Do Women in Ministry Face a Double Standard When They Fall?
The Old Black Church Blogspot is a place where spiritual discussions take place and real issues of the church can be addressed by the real people of the church. Recently, the topic of discussion was, "Is there a double standard for women in ministry who face scandals versus men who faced scandals?
The main scandal that the readers and responders commented on was the divisive appointment of Juanita Bynum to "Bishop" after she had multiple divorces, homosexual relationships, breaches of contract, and a "questionable" role as a prophetess. Perhaps it is just because it is the most recent, or because of the recent commentary in such prominent publications as Charisma. Either way, the…show more content… "
While Anthony did not seem impressed by Bynum, he was equally unimpressed with the presentation of the title "Bishop", to a man or a woman. "Man's given titles mean nothing to God. He's looking at our hearts and deeds and words. I'm not impressed by titles, are you helping the communities, the people? It's not about fame, fortune and limelight if God is not glorified first."
A reader identifying herself as Marsha thought that if Bynum was a man, things would be viewed differently, but she also points out that sin affects men and women differently, especially in relationships. "There is ALWAYS a double standard for strong women in secular and church realms. ALL people fail; myself included. Does that mean God will not have anything to do with me? Of course not. Men in ministry have a greater covering in times of error and women of God will often lose their covering (i.e.husband, children, ministry, female friends, prominence). But they never lose the covering of God.…show more content… "The double standard is how we judge church leaders and everybody else." Strangely, Cop then proceeded to point out all of Bynum's shortcomings: "several failed marriages and MARRYING HERSELF...lying on her resume. She doesn't have a doctorate...She would have to EARN any title put before her name, not just given to her because she can excite a crowd of people...So, just let the Doctor, Ambassador, Prophetess, Face of domestic violence, and soon to be Bishop collect her titles while REAL MINISTERS of the gospel are making real changes in people's lives. And, they somehow manage to keep their lives free of [deleted, inappropriate adjective] issues Bynum always finds herself in every
