Saddleback Church ordains its first three female pastors: Liz Puffer, Cynthia Petty, and Katie Edwards, on Thursday, May 6, 2021. This even though their denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, restricts the pastorate to men. | Facebook/Saddleback Church

J.D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention

Rotten fruit. Bad fruit.

There are two articles here pertaining to the same church on the same topic. Readers will find the second article immediately below the one following these comments. As you read these two articles and finish them, especially the errant rationalization presented by Dwight McKissic towards the end of the second article you will realize, contrary to the apostasy, the turning from Scripture, the denial that the Bible is inerrant and infallible and as current and relative today as any time in history and instead turning to the desires and declarations of mere men and women of the latter 20th century and 21st century, who were not, are not able to add on to the Bible or alter the Bible even though they act as if doing so is all right that any man, any woman declaring the Bible is unclear in what it says, or that it is no longer relevant, or that they know better than God?

Those men and women are dead wrong. They could not be more wrong. But along with being wrong, which we all are wrong about many things in the course of our daily lives — to be wrong with regard to God’s word? Negating, debating, discounting, in effect mocking and discarding what is clearly written in God’s inerrant living word that is infallible — unlike the minds and hearts and words of men and women — any person not only voicing or writing against the clear word of God but also leading others astray?

In apostasy? In heresies? In false teachings? In unsound doctrine that directly goes against the clear word of God?

Woe to that man, that woman for what they are doing in leading many astray and down a dark and deadly path. Away from the light, away from the truth.

Woe to any man or woman that professes the Bible is unclear, open to interpretation, no longer relevant, out of touch or wrong, and that mere men or women, no matter their stature or acclaim or fame or awareness in the professed Christian world, if that man or woman goes against the word of God?

They are a false teacher. Putting forth unsound doctrine. To the itching ears. Leading many astray.

Why isn’t the Bible sufficient for people?

Why isn’t God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the clear and life-giving word of God that shines a light on every question removing all the darkness, the confusion adequate, sufficient for folks?

Because they prefer to allow Satan in. They are restless, they need the praise and honor of people rather than honoring and pleasing God and the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Because they rebel. They rebel against the truth, against God, against the word of God.

No matter their name or fame or acclaim.

Each person is either true to the word or they are not. No matter who.

And the word of God is very clear on the point that women are not to be preachers, pastors, ministers teaching men, or leading a church. Women have many other ministries and gifts to offer in the church in the body of Christ if only we would listen to the Head and we would not think we can replace the Head with ourselves and we become the Head.

Heaven forbid! And woe to anyone who would imagine such a sin!

Woe to all who go against God and His clear, inerrant infallible living and active word — which is very clear to know and understand. Especially in this matter. Read 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 if unfamiliar, doubting, siding with the world and the heretics and false teachers rather than with God and His word.

This constant push to erode, rebel, using cunning and manipulation, and rationalizing in a worldly way adopting worldly philosophies and thinking are all from one source within the eroding and falling away church. The diseased body allowing cancer in, darkness in, apostasy, and heresy in. And that source within the hearts and minds of men and women in their rebellion? Their disobedience comes from only one source. The devil. Satan. That Old Dragon. The Evil One. THAT is who is leading these men and women while they imagine themselves enlightened and modern and doing the Lord’s work. They are deluded and going against God, against God’s word so how then can they be doing His work?

No one can serve two masters. And in doing as Rick Warren, Saddleback, and so many other denominations and pastors and professed Christian churches are doing? It is to be as a traitor, a spy, someone counterfeit, and tossing a monkey wrench into the works in the spiritual war everyone is part of.

To go against the leader of one side and adopt the plan and words of the opponent? The Enemy? The other side? That is treason. Rebellion. And not being true. In physical worldly war, those who do this are tried and shot. What do you know, according to the word of God will happen to those who do this in the much more important spiritual war?

And no one can lead a double-life, be double-minded and live an obedient and true life, can they?

Is it any less then, or in truth quite more to pretend, to lie, to act then as if one no matter their stature, acclaim, fame, or reputation in the church is obeying the word of God, living the word of God, knowledgeable in the word of God while going directly against it in blatant rebellion?

Ken Pullen

Wednesday, May 12th, 2021

ACP — A Crooked Path

SBC President JD Greear calls Saddleback Church’s decision to ordain women ‘disappointing’

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

By Leah MarieAnn Klett

Reprinted from The Christian Post

J.D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said the California-based Saddleback Church’s decision to ordain three women was “disappointing,” and urged the denomination to “stand on the bedrock of God’s Word — whether the issue is the role of pastor or any other issue.”

In a development described by Saddleback as “historic,” the church, founded by Rick and Kay Warren, announced that they ordained their first three female pastors, despite being affiliated with the SBC which prohibits female ordination.

“We ordained our first three women pastors, Liz Puffer, Cynthia Petty, and Katie Edwards,” Saddleback Church said in a post on their Facebook page Friday. “We commissioned three new elders, Anthony Miller, Jeremiah Goley, and Jason Williams! And we appointed Pastor Johnny Baker as the new global leader of Celebrate Recovery!”

In a post on his blog Monday, Greear, who also pastors The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, said that while he has “long respected Saddleback’s ministry impact and heart for getting the gospel to the nations,” he disagrees with their decision to take this step, and even finds it “disappointing.”

He then paraphrased a post by Pastor James Merritt, saying it’s possible to affirm “both (1) that God calls men and women to vital ministry in the church and (2) that God’s Word clearly reserves the office of pastor/elder/overseer for qualified men.”

Summit Church, he said, is “unashamedly and uncompromisingly complementarian” and considers the complementarian position “not merely a box to be checked, but rather a biblical truth to be celebrated.”

“Equipping and platforming women to thrive in ministry is not a passion we share because of personal opinion or preference,” Greear added. “We are convinced that there is no such thing as a healthy church in which the men flourish and the women do not. Thus, by cultivating an atmosphere where our sisters can thrive, we cultivate an atmosphere in which our brothers will thrive as well.

“Above all, we believe that God’s Word is good and trustworthy, and that his design for the church will stand throughout time and prosper the church, now and always.

“We need godly, strong women to step up and use the gifts God has given them. We need these women in the home, speaking courage into their family’s lives. We need them in ministry, calling us to give and pray and go and sacrifice. We need them in society, leading with wisdom, courage, and faith. And may we stay faithful to stand on the bedrock of God’s Word—whether the issue is the role of pastor or any other issue.”

Greear is not the only Southern Baptist leader to criticize Saddleback’s decision to ordain women.

On Twitter, Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, wrote: “I strongly oppose the ordination of women pastors as clearly taught in the Scriptures and practice NT churches. It is a big deal I assure you and a growing problem in the SBC.”

Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, noted that a number of SBC churches like Saddleback have promoted women as preachers or pastors. He said the denomination needs to make the standards of denominational cooperation clear for all affiliated churches.

“In an increasing number of cases, it is now clear that some churches, including quite large and well-known churches, are placing women in the office of pastor in direct violation of our confession of faith. Further, a number of churches that are at least listed as Southern Baptist welcomed and advertised women preaching in the morning service,” he stated.

“The Southern Baptist Convention must not be unclear about our theological convictions and the ground of our cooperation. We cannot afford to be. Attempts to deny the issue will not work. Right now, Southern Baptists will decide if we will redefine the doctrine of the Southern Baptist Convention. I do not believe that Southern Baptists will allow this to happen. I do not believe that Southern Baptists will retreat from the truth.”

Bible teacher Beth Moore, who made headlines when she split from the SBC earlier this year, sparked controversy in 2019 when she argued that while complementarian theology does not necessarily cause abuse in the Church, having too few women in power has directly contributed to the sexual abuse crisis in churches.

She also suggested that the SBC has placed too many restrictions on women’s roles in churches, and that obsessing over the subject ultimately impedes the furtherance of the Gospel. Moore later apologized for her role in elevating complementarian theology to a “matter of 1st importance.”

The Christian Post reached out to Saddleback Church on Monday to inquire if the church plans to remain a part of the SBC. However, a response was not received by press time.

Saddleback Church ‘in violation’ of SBC doctrine by ordaining women pastors, Al Mohler says

Monday, May 10, 2021

By Leonardo Blair

Reprinted from The Christian Post

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler says Rick Warren’s California-based Saddleback Church is in “direct violation” of denominational teaching for ordaining three women pastors and is calling for the denomination to reaffirm its teaching.

“This past week, Saddleback Community Church in California ordained three women as pastors. In a development described by the church as ‘historic,’ the church posted a photograph of the ordinations with the text: ‘Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren and others pray over the first three women the church has ordained as pastors,’” Mohler wrote in an op-ed published on his website Monday.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr.

Citing a Live Good interview with Cynthia Petty, one of the women ordained as a pastor by the largest church in the denomination, Mohler said that there is “no doubt” that the women were promoted to an office traditionally reserved for men.

“There is no doubt that these three women are considered to serve as pastors and in the teaching office. Southern Baptists are clear, through the Baptist Faith & Message, that this is contrary to Scripture,” Mohler stressed.

“This is no longer a point of tension and debate. These moves represent an attempt to redefine and reformulate the convictional foundation of Southern Baptist faith and cooperative ministry. The theological issues have not changed since the year 2000 when Southern Baptists spoke clearly and precisely in the Baptist Faith & Message. More importantly, the Holy Scriptures have not changed and cannot change.”

Saddleback Church ordains its first three female pastors: Liz Puffer, Cynthia Petty, and Katie Edwards, on Thursday, May 6, 2021. This even though their denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, restricts the pastorate to men. | Facebook/Saddleback Church

Mohler, who is vying to become the next president of the SBC, argued that an increasing number of SBC churches like Saddleback have promoted women as preachers or pastors. He said the denomination needs to make the standards of denominational cooperation clear for all affiliated churches.

“In an increasing number of cases, it is now clear that some churches, including quite large and well-known churches, are placing women in the office of pastor in direct violation of our confession of faith. Further, a number of churches that are at least listed as Southern Baptist welcomed and advertised women preaching in the morning service,” he stated.

“The Southern Baptist Convention must not be unclear about our theological convictions and the ground of our cooperation. We cannot afford to be. Attempts to deny the issue will not work. Right now, Southern Baptists will decide if we will redefine the doctrine of the Southern Baptist Convention. I do not believe that Southern Baptists will allow this to happen. I do not believe that Southern Baptists will retreat from the truth.”

The Christian Post reached out on Monday to inquire if Saddleback plans to remain a part of the SBC. However, a response was not immediately received.

Mohler noted in his op-ed that the push to ordain women preachers isn’t new. He stated that the issue was roiled the SBC since the 1970s until the convention’s Conservative Resurgence “clarified the question conclusively.”

“There never was a moment when more than a handful of women served as pastors of SBC churches, but the mainline Protestant denominations were rushing headlong into the ordination of women as pastors and (Episcopal) priests, driven by two major energies — first, the demands of second wave feminism and, second, the impulses unleashed by liberation theology,” he argued.

“In both cases, the main obstacle was the Bible, but, already compromised by theological liberalism, these denominations deployed revisionist arguments to defuse any argument from Scripture. The strategies of biblical subversion also took two basic forms. The argument was proffered that either the Bible was misread by Christians for nearly 2,000 years or the Bible is just hopelessly mired in patriarchy and oppression and the biblical authors were flat wrong.”

Mohler argues that denominations that have adopted liberal theology have brought about the “feminization of liberal Protestantism,” which has been like the “kiss of death” for them.

“Put bluntly, there are just not that many males left,” he added. “Actually, there are not many people left in those churches. Liberal theology is the kiss of death for any church or denomination. Little remains but social justice activism and deferred maintenance.”

Jason Keith Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, called the Saddleback ordinations a “disappointing” departure from Scripture.

“This is a disappointing departure from the clear teaching of Scripture, the BF&M, & long-held SBC consensus & practice,” he tweeted Sunday. “I Tim 3 & Titus 1 list qualifications, not suggestions. Let’s hold fast to Scripture.”

Pastor Dwight McKissic, who leads Cornerstone Baptist Church in Texas, argued on Twitter that Scripture is not as clear on the topic as conservative pastors say.

“Rick Warren has written the best selling book in Christendom & is a SWBTS graduate,” McKissic wrote in response to Allen’s tweet. “Billy Graham affirmed women preachers. If the Scripture is ‘clear’ as you say, then Graham, Warren, & whoever let a woman preach in SWBTS, wouldn’t have done so.”

“My point is, the SBC has never, ever declared Saddleback’s, Billy [Graham] or the Texas pastor where Beth Moore preached yesterday, wrong. Therefore, it’s technically not true, thus, inaccurate for Dr. Allen, or anyone else to claim the SBC officially forbids a woman from preaching.”

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