Female teachers

In the April 3rd issue of The Alabama Baptist, there is an article titled, “Judge dismisses Patterson, Southwestern suit.” I do not have any idea on the subject of the law about whether or not a judge should rule, but I do have an opinion regarding the issue of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s decision to fire a Hebrew professor simply because she is female. What a deliberate waste of a good brain and education.

The only reason given is that she is a female and is teaching males. Nothing is said about the quality of her instruction or her students’ scores. Think of all the Sunday School teachers you have had — were they male or female? I am female and taught a young adult class for several years. We had both genders and at one time had five ordained ministers in the class — all male. I never had a complaint that I should not be teaching because I was female. I certainly never had a calling from God or a desire to become a preacher, but that did not mean they could not gain knowledge from the class.

I do not know any other particulars about the seminary case but thinking like this could possibly lead to taking away of education privileges for girls. That’s the way a lot of third-world nations feel. And what about that mother who tells her son about Jesus? Is that information any less valuable because it did not come from his father? Thankfully no one told that to Timothy. His female instructors were highly regarded.

I certainly hope that our seminaries are not being run by people who have so little regard for women that they automatically disregard anything they do, say or think. I am so grateful that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did not think like the decision makers in this case.

Judy M. Burgess
Athens, Ala.