Thanks for weighing in. I’ve thought about this quite a bit in the last few months. I think I’m in complete agreement with Piper, point for point, on this one, even though I had no idea what his position was before today.

Did you know that Piper’s interpretation isn’t unique, historically? John Knox, and to a lesser extent John Calvin, both opposed women holding positions of authority in civil government. You can explore that topic here, if you’d like.

Piper’s position is actually more nuanced and less rigid toward women in government than that of some of the Reformers. There are other contemporary writers, too, like Mark Chanski, who seem to hold a view similar to Piper’s.

I would urge you to continue to think and pray and read more on the subject. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

But if God has gifted a women with leadership qualities, I do not see the issue with her in that role outside of the spiritual leadership role.

Saying a good woman is better than a bad man seems to be a poor way to say a woman may be more gifted to governmental leadership than a man.

Comparing Israel to America is not a good way to go either. Israel was to be a nation of priests to the unbelieving world, making them the spiritual light for all of us to follow. The spiritual leadership was entwined in the civil and military issues Israel faced as a result of God choosing them. To say America is on a spiritual leadership par with Israel would be arrogant, God never picked us for that role.

Thanks for commenting. I’m very familiar with those arguments and examples, of course, but I don’t think they settle the question. Just curious–did you read John Piper’s article? If so, I’d like to hear your thoughts about it.

Also, we have the example of Deborah in Judges chapters 4 and 5.