Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Department
Seminary
First Advisor
Laura Gordon, DMin
Second Advisor
Annette White, DMin
Abstract
The ongoing resistance to women’s full participation in church leadership, rooted in biblical and cultural interpretations, continues to marginalize women and uphold systemic inequality within the body of Christ. The debate over women’s preaching and ordination, shaped by differing biblical and cultural understandings, illustrates the complexity of the issue. This study examines the theological and ecclesiastical conflicts surrounding the Madison County Baptist Association of Churches’ (MCBA) prohibition on women’s homiletical practice in the pulpit, citing restrictive interpretations of texts such as 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.
This study aims to demonstrate that opposition to women preaching is shaped by interpretive frameworks influenced by patriarchal ecclesiology and cultural paradigms, rather than biblical truth. By applying rigorous exegesis and hermeneutics, the research challenges restrictive interpretations. It advocates a biblical grounding that affirms women’s full participation in ministry and encourages a reevaluation of scripture in light of gender equality.
The study begins by examining biblical, historical, and cultural factors that shape Baptist resistance to women’s preaching, highlighting the influence of patriarchal structures on interpretation. It then investigates hermeneutical debates over women in ministry through exegetical, grammatical, and cultural analysis of contested passages, comparing complementary and egalitarian perspectives. Building on this foundation, the research explores biblical texts that support women in ministry, drawing on creative theology, Pauline equality statements, and Christ’s redemptive work. The narrative expands to include the historical and global treatment of women across faith traditions. Drawing on this context, the study advocates a constructive theological approach that emphasizes exegetical accuracy, the self-examination of inherited patriarchal biases, and reflection on Christ’s counter-cultural treatment of women as central to God’s mission
Recommended Citation
Dunigan, Linda Johnson, "Sanctioned by God, Opposed by Man: The Denial of the Homiletic Practice of Women in the Pulpit by the Madison County Baptist Association of Churches" (2026). Doctor of Ministry. 704.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/704