ABC News is in the process of visiting “50 States in 50 Days.” Today they broadcasted their visit to my new state of residence, Kentucky. They actually filmed the piece last Friday.

How do I know that? Because in a state of 40,000 square miles and 4.2 million people, they chose my boss and our office as the launching pad for their story. Click here for the ABC video (Yes, the link does work. No, it does not work for everyone’s computer and/or browser).

I think it is hilarious because, given the parameters of the series, the story could have been about ANYTHING - as long as it touched briefly on the fall election and something to do with Kentucky.

They could have gone to Churchill Downs and asked folks leaving the races their thoughts on the race, for President that is. They could have gone to tobacco farmers to ask about health care or tobacco tax. They could have gone to the very poor mining communities in the east. They could have (and probably should have) talked about the very real racism that was evident in the Kentucky Democratic primary between Clinton and Obama. Not pretty.

Instead, (and for the record, I am certainly NOT complaining) they chose to come to my alma mater and place of employment, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

To ask about what? Basically, they wanted to find out if it really is true that we see no problem with a woman serving in the Oval Office (Palin, Clinton, Ferraro, etc.), but we do believe that Scripture limits the office of pastor (i.e. elder) to men.

Recently, there has been a certain amount of debate stirred up regarding women pastors, all on account of Sarah Palin’s role as John McCain’s running mate. Not that she is a pastor mind you, but the issue has been raised as folks everywhere have been talking about whether or not it is hypocritical for a woman to have a limitation placed on her in one arena (church), but not in the other (politics).

One such arena for this discussion recently was “On Faith,” the Washington Post online reigious forum from which our own “Civil Religion” takes its cues. HERE is the link to that discussion (I’ll go with Reynolds, Mohler, and Thomas).

At this point, I could give you a bunch of links that would take you to opinions on both sides of the issue. Instead, let me just throw you a link to some folks who are spending their whole lives thinking deeply and critically about issues of gender, sexuality, family, ministry, etc. It is called The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

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