A Woman Vice-President?

I'm hearing a lot of talk about John McCain picking Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Most of what I have heard seems positive, but I have heard some sharp critics to his choice also. Of course, prior to the Democratic National Convention, there was much talk about Hillary Clinton being the Democratic nominee for President, and then a possible pick for Vice-President with Barak Obama. In the process, other women were rumored to having been considered, but none made any real news as a serious candidate.

As a Christian, how do you feel about a woman President or Vice-President?

I observe through the Old Testament that almost every leader was a man. There were at least two times when God couldn't find a man who would stand up to the job, so a woman took the helm and did quite well.

In the New Testament, we see women in prominent roles more than once. Philip had four daughters that prophesied (Acts 21:9). That is virtually the same as a preacher, which is a positition of leadership. Lydia had a church meeting in her house (Acts 16:40). Although she may not have been the leader, she obviously played a significant role in the church's leadership.

The comments about Aquilla and Priscilla imply that she played a major part in teaching the Gospel. There are other situations where women played significant roles in the church and community.

Paul makes it clear, in I Timothy, that a woman is not to be an Elder (Biship, Overseer) in a church. He declares that an elder must be the "husband of one wife" (I Timothy 3:2) which rules out a woman in that position. He does mention women as "deaconesses" a little later in the same chapter, but the top leadership in a church is expected to be of masculine gender.

So how does that apply to our national government? What does that have to do with a woman Vice-President, or possibly, President.

There are women in top leadership in many companies across the United States and around the world. Several states have had a woman governor at one time or another. I can think of some churches that are more controlled by the women than by any men (including those who are supposed to be in leadership). I have known of women who are preachers, and quite good at it.

Is it possible that a woman could be in subjection to her husband as he is the head of the home and she could still be the President, CEO or hold some other major office in a company or government? It is being done in many places. Other countries in the world have been run at one time or other by a woman. So why could a woman not possibly be President of the United States?

I personally prefer male leadership, but if a woman comes along who is better qualified for the job, then I could see God putting her in a place of leadership and her being capable of being a good leader. I would be more concerned about her values than her gender. Does she honor God as God? Does she respect the teachings of the Bible? Is she committed to running the company or this nation according to God's absolute moral code of ethics? Those are the things that I think are most important, than whether she is a man or woman.