John Piper Ignites Debate for Saying Only Men Should Teach at Seminaries

Bird also weighs in and (surprise, surprise!) he believes women should be Seminary professors:

I have been long convinced by Scripture and by experience that God has poured out his Spirit on all flesh, upon men and women, young and old, and every ethnic group there is, to gift the church with the ministries and offices that it needs for its mission.

Burk (surprise, surprise!) agrees with Piper:

If seminaries really wish to serve actual churches in this way, then they must not adopt a teaching ministry that undermines the ecclesiastical norms of the churches they serve. The contrary view—which is based on the observation that the seminary is not the church—misunderstands what the purpose of the seminary is.

Piper’s conclusion crystallizes the issue:

“The issue here at the seminary level is largely the nature of the seminary teaching office. What do we aim for it to be? Is it conceived as an example and model and embodiment of pastoral vision, or not? That will lead us in how we staff our seminary faculty.”

Sadly, many theological educators and seminaries have lost sight of the primary mission of training pastors for churches, but John Piper has not. Piper’s vision of the purpose of a seminary is the correct one, and that is why his answer to the question posed above is correct as well.

I’d be interested in what Piper would say about a female seminary professor that teaches counseling. Like at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (GRTS)? My wife is finishing her M.A. in counseling at GRTS, with an emphasis on Trauma Counseling. https://www.cornerstone.edu/grand-rapids-theological-seminary/seminary/…

Women teaching something like Greek/Hebrew.