Senior Lauren King caused an uproar in the Churches of Christ and Lipscomb community when a video of her preaching went viral.
For some, the image of a female preaching on stage is nothing notable. For Churches of Christ members, the idea of a woman in the pulpit is an uncomfortable break from tradition.
“For a lot of folks in the conservative side of our fellowship, this was shocking,” said Dr. Ken Durham, a Lipscomb Bible professor. “It is shocking that a Church of Christ had done it, and shocking that Lipscomb had anything to do with it. So one of the questions we’ve been answering, or trying to answer to the best of our ability, is ‘what role does Lipscomb play?’”
King was preaching as part of an optional internship for the College of Bible and Ministry at Fourth Avenue Church of Christ in Franklin, Tennessee. A video was made of her sermon and put out by Wineskins, a Christian ministry. The video, which had over 55,000 views on YouTube, drew in many comments, some very critical of King.
“This video and this congregation represent a lack of respect for the authority of God,” Audie Cherry said in a comment on Vimeo. “Let us look to Scripture to guide us, not our own feelings and emotions. They’re just that, feelings and emotions. The Spirit doesn’t guide us.”
Despite the critical comments, King remained confident in her calling.
“I am confident with where the Lord has called me, and I have no need to apologize for that, but I am sorry for the way that all of this has happened,” King said. “I hate that there’s been so much heartbreak and anger, and it’s not the way it should be, but I think if we can all learn to love and respect each other it won’t matter what side of the spectrum you’re on.”
Many responses appeared on blogs and social media that were in defense of King preaching.
“Ya’ll have no idea how special this friend of mine is to me,” senior Makenzie Kanyuh posted to Facebook. “God works through her SO much and she inspires so many, including me. It’s tough being a girl wanting to go into ministry, but if God is telling you to do something, follow.”
King also received hundreds of emails, video comments and texts from Churches of Christ members all over the country. Brotherhood News, a Christian news site, published an article about the reactions the video provoked.
“Such divisive practices instituted by progressive churches have prompted faithful brethren to respond firmly with New Testament teachings and reaffirm the model presented by the apostles and prophets who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ,” the article stated.
Lipscomb University has made it clear that, although they do not claim to support or be against females preaching, they do educate students to broaden their horizons and develop their own opinions regarding religion.
The video of King has been removed from YouTube but can still be found on Vimeo.