Posted by
ABIDAN SHAH on Wednesday, October 08, 2008 11:01:41 PM
Ronald Reagan said of Margaret Thatcher (England’s Prime Minister 1979-1990), “she is the best man in England.” This statement might offend some, but it does not offend Southern Baptists. Lately there have been accusations that Palin’s candidacy is a challenge to the Southern Baptist view of women. I completely disagree. I am a Southern Baptist woman; my father was a Southern Baptist pastor; and my husband is also a Southern Baptist pastor. I have no issue with a woman being in a position of leadership in the workforce. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 does not deal with women being in leadership outside of the home and church. These are two separate issues.
Even in the home a woman is not subservient to her husband, she is to be submissive to her husband. There is a big difference between the two terms. Subservient implies abject obedience to someone, while submission is “voluntarily placing oneself under the authority of another.” The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. And how much was that? So much that He died for the church. Jesus also was an example of how men should lead, by being a servant-leader; which means that He served the people He led. As Christians, men and women are called to these specific roles only in the church and home, not in the public arena.
The choice that a woman makes to stay at home or to work outside the home is a family decision. The Palins obviously made this choice together, seeing that Todd Palin has been supportive of his wife’s career in public service. There is no “challenge to Southern Baptists’ conservative ideas about the role of women as leaders.” I believe that conservative, evangelical Southern Baptist men and women are applauding Sarah Palin for all that she is doing. As a mother of four children, myself, I understand how important family is. As a woman in the workforce, I understand how demanding a job can be. To be able to balance these two areas is admirable. I commend Sarah Palin for job well done, but I also commend her family for supporting her.
Women have been Prime Ministers in England, India, and many other countries, for many years, and have led their countries very effectively. The key point of this debate is not and should not be whether a woman should be Vice President. It is and should be which candidate will be more in line with biblical values as they rule our country. At this point in our nation’s history-Sarah Palin is “the best man in the United States.”