Kenneth Gabbert

Husband of @Megan_Gabbert. Follower of Christ. Running from the American Dream.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

There is a massive difference in doing things right and doing the right thing.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@realmattcarr @albertmohler @joe_rigney @JaredLongshore And yet he’s leading the US’s largest Baptist denomination. Scary.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

“Hey! Let’s strip women of the title of pastor, pay them less, and still require them to perform the duties and responsibilities of a pastor!”

The SBC is on the precipice of a decade long witch hunt to remove and suppress women that will ruin their denomination.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

Beth is exactly right here.

[Beth Moore @BethMooreLPM]

Those in the SBC who think I no longer should have anything to say about the SBC profoundly underestimate the power of love. I’d served southern Baptist women for 40 years by the time I left. And when I left, I left directly on their behalf because it became disturbingly clear to me that the SBC as an entity was more interested in protecting shepherds than the sheep entrusted to their care. When protecting the pulpit from women becomes a far greater priority than protecting women (& children) from an abusive pulpit, something is wrong. Which has been the greater problem: women trying to become your senior pastors or pastors misusing or abusing women?

My biggest concern is that what happened with the CRT witch-hunt will happen now in regard to women. The overreach resulted in numerous pastors, teachers and professors dropping the immensely important biblical teachings against racism rather than risk being accused of CRT. I heard from pastors at that time who preached against racism and already had emails Monday morning from people in their congregation accusing them of CRT. Because the difference wasn’t clarified, they lumped all of it into the one category. The aim became: shut every mouth to shut some mouths.

I pled for SBC seminary presidents and leaders to please clarify to pastors and teachers and, thereby, to congregations & students what qualified as CRT and what indeed was the proper and deeply rooted and needed biblical approach to anti-gospel racism.

Crickets.

I see the same potential here. I have never once fought for SBC women to take over church pulpits. I have esteemed and supported the role of male senior pastors. My own pastors would tell you that. If you think I was in the SBC trying to lead a revolution against men, you are clearly not familiar with my materials. What I believed then and believe now is that God has called both men and women to serve their churches and communities and proclaim the gospel. He has poured out his Holy Spirit on men AND on women, calling them to broadcast the good news.

You have beaten the drum loudly about what women in SBC churches cannot do. So, what CAN they do? Clarity here is essential. What is a woman to do who has been gifted BY GOD to teach the Bible, especially if her church has moved to the community group model and there is no Sunday school to teach?

Here is what I see on the horizon. If you leave these matters involving women so vague that it becomes about pastoral roles/actions rather than the title of pastor, it will shift to the subjective rather than objective. I wish I was naïve enough to think that wasn’t the point to some of these leaders but, sadly, I’m not.

What if that senior pastor doesn’t allow a woman on the prayer team to pray over people at the end of the service because he deems she is acting pastorally? What if the pastor sees that a woman’s Sunday school class of WOMEN is getting, in his estimation, a little too big? Can he just decide she acting pastorally and remove her from the role? Can she counsel people with her God-given wisdom and knowledge or would she be acting pastorally? The examples could go on and on. And, of course, I realize many would not use their positions to disesteem women but surely you and I both know countless others would. God only knows how many unqualified, unloving, mean-spirited men are in pastoral positions but the obsession remains the women.

I have no desire to see SBC women leave the denomination. I loved and flourished in that denomination. I want them to be able to flourish in their spiritual gifts. I want them to be esteemed in their serving inside and outside their homes. I want them to be able to serve Jesus and proclaim his glorious gospel.

I know I’m going to get hit here. That’s fine. But you should know I will fight for them to the death. Because I love them. And, yes, whether they love me or not.

[Beth Moore @BethMooreLPM]

Those in the SBC who think I no longer should have anything to say about the SBC profoundly underestimate the power of love. I’d served southern Baptist women for 40 years by the time I left. And when I left, I left directly on their behalf because it became disturbingly clear to me that the SBC as an entity was more interested in protecting shepherds than the sheep entrusted to their care. When protecting the pulpit from women becomes a far greater priority than protecting women (& children) from an abusive pulpit, something is wrong. Which has been the greater problem: women trying to become your senior pastors or pastors misusing or abusing women?

My biggest concern is that what happened with the CRT witch-hunt will happen now in regard to women. The overreach resulted in numerous pastors, teachers and professors dropping the immensely important biblical teachings against racism rather than risk being accused of CRT. I heard from pastors at that time who preached against racism and already had emails Monday morning from people in their congregation accusing them of CRT. Because the difference wasn’t clarified, they lumped all of it into the one category. The aim became: shut every mouth to shut some mouths.

I pled for SBC seminary presidents and leaders to please clarify to pastors and teachers and, thereby, to congregations & students what qualified as CRT and what indeed was the proper and deeply rooted and needed biblical approach to anti-gospel racism.

Crickets.

I see the same potential here. I have never once fought for SBC women to take over church pulpits. I have esteemed and supported the role of male senior pastors. My own pastors would tell you that. If you think I was in the SBC trying to lead a revolution against men, you are clearly not familiar with my materials. What I believed then and believe now is that God has called both men and women to serve their churches and communities and proclaim the gospel. He has poured out his Holy Spirit on men AND on women, calling them to broadcast the good news.

You have beaten the drum loudly about what women in SBC churches cannot do. So, what CAN they do? Clarity here is essential. What is a woman to do who has been gifted BY GOD to teach the Bible, especially if her church has moved to the community group model and there is no Sunday school to teach?

Here is what I see on the horizon. If you leave these matters involving women so vague that it becomes about pastoral roles/actions rather than the title of pastor, it will shift to the subjective rather than objective. I wish I was naïve enough to think that wasn’t the point to some of these leaders but, sadly, I’m not.

What if that senior pastor doesn’t allow a woman on the prayer team to pray over people at the end of the service because he deems she is acting pastorally? What if the pastor sees that a woman’s Sunday school class of WOMEN is getting, in his estimation, a little too big? Can he just decide she acting pastorally and remove her from the role? Can she counsel people with her God-given wisdom and knowledge or would she be acting pastorally? The examples could go on and on. And, of course, I realize many would not use their positions to disesteem women but surely you and I both know countless others would. God only knows how many unqualified, unloving, mean-spirited men are in pastoral positions but the obsession remains the women.

I have no desire to see SBC women leave the denomination. I loved and flourished in that denomination. I want them to be able to flourish in their spiritual gifts. I want them to be esteemed in their serving inside and outside their homes. I want them to be able to serve Jesus and proclaim his glorious gospel.

I know I’m going to get hit here. That’s fine. But you should know I will fight for them to the death. Because I love them. And, yes, whether they love me or not.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@bartbarber Change the title but not actually changing the function. What a mess.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@DetroitOnLion @Jason_OTC How does an option bonus work? Never heard of that.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@BrantleyVosler @RoyalBlueRapto1 For sure! I just wish churches would pay and recognize the ministry happening by young people and women instead of exploiting them financially.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@BrantleyVosler I’ve seen women be called ministers in youth and kids ministry. Or associate. Or admin. Or coordinator. Anything other than a pastor when they’re clearly performing pastor roles as they shepherd kids, teens, and parents.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@BrantleyVosler I think it’s any easy excuse to pay people less. Surely complementarians and egalitarians do the same thing. I’ve never worked in an egalitarians setting. I’ve worked in SBC churches and seen the games they play to pay people (and women) less.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@BrantleyVosler As someone whose worked in SBC churches, it’s crazy the lengths leadership goes to re-title roles for men and women they don’t want to pay appropriately who are actually doing pastoral ministry.

[CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil @CBSEveningNews]

A group of kids in Akron, Ohio, turned to a local pastor after getting scared while out exploring on their bikes. What happened next is a reminder that sometimes, a little comfort goes a long way.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

#raindelayquestions she’s a 10 but she only speaks in movie quotes.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

#raindelayquestions what shows are we watching in our free time?

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

#raindelayquestions what’s the most useless fact you guys know?

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

#raindelayquestions what kind of snacks you guys have in there? Show us the secret stash.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

Unreal.

[Detroit Tigers @tigers]

KEVIN McGONIGLE IS BUILT FOR THIS.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@realmattcarr *instead of* sorry, I was busy creating more anonymous accounts to rage bait people.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@realmattcarr Classic evangelical thought leader on “vacation” I stress of studying the Vulgate and preaching against woke ideology. Classssiiiicccc.

[Kenneth Gabbert @Kenneth_Gabbert]

@PrideOfDetroit Why is no one mentioning that AQM was a very late addition to our roster? Wasn’t he a mid-season pick up? The point being: why can’t we be patient and see who gets cut in the summer/fall and see who can fall into our lap?