In 2023, I published Why Sally Can’t Preach through G3 Press. The reception to the book was, unsurprisingly, very mixed. Some quite liked it and were thankful to have a resource that explained a modern issue in a relatively brief manner. Some even reported that their minds were changed, and they were biblically convinced through the work that women, according to Scripture, cannot preach. But others reported a great deal of vitriolic anger—not only did they believe that women could preach, but that they should preach, and they could not believe the audacity of a man like me writing a book like this.
Despite the mixed reception, it has become increasingly clear to me that this book was not only essential, but it is a subject that—for a variety of reasons—continues to be a serious issue in many churches. Some well-known pastors and Christian leaders advocate for women in the pulpit, while others remain silent for fear of being labelled a misogynist.
But perhaps the development I have found most troubling has been the concentrated attempt made by those on the theological left to normalize the sin of woman pastors to our children. One picture book recently published for children through InterVarsity Press is entitled, Penny Preaches. Written by Amy and Rob Dixon, and illustrated by Jennifer Davison, the book tells the story of Penny, a young girl who wants to preach. She preaches to her stuffed animals, she preaches to the neighborhood kids, and she uses alliteration, but when her friends tell her that only boys can preach, she is distraught. Her parents see her melancholy and do the only thing they can think to do: They leave their church and take her to a church where a woman serves as the “pastor,” and Penny is encouraged to preach. The highlight for little Penny is when people applaud the sermon when she is finished.
There is much wrong with Penny Preaches. There is much wrong with the spirit of the age that argues women can preach and then urges women to do what only men are called to do in Scripture. There is something diabolically wicked and wrong with the argument that women must do what men do to experience validation. But we need to understand why this is.
Penny Still Can’t Preach
So, to get this out of the way, the biggest problem with books and ideas like Penny Preaches is that women can’t preach. My own definition that I’ve used for some time now is this: Preaching is a fundamentally masculine task, wherein the authoritative Word of God is declared, through the power of the Holy Spirit, by a qualified elder.
I want to make this absolutely clear: Women cannot preach. The wording here is important because my argument is not only that they should not preach, but that they actually cannot. Of course, it is also true that they should not preach. The Bible makes this matter abundantly clear in 1 Corinthians 14:33-35:
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
There’s this clear sense that they should not preach, but the Bible also emphatically states that they cannot preach. First, we can look again to 1 Corinthians 14:33 to understand that God does not cause confusion, which means He will not, under any circumstance, equip someone with the ability to preach and immediately say, “By the way, though, you shouldn’t do that.” That would be causing confusion—something God explicitly does not do. If we recognize that preaching involves more than merely speaking or even just teaching, and if we understand the biblical perspective that only men are equipped and gifted by the Holy Spirit, we will begin to grasp why women cannot hold the role of preacher.
In 1 Timothy 2:11-12, it is stated that women should not preach. “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” What does the Apostle then appeal to in this commandment? The creation order and then the Fall of Man in verses 13 through 15: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”
Reiterating this, then, we see that women are not to preach because the woman was to be submissive to the man. She was created to be man’s helpmate. God created Adam first then Eve, and Eve was the first to be deceived by the serpent.
Likewise, Ephesians 5:24 clearly states that wives are to submit to their husbands to reflect the beauty and glory of the Church submitting to Christ: “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” This would, very obviously, preclude women from preaching because preaching is an action carried out by one in authority.
And, in case all of that is not clear enough, 1 Timothy 3 states unequivocally that the qualified elder (preacher/pastor) is to be a man. Again and again, masculine pronouns are used to describe the elder. In simple terms, women are never called to preach.
Wrong Ideas About Women and Preaching
Considering all of this, we can now discuss three other significant issues with Penny Preaches. First, there is an idea in the book that preaching is something women can do because it’s just about having the right words. After all, Penny can alliterate her sentences. Second, there is a notion that the one who preaches deserves to be applauded. Third, there is a terrible idea that women must preach to gain validation.
First, we must note again that preaching involves much more than just using alliteration. Anyone can use the same beginning letter for a couple of different words to make a few brief points. Don’t get me wrong—alliteration can be extraordinarily helpful. However, if all one needed to become a preacher was the ability to string together alliteration and be a bit of a wordsmith, then Dr. Seuss would have been the greatest preacher the world has ever seen.
Second, the one who preaches does not deserve to be applauded. It is perfectly acceptable to be grateful for your pastor and his faithfulness to the Word, appreciating the hard work and long hours that go into sermon preparation. But Jesus teaches us that we ought not to expect praise or applause for preaching. Instead, Luke 17:10 tells us, “When you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
My inherent concern with Penny Preaches is not just that it encourages girls to become preachers, but that it also motivates people in general to become preachers for the approval of others. Not only should no one seek to step behind the pulpit because they’re looking for praise, but the biblically faithful man is far more likely to experience persecution before praise when he faithfully preaches the Word.
Third, the idea that a woman must be permitted to preach and must do so to be validated by others, is a monstrous lie. Women are an important part of God’s glorious creation, but they differ from men. Men have certain roles and abilities that are unique to them, and women have certain roles and abilities that are unique to them. This does not make one more important than the other, but it does tell us that these distinctions matter and that God made us different because it was wise to do so. Men and women are not the same. To suggest otherwise is either foolish or blatantly sinful.
To use myself as an example, I would like to point out that my worth, value, and personhood are not found in my being a pastor. It’s a major part of my life, yet it’s not where I find my identity. My worth, value, personhood, and identity are all found in my being a child of God through Christ Jesus. To suggest to little girls—or anyone, for that matter—that our worth is found in what we do or what position we hold, rather than in Christ alone, is destructive.
Perhaps, then, this is the biggest problem with Penny Preaches. Books and works like these threaten the holiness and purity of the Church at large. Taken seriously, such ideas could potentially lead to further decline and deterioration in our culture.
So, I repeat: Penny cannot preach. She will be committing a serious sin if she tries. Likewise, those who encourage her will be sinning. Furthermore, since she was never called or equipped by God to preach, those who listen to her will become spiritually malnourished.
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