Religion Roundup
Southern Baptists Open to Palin as VP, if Not Pastor
Associated Press
October 2, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The nation's largest Protestant denomination says a woman should not lead a church or a marriage. But prominent Southern Baptists see nothing wrong with Sarah Palin serving as vice president, or perhaps even commander-in-chief someday.
The denomination is guided by The Baptist Faith and Message, which states among other things that "The office of pastor is limited to men," and a wife should "submit herself graciously" to her husband.
But Southern Baptist leaders argue that Palin's potential work as vice president or even president would be separate from her family life with her husband, Todd, and their children.
The Reverend Richard Land, who heads the denomination's public policy arm, says "We don't go beyond where the New Testament goes. Public office is neither a church nor a marriage."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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