Op-Ed Columns

I love the way our current political contest keeps tossing up the most marvelous contradictions for us to notice and enjoy. For example, Christians were urged to pray for rain to disrupt Barack Obama's acceptance speech in an outdoor stadium. But what actually happened is Hurricane Gustav came and disrupted the Republican National Convention.

And then there is our most recent contradiction — the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate.

In the wider culture, the selection of a woman to run for vice president is not shocking. Geraldine Ferraro broke that glass ceiling in 1984 when she became Walter Mondale's running mate. And, of course, Hillary Clinton was nearly her party's nominee for president this year.

But in the narrower culture of conservative Christianity — the very demographic Palin was picked to appease — there should be some political squirming, especially among conservative Southern Baptists. Why? According to the way conservative Baptists read the Bible, a woman's place is in the home.

For some time now, defining the role of women has been one of the defining issues for Southern Baptists. They have positioned themselves in contrast to the more moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Alliance of Baptists, both of which support women in pastoral leadership roles.

At the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000, messengers adopted a revised version of the "Baptist Faith and Message." While not technically a creed, the BF&M serves as a biblical and theological guide that defines for Baptists the content of their faith. In the 2000 BF&M, women are informed that they cannot be pastors, and they are to "graciously submit" to the leadership of their husbands.

Thus, how can Southern Baptists and other Christians who view women in this way support Palin as vice president? How can she be vice president — or president, if McCain should die in office — and not be able to serve as pastor of a local church?

David Gushee, professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University, took up this issue recently in a piece he wrote for USA Today. In the article, Gushee poses several questions to those conservative Christians who have warmly embraced Palin's candidacy.

He writes, "Is it now your view that God can call a woman to serve as president of the United States? Are you prepared to renounce publicly any further claim that God's plan is for men, rather than women, to exercise leadership in society, the workplace and public life? Do you acknowledge having become full-fledged egalitarians in this sphere at least?"

And just to drive the point home, Gushee also asks, "If you agree that God can call a woman to serve as president, does this have any implications for your views on women's leadership in church life? Would you be willing to vote for a qualified woman to serve as pastor of your church? If not, why not?"

So, maybe the Baptist Faith and Message can be amended. The section on women might read like this: "Christian women are expected to stay home and tend the children, they are to graciously submit to the leadership of their husbands, and they are to take a subordinate role in church leadership. Unless their party needs them to run for vice president, in which case the rules are suspended."

Jesus had a word for this kind of stuff. Hypocrisy.