Ed Litton, Pastor of Redemption Church (Saraland, AL), and considered one of the more progressive candidates running for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention, claims to have complementarian creds and that women do not preach at his church, despite it being revealed in a series of recently unearthed videos that his wife has on occasion preached tag-team sermons with him.
This, of course, is a sneaky and unbecoming practice, where the pastor will let a woman preach but stands on stage with them in order to give her his “authoritative covering.” It is nothing but semantic word games and is no different than Adam standing by and watching Eve take of the forbidden fruit.
This is what Ed Litton has done.
During his questionnaire for the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood’s Candidate forum, though he said that “The only ministry the Bible limits to God-called and qualified men is the office of pastor, which is rightly designated by the title of pastor and elder,” he also specifically said that women do not preach from his pulpit: a revelation that is patently untrue.
4. Recently, there have been some publicized instances of women serving as the Sunday morning preacher in Southern Baptist churches. Do you think the Bible allows for women to serve in this role? Explain.
I think that our pulpits should be places that reflect our view of pastors. At Redemption church, we do not have women preach. However, we intentionally promote the significant ways that women can and do serve.
Let me say that I understand that some pastors have a different approach to who can speak when the church gathers for corporate worship, even if that’s not my approach, I respect their right and responsibility to lead their church as God has called them to do so.
Redemption Church absolutely allows women to preach. His wife has preached alongside him, and him being there doesn’t make it ok.
Watching one’s wife publicly go before the body and sin by preaching is a critical failure of headship and leadership, shows why Litton cannot be trusted, and is absolutely disqualifying from leading the convention.
