DALLAS, March 21, 2008
Judge Okays School Ban On Female Teachers
Female Professor's Lawsuit Dismissed Based On School's 1st Amendment Religious Rights
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Professor Sheri Klouda poses in a classroom at Taylor University in Upland, Ind., Jan. 26, 2007. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Klouda who claimed officials at a prominent Southern Baptist seminary, the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's School of Theology, told her to leave because women are biblically forbidden from teaching men. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)
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Sheri Klouda, now a professor at Taylor University in Upland, Ind., was the only female professor teaching at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's School of Theology when officials decided not to renew her contract in 2006. Klouda claimed seminary officials breached an oral contract guaranteeing she would remain employed if her performance was favorable.
Seminary officials maintain Klouda was not dismissed but was told she would not be granted tenure. They said their actions were based on ecclesiastical decisions protected under the First Amendment's religion clauses. U.S. District Judge John McBryde agreed, dismissing Klouda's claims Wednesday.
"I'm disappointed by the outcome but ... it wasn't totally unexpected," Klouda said from her home in Indiana. "Generally speaking, federal courts try to avoid becoming entangled in matters dealing with religious institutions."
Klouda, who departed the seminary in Fort Worth after six years of teaching there, said she's considering appealing the decision.
Seminary President Paige Patterson issued a statement saying he is thankful for the decision.
"My response is simply one of gratitude to God and to a host of people," he said. "Americans everywhere may still rejoice in freedom of faith and the ordering of their churches and institutions accordingly."
Ten women are among the seminary's full-time faculty of 116. Only one works in the theology division and she teaches only women's classes, spokesman Thomas White said.
Klouda's departure was one example of the division between conservative and moderate factions within the Southern Baptist Convention. The case has prompted discussions about the role of women in the nation's largest Protestant denomination, which has more than 16 million members.
According to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message, the denomination's most recent statement of beliefs, both men and women can serve the church but the office of pastor is limited to men. The statement is based on a verse in 1st Timothy in which the Apostle Paul says, "I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man."
After he was elected seminary president, Patterson told officials he believed all those teaching future ministers at the school of theology should be qualified to serve as pastors themselves. Klouda alleged in court documents Patterson told her she was a mistake the trustees needed to fix.
Klouda points out she taught Hebrew and Aramaic at the seminary.
"The biggest contradiction is that Dr. Patterson and Southwestern and ... all of us agree that I am not a minister or pastor," Klouda said.
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Add a Comment See all 104 Comments
- The bloody Bapsists they hate this/that. They yell and holler. Whet to their church once..They told me to wear a dress next time I attend..They are sexxist. The ladies can''''t think for themselves..A pity..God Allmighty is not deaf.
Posted by MichelleM99 at 10:19 PM : Mar 24, 2008
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*******your constant display of hate MAKES YOU AS BAD AS THESE ''BLOODY'' BAPTISTS.. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by MichelleM99 at 10:19 PM : Mar 24, 2008
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that is the beauty of this country..you have the right to stay away from churches and ''baptist'' men...THEN DO SO..and i am sure that churches and ''baptist'' men prefer that you stay away from them..you hate the bible THEN STAY AWAY FROM IT AND DONT READ IT..you have that right..
do you see a known skinhead teacher suing a jewish school for turning his application down?? - Reply to this comment
- Paul yer a roman..yer write in that letter usladies can''t talk, this lady will and the irish in me wont bow down to yer way..Paul yer in the dark ages..
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- The bloody Bapsists they hate this/that. They yell and holler. Whet to their church once..They told me to wear a dress next time I attend..They are sexxist. The ladies can''t think for themselves..A pity..God Allmighty is not deaf.
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- Religion should be ban ,its idiotic for people to be acting on a fairy tale from a book (Bible) written by man for man, so it''s a lie.Bondage, is what the Bible is all about and slaying, BS, throw it in the trash save your mind, ,and you wonder why Muslims are so brainwashed ,man needs to ban the Fairy tales .
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- Some of my very best teachers have been women...starting with my mother.
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- This is America.
This the year 2008.
The bible was written in the dark ages.
Would Jesus fire her due to gender..No..I don''t think so but HE is not here for His say. The bible has been written and rewritten by Men who won''t move into today. That book has caused more hatred today and men al well. Sep of church and state yer houour the judge.. - Reply to this comment
- This why I don''t attend and support the churches. Men are the problem and they tell ladies they can''t teach males..That judge is wrong..I hope that lady will keep her job.
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- iam getting sick tired of people taking the word of God and twisting it. I even can''t believe this was taking to court in the first place.
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- Two faces of the same coin.
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Posted by andrew_693 at 07:32 PM : Mar 22, 2008
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unfortunately, the liberal masses prefer to kiss one face and spit on the other. isnt that discrimination? - Reply to this comment
- What their really concerned about is the gay_s -- they are worried that if they have to let women teach, next thing they''''ll have to let gay_s teach and then all hell will break loose!
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Posted by singindick at 01:32 PM : Mar 24, 2008
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I beleive that men and women of all religion or lack of, has the right HOWEVER, in this case, please correct me if I am wrong, she is trying to get a teaching job in school that has very strict creed. The very foundation of thier teachings IS religion no misunderstanding about that.HENCE, she does not fit in within that ''creed''. So much so, you would not want a ''baptist'' priest TEACHING in a promient GAY school or David Duke teach in a prominent ''black'' school as much as you would allow boys in the girls locker room,would you? - Reply to this comment
- What their really concerned about is the gay_s -- they are worried that if they have to let women teach, next thing they''ll have to let gay_s teach and then all hell will break loose!
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- I wonder whether students of this institution are permitted eligibility for federal or state grants or loans to attend? Also, are private donations to this institution recognized as tax-deductable? (At least in the case of federal taxes, I don''t believe donations are tax-deductable to any private educational institution that discriminates racially. Would donations be deductable if the institution practices gender discrimination? If so, WHY are they deductable?)
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- "An even more hilarious verse than this, is the one which says, that if a man commits adultery and his wife refused to service him--it is the wife''''''''s fault."
b-easy63, please give reference to your quote above. I believe you are very out of context!
Posted by TCAndrews62 at 08:12 PM : Mar 23, 2008
GOD assigns sin on the one that committed it, any verse that blames someone else for your sin is wrong. - Reply to this comment
- Wow - no woman can teach a man? What the hell makes men so special?? This idea coming from an American Baptist church ought to be shameful to our country. That makes us sound just as crazy as all the arab countrys where the woman can''t do anything without a mans approval - no man is better than me and no man can tell me what I can and can not do - we are all sinners in the eyes of god, male or female!
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- Posted by TCAndrews62 at 08:12 PM : Mar 23, 2008-----Never heard or read it either.
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- "An even more hilarious verse than this, is the one which says, that if a man commits adultery and his wife refused to service him--it is the wife''''s fault."
b-easy63, please give reference to your quote above. I believe you are very out of context! - Reply to this comment
- The statement is based on a verse in 1st Timothy in which the Apostle Paul says, "I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man."
Ahhh yes, the bible. A wonderful book--inspired by God BUT written by men. And like most things men tend to do--I suspect that while they wrote what God said, they could not help to add their 2 cents in for their own benefit.
An even more hilarious verse than this, is the one which says, that if a man commits adultery and his wife refused to service him--it is the wife''s fault. But strangely--the bible is silent on the subject of whose fault it is, if a woman wants it and the hubby says no. That verse alone was enough to let me know that no matter how God inspired--like most man managed things---the bible may well be tainted. - Reply to this comment
- "Women are biblically forbidden from teaching men."
Just ask Mike Huckabee who apparently believes we need a constitutional amendment that prohibits women from teaching:
"I believe it''s a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that''s what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it''s in God''s standards rather than try to change God''s standards"
--Mike Huckabee a.k.a. Leader of the American Taliban - Reply to this comment
- well, these proves once again that the religious intolerants on the right, aka as republicans, hold the same values as their friends osama bin laden, kalid sheick mohamed and all their islamic freedom fighters/ terrorists that attacked the US on the federal building in oklahoma and the 9 -11 attacks. Two faces of the same coin.
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