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# On Women in the Church
- URL: https://matthew-d-burkholder.ghost.io/on-women-in-the-church/
- Published: 2026-09-11T12:11:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-11T12:11:54.000Z
- Author: Matthew D. Burkholder

Jon and I recently completed a four-part series (hopefully one more!) on women in leadership for our podcast [Theology Jam](https://open.spotify.com/show/0Lnvfk8FLOJO35AreCmw0a?si=8c14334e79424341&ref=matthew-d-burkholder.ghost.io). In the series, we laid out our case for why a full egalitarian position is theologically and biblically responsible. 

However, if you asked me for my elevator pitch on why women should be in leadership, I would say three words: "The Holy Spirit!" Not only is there an engaging conversation to be had about [the Holy Spirit opening up feminine imagery for religious experience](https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1344&context=asburyjournal&ref=matthew-d-burkholder.ghost.io), I have yet to hear a convincing argument that the Holy Spirit only equips men for leadership. This is patently obvious for anyone who works with women. Simply put, there is a strange cruelty in the Holy Spirit equipping and calling women into leadership, only to have them submit those abilities and qualities to a man, simply because of their gender. Can this really be our theological position? Thankfully, there is more than enough historical and biblical evidence that women *were* critical leaders in the early church. There is also a strong critical argument to be made that a process of biblical redaction occurred in the pastoral epistles to correct Paul and the early church's radical inclusion of women as leaders.   
  
I will leave that conversation for a future day.