In The Image of God

It is a slow news day. So, slow I actually ventured into the realms of Daystar, I feel like, I need a bath. Anyhow, they are once again ranting about the need to ordain women. I guess some people never learn. Just to top things off in the nothing new under the sun category, Karl Wyneken is using the same old tactic of I don't like what it says so I am going to change the meaning or barring that question whether it is applicable in our so called enlightened times. Yes, I am being overly simplistic and dismissive, but these arguments do not deserve the time of day. Particularly, when you realize they all ignore one basic principle of the church. The church is created in the image of God.

The image of God is a regular theme throughout the Bible. From the very beginning in Genesis to the very end of Revelation. Marriage it seems plays a large role in this image and it is this image that is key to understanding the make up of the church and ministry. My thoughts on this topic started many years ago, and it is now becoming a pet project of mine that I hope will culminate in a book. Anyhow, years ago I was pondering why it was so important to bring up the deception of Eve when speaking of pastoral authority in the letter to Timothy and it was during a lecture by Robert Gagnon at the seminary on the image of God and homosexuality that really sparked something. Typically, it has been accepted by biblical scholars that quotes of the Old Testament are not to be understood in isolation of their source but are to encompass their complete contextual meaning i.e. Christ on the cross. This lead me to thinking there must be something more than just the sin involved in the determination of women not holding pastoral authority. It is then it hit me. Marriage is the image of God and Eve's deception distorted the image of God and was solidified by Adam's sin. God's relationship with the church is often described in the terms of marriage. The New Testament reveals that the church is the image of God in that it is the body. The idea of the image of God in marriage is repeated frequently on different levels, so why not at the level of the pastor and the congregation. The relationship here is one of marriage. The pastor is the "bridegroom" to the congregations "bride," a woman serving in this fashion would disrupt the image God desired and thereby repeat the events of Genesis 3. Have you ever noticed just how much churches that allow women to serve as pastors have degenerated? It kind of fits when you compare it to the Fall.

Anyhow, I have been toying with this idea for sometime and I am now finally getting down to the business of actual research and solidifying my arguments. God willing, I will be able to submit manuscripts in the near future.