Every Wednesday night, a Bible study takes place at the White House with high-ranking government officials in attendance, such as Mike Pence (Vice President), Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State), Betsy DeVos (Education Secretary), Jeff Sessions (Attorney General) and Rick Perry (Energy Secretary). Ralph Drollinger serves as the pastor of the group, however, reports have claimed that the group disallows women from leading the Bible study sessions.
Drollinger, a Republican conservative, founded the Capitol Ministries in the 1990s and became prominent as a preacher in government offices in 2010. Initially, 50 members from the House of Representatives attended his Bible studies and later on, senators also joined in the meetings.
When President Donald Trump came to office, his cabinet decided to also hold a Bible study group at the White House. The pastor believes, however, that no women should lead or teach in these meetings, in the same way that he disallows women from leading in his ministry.
"There is a prohibition of female leadership in marriage, and female leadership in the church," Drollinger told the BBC. "And those are clear in scripture...it doesn't mean, in an egalitarian sense, that a woman is of lesser importance. It's just that they have different roles".
The report also revealed that President Donald Trump is not part of the White House Bible study group. Instead, he receives the weekly transcripts from Drollinger and writes notes to send back to the pastor.
Drollinger also posts the topics that the White House Bible study group tackles on his website. In it, Drollinger, a Republican conservative, expresses Biblical views against homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Strong views are also noted against environmental activists.
Drollinger told the BBC that he doesn't tell the White House Bible study group what policies they should focus on. He hopes, however, that they use the Bible studies as a guide or blueprint for their lives in governance.
