Babies-Make-Women-Happy Argument
for no women in leadership
The Argument: “It is a proven fact that women who get married and have children are happier than those who, for whatever reason, do not. Women thrive best when their lives are centered around family and the home. When women center their lives around public affairs, they’re less likely to have children and thrive. Thus, to encourage women to do what will ultimately make them happier, it’s best for men to take the leadership roles outside the home.”
Counterargument 1: This argument assumes that if women were to hold church leadership positions, they wouldn’t prioritize their families and homes (i.e., they would either neglect their families and homes or refrain from having children). Furthermore, this implies that when men lead churches, they either don’t have lives centered around family or they possess a special ability that enables them to lead churches while also maintaining family-centered lives.
Counterargument 2: This line of reasoning could lead a man to measure his value according to the happiness of his wife.
Counterargument 3: This argument puts women’s happiness as a primary concern of men, rather than women’s preparedness to be Christ’s bride, like Ephesians 5:25-28 says. Quite often, personal happiness and becoming Christ’s bride don’t lead in the same direction. Following Christ involves suffering, sorrow, and sacrifice. Furthermore, removing women from the pain and sacrifice of leadership often leads to a frivolous and worldly lifestyle, ignorant of what one’s safety, freedom, and house have cost others.
Counterargument 4: Encouraging women to merely concern themselves with their own homes and families is in direct opposition to what the Bible tells us, which is to love others as we love ourselves (Leviticus, 19:18, Matt 22:39, Mark 12:31, Romans 13:9, Gal 5:14). Women whose lives are centered around their own family and home tend not to love others’ families and homes as much as their own.
Counterargument 5: This argument uses statistics and trends to determine the most good for the most people. While this is generally what governments do, this excludes from the church the historical women God called into leadership and the future women God will call into leadership. Women God calls into leadership would then have to work outside men-only lead churches.
Counterargument 6: This argument assigns private life to women and public life to men in a way that God doesn’t do in the Bible. God tells both Adam and Eve to increase in number and rule the earth (Genesis 1:28-30). God tells Noah to multiply and increase (Genesis 8:17). At Mount Sinai, God told all the people how to keep his laws and be lights to the other nations. The prophets repeatedly relate private heart sins to public life sins. The Proverbs 31 woman is a traveling entrepreneur, helping those outside her home and involved in both the public and private spheres. Traditionally, the great commission has been applied to all believers—to go and make disciples, to teach, and to baptize (Matthew 28:18).
Counterargument 7: If this same reasoning is applied to men, it encourages men to keep out of private home life affairs to focus on public affairs. This separation discourages mutual participation, input, and empowerment both in and outside the home.
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