On The Public Preaching of Women - Men Of The West. Editor’s Note: We present another lesson from Robert Lewis Dabney, who served as Stonewall Jackson’s Chaplain, and was a staunch defender of traditional Christianity. Here, he addresses the issue of women in the pulpit. Yes, it is pretty long, but it is worth your time. In this day we find a rapid advancement of new ideas. The unbelievable suggestion of yesterday, entertained only by a few fanatics, and only mentioned by the conservatives to be ridiculed, is today the bold reform, and tomorrow will be the accepted practice. Novelties are so numerous and so wild and rash, that in even conservative minds the feeling of wonder is exhausted and the instinct of righteous resistance fatigued.
A few years ago the preaching by women was universally condemned among all conservative denominations of Christians. The arguments advanced by those who profess reverence for the Bible, yet are in favor of this unscriptural practice, are as follows: Does the Bible really prohibit it? True.