You and I have some deep disagreements about how we view the similarities and differences and relationships between the sexes, but I think it's useful at least to explain our viewpoints to each other. For some of the points, we're just going to have to agree to disagree, but I'll respond to a couple of specifics.
"Physical", "emotional", and "spiritual" shouldn't be lumped together.
Physical: Yes, statistically men tend to be taller and stronger than women; and, of course, men's and women's reproductive systems are different. I'll agree to all that.
Emotional: This is complicated, because boys and girls tend to get different socialization. Many boys are socialized to suppress their emotions (except for anger). Many girls are socialized to care for the emotional needs of others, and also to hold themselves back in various ways. This ends up affecting emotional expressions and experiences in adulthood. There may also be innate biological emotional differences (statistically), but at our current state of knowledge, it's hard to sort out what is socialization and what is innate.
Spiritual: Nope, I don't see differences here. You didn't list "intellectual", but, for completeness, I don't see differences there either. Differences between individuals, yes. Differences between men as a group and women as a group, no.
Because that is my experience of it. I never quite trust a leader, even a wise and benevolent leader, the way I trust a partner. The fact that the other person has power over me is always there, lurking in the room.
This is one where we'll have to agree to disagree. I see their maleness as being as incidental as their nationality or their hair color.
I've moved this to the end, because I think it's a really interesting comment, quite apart from anything to do with gender. Would you be willing to elaborate on your thoughts here? Tell me how you view a teacher, and a manager, and a shepherd, and a father.
I see teaching, because it's usually the pastor who preaches the sermons, and who has more seminary training than most of the congregation. I see management as an unfortunate part of having to keep an organization and a building going -- sometimes the nuts and bolts of making sure the heat is on and the kids' classrooms have enough crayons land on the pastor's desk. Shepherd: sorry, I'm from the city; I think I've never seen an actual shepherd.
Father: an interesting (and classic) metaphor.
All that is to say: You have some specific ideas in mind when you use these metaphors to describe pastors. What roles or approaches or activities do you think pastors should be doing more of, and what should they be doing less of, in your view? When you say a pastor should be more like a father and less like a teacher, what do you mean by that?
