13: EXPERIENCE TRUMPS SCRIPTURE 129God by reflecting on its experience.”^18 Thus, experience rather than the
Bible becomes the ultimate standard in theology. If we decide that
women and men can have all the same roles in the church primarily
because we have seen blessing on the work of women preachers and
Bible teachers, such an egalitarian argument leads us toward theologi-
cal liberalism.
I am not saying that experience or personal testimonies should be
disregarded as we think about the teachings of the Bible. But experience
and personal testimony can never prove something contrary to what the
Bible teaches. If we begin to go in that direction, then we leave ourselves
wide open to accepting such things as praying to the saints simply
because some such prayers have been answered, or believing that
Christians should always be “healthy and wealthy” simply because
some who believe this have indeed become more healthy and wealthy.
Basing doctrine on experience alone can lead us in any direction.
During the present controversy over women in leadership roles in
the church, God has continued to allow some measure of blessing (for
a time at least) on some churches that have women pastors and women
elders, and on some women who teach the Bible to congregations of
both men and women. This gives us an opportunity to decide whether
we will follow God’s Word or allow ourselves to be led away from his
Word by experiences that seem to bring blessing to people. Though not
everyone will agree with me at this point, I believe this is a test of our
faithfulness to God and to his Word in our generation. Eventually the
consequences of each decision will become plain.
Approving of women as pastors and elders primarily because we see
evidence of blessing on their ministries and not primarily because we see
it taught in the Bible is another step on the path toward liberalism.
(^18) J. I. Packer, “Liberalism and Conservatism in Theology” in New Dictionary of Theology,
ed. Sinclair B. Ferguson and David F. Wright (Leicester, UK: InterVarsity, 1988), 385.