"Throw Off the View of Women that Denigrates and Objectifies Them," Dr. Sheri Klouda's Story, Part III

Sheri Klouda was the Professor of Hebrew at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's School of Theology. She lost her job because the newly hired President of the SWBTS, Paige Patterson, believed that a woman should never "indulge in the exposition of Scripture," and no woman "should ever be in a position of leadership over men."

Patterson's unbiblical view of a man's inherent authority over a woman and a woman's unconditional submission to a man is a toxic belief system that harms women.

Sheri Klouda is evidence of this harm.

The Southern Baptist Convention which proclaims belief in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scriptures, must begin comprehending that Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant and made it disappear (Hebrews 8:13) and He inaugurate a New Covenant (Agreement) with the world where leadership comes from humble service, not hubris status; from giftings of the Holy Spirit, not gender of the human race; and from God's appointment, not man's ambition.

Part One of Sheri's story  - "Deep Down I Was Scared" - can be read here.

Part Two of Sheri's story - "Patterson Must Apologise to Those He's Harmed"  - can be read here.

Part Three of Sheri's story - "Throw Off the View of Women that Denigrates and Objectifies Them" in her own words is found below.

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Written by Sheri Klouda

In December of 2014, my husband passed away from esophageal cancer. My daughter graduated from Taylor University the following May, and was offered an incredible job with a new company starting up in Dallas. 

Despite the fact that I was a tenured professor at Taylor University, I made the difficult decision to move to Dallas with her and my grandson, who was 20 months old. My elderly grandmother was experiencing a lot of difficulty living alone in her house, so we moved in with her temporarily so we could help her and get established in the area. 

At the time, we had no idea that the job Abigail was offered would never materialize, and I had no idea it would be so difficult for me to find a job, essentially doing anything. After a month of living with my grandmother, she found it too stressful to have a toddler and two dogs living with her. We moved to a hotel, then some old family friends offered their home to us until we could find a place to live. After staying with them for three weeks, and spending hours applying for jobs and looking for a home to rent, it came time to move again and we settled into another hotel. 

Part of the problem centered on the fact that we did not have jobs, and could not show current income, so no one would rent to us, even though I had quite a bit of savings. After a week at another hotel, we decided that if we could not find a home in the next few days, that we would move back to Indiana. 

After taking a loan on my retirement, and agreeing to pay a year’s rent in advance, we finally found a place to live. Little did I know that I would be unable to find a full-time job for the next year and a half. 

I applied for every faculty job I could find anywhere in the United States. I called every connection I knew, and worked as an adjunct at a community college as well as taught part-time online. 

I served as a Regional Director for Museum of the Bible’s Scholar’s Initiative, and applied for secretarial positions all over the Metroplex. I even taught a seminar at Oxford during June of 2016. Abigail picked up jobs in the service industry. I could not even find a secretarial job. 

By December of 2016, I knew we didn’t have enough money to get through more than one more month. Two weeks before we ran out of money, I interviewed for a position as an Administrative Assistant at a Dallas church, where I continue to serve today.

I also continue to teach online occasionally, I am working on a few writing projects, and present papers when I have the opportunity and can afford to attend the professional meetings. But more importantly, I deal with the church’s people and their concerns daily, and that keeps me grounded in my faith.

I believe that I think the SBC is on the cusp of change. 

How they respond will speak volumes about where they go in the future. It can be a time of growth for them as they seek to meet the challenges of their faith in light of biblical teaching.

I will be disappointed in the Southern Baptist Convention if they cannot finally throw off the mantle of an arrogant leader who has historically espoused a view of women that denigrates them and objectifies them, who seems to reinforce the notion that they serve as a major source of wickedness and sin, and who dismisses their concerns as nonsense. 

I think that the Southern Baptist Convention has an opportunity here to separate themselves from Paige Patterson and his position, to stand firm, acknowledge and clarify their position regarding the respect and dignity of women, and spousal abuse in a clear and biblical manner so that there is no longer a question of tolerance in abusive relationships. 

This is the moment to define themselves and put away the assumptions concerning women that they appear to support by allowing Paige to represent them in a significant way.

I would also like to see the SBC actively support women in academic roles in their colleges and universities, particularly in biblical studies and theology. 

The difference between a local church and a university or seminary is very clear. I would like to see them elect more women to decision-making boards in order to give balance. There are many competent women in the SBC who would be an asset as a trustee of a seminary or Baptist university, women who hold doctorates and serve in ministry or corporate leadership positions.

 While I hold a complementarian view, I believe that the Southern Baptist Convention would serve its constituency well by carefully considering the roles of women in ministry, and seek to expand those roles in whatever way possible to meet contemporary needs. 

While I appreciate the recent statement of Steve Gaines, I would also like to see an official SBC statement on marriage and spousal abuse, biblically based and focused on the protection of women and children. Finally, I believe the Convention must emphasize transparency in cases of child abuse and insist on discipline and legal consequences for those who protect or conceal this behavior.

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