Women Preachers: "... Compass a Man"

One of Bishop Lawson's early doctrines was that of women in ministry. Lawson left the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World because of his disagreement with the prevailing practices of that day in Pentecost; women were allowed both to preach and to pastor. Lawson was one of G.T. Haywood's Bible students: he was constrained to read nothing but the Bible, and to read it six times in a year. Paul's exhortations to the the Corinthians, to Titus, and to Timothy seem to curtail women's authority to minister, but the apparent contradiction between these scriptures and others that seem to affirm women's rights to preach and pastor was not thoroughly explored.

Moreover, there was much ignorance in Pentecost at the time. There were "not many wise" in the new movement, and members were often discouraged from seeking education outside of scripture, including religious education. Bishop Lawson, who eventually went on to found one of the first Pentecostal seminaries, rebelled largely against the fact that the word of God not being rightly divided, much on account of a poorly informed reading of scripture. For example, oft quoted was the scripture Jeremiah 31:22, which contains the phrase "a woman shall compass a man"; this was interpreted as saying that women shall one day equal and even outdo men in ministry. Lawson replied in part on this wise:

Jeremiah ... did not have in mind "women preaching or the church, for he did not prophesy concerning the church, neither did he see the church age or our times. He prophesied rather about Israel his people, their then present state, and the immediate going into captivity and despair, and their future restoration and glory. ...
This is what is really meant by "a woman shall compass a man;" [sic] Israel the woman, seeking and wooing her Lord, Jehovah; [sic] who heretofore had sought and wooed her to whom she had been unfaithful and adulterous, yea, she in her last days shall seek her Lord; shall "compass" Him ... (For the Defense, p. 24, pars 2 and 4)

Bishop Lawson's thrust here is how people interpret the scriptures. In addition, the incorrect reading of the word "compass" also figured into Lawson's argument against this reading of that scripture. In the "Practical and Perplexing Questions" section of For the Defense, he addresses this most directly:

QUESTION 12:

Is Jeremiah 31:22 an endorsement of women preachers?
ANSWER:

No! "Surpass" means "outstrip". [sic] "Encompass" means "to go around" [sic] "Compass" mean [sic] to turn about. The women (Israel) who were once pursued will become the pursuer. The man (the Messiah), the once rejected suitor will be sought after by the women. (See Sermon "A Woman Shall Compass A Man").

Bishop Lawson deplored those who used this scripture, armed with an incorrect understanding of the word "compass," as implying that men were failing God wholesale; that women were somehow purer and therefore more fit for the Master's use; that women would have to save the church; and, most of all, that God was Himself unable to keep men (and His church) from falling.

Many of the beliefs that characterized Lawson's doctrine about women preachers were common among theologians of the day. Appeals were made to women being the weaker vessels, to her ministry being confined to the home, and to the Bible's requirements of bishops and deacons to be "husbands." We shall omit to discuss those here. It is sufficient to realize that Bishop Lawson's doctrine of limiting women's authority to ministry was based on a strict reading of the Pauline scriptures; was developed out of a need to address a gap between the scripture and the practice of the day among his Pentecostal cohorts; and was further strengthened by Lawson's desire to separate himself from perceived doctrinal instability and general uninformedness in the early Pentecostal church.

However, we shall see that the Bishop was not without sensitivity to the the spiritual desires of women to be used of God for the saving of souls.