for conservative churches, and impossible to justify theologically. ” – Brian McLaren
If I may, I’d like to ask this question: Where was that bold statement during the BhTV conversation?
Why, when presented with a clear opportunity to do so, did Brian McLaren not confront Richard Land on this topic? What more appropriate forum than Bloggingheads.tv, a place where spirited debate is encouraged?
I find it rather curious (and somewhat disappointing) that Mr. McLaren passed up the opportunity to directly challenge Dr. Land (and Southern Baptists at large) in a venue that is custom-made for such a discussion.
Matt Hawkins is the Executive Producer of For Faith & Family, a broadcast production of the ERLC, and Richard Land LIVE!, syndicated by the Salem Radio Network. He posts periodically at The Producer’s Desk, hosted by RichardLandLive.com.
Related:
- Baptists, the Bible and Women – by Richard Land
- The Role of Women in Public Life – by Dr. Barrett Duke
- Palin Can Serve Family and Country – by Dr. Albert Mohler at OnFaith
Further Learning
Learn more about: Faith, Bible, Citizenship, Christian Citizenship,