Friday, July 21, 2006

Interlude: Suggestion for Frank Page

As someone who has read every word of Frank Page's dissertation, I am very glad that he is, apparently, disavowing some of what he wrote twenty-six years ago. The folks over at Ethics Daily have called him out on this. Marty Duren has released a press statement reiterating in undisputable terms the recantation of his dissertation.

I suggest that Dr. Page write an academic article detailing a strong case for the ordination of only men as pastors. As someone who has written a dissertation in the field on the other side, Page would seem to be better qualified than most to refute feminist views. He offered to the world a lengthy and forceful case for the ordination of women as pastors. If Page believes that to have been the dissemination of error, wouldn't it be appropriate for him to dedicate some serious attention to providing a correcting publication of similar quality?

Also, although his current press release along the lines of "I've changed my mind since then" sounds suspiciously like "I actually voted for women in ministry before I voted against it," (Did Dr. Page earn any purple hearts fighting for the conservative resurgence?) if Dr. Page were to write a strong, cogent, academically sound paper supporting the view articulated in the BF&M 2000, that would go a long way towards settling the fears that I harbor about him and the future he envisions for the SBC. It would also perhaps clear up his present view of the inspiration of the Bible—one that I hope also has changed for the better since he wrote his dissertation.

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