Double Standards 101

(Editor's note: as a formerly ordained preacher, I am dealing with an issue within the Christian church. Some of my viewpoints are supported by the Bible, of which I will quote. To "non-believers," please bear with me and understand I am not "preaching;" rather, I am proving a point at how ridiculous this story is.)
Oh, how I lament (seriously) over the ridiculous state of affairs in the Church in America today. Here's just another example of how asinine things have become, courtesy ABC News and Yahoo! News, via the Associated Press: Church fires teacher for being woman
(Mon Aug 21, 8:40 AM ET)
WATERTOWN, N.Y. - The minister of a church that dismissed a female Sunday School teacher after adopting what it called a literal interpretation of the Bible says a woman can perform any job — outside of the church.
The First Baptist Church dismissed Mary Lambert on Aug. 9 with a letter explaining that the church had adopted an interpretation that prohibits women from teaching men. She had taught there for 54 years.
The letter quoted the first epistle to Timothy: "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent."
The Rev. Timothy LaBouf, who also serves on the Watertown City Council, issued a statement saying his stance against women teaching men in Sunday school would not affect his decisions as a city leader in Watertown, where all five members of the council are men but the city manager who runs the city's day-to-day operations is a woman.
"I believe that a woman can perform any job and fulfill any responsibility that she desires to" outside of the church, LaBouf wrote Saturday.
Mayor Jeffrey Graham, however, was bothered by the reasons given Lambert's dismissal.
"If what's said in that letter reflects the councilman's views, those are disturbing remarks in this day and age," Graham said. "Maybe they wouldn't have been disturbing 500 years ago, but they are now."
Lambert has publicly criticized the decision, but the church did not publicly address the matter until Saturday, a day after its board met.
Ok, so if you TRULY believe the Bible as absolute authority, what is the difference between women in positions of "leadership" within and without the church?
Is 1 Timothy 2:12 addressing a cultural issue, or making a new command? (A new "law" would contradict an older Scripture that was sent out by the Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15:28-29-- "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.") Moreso, is this "command" a timeless verdict from God, or is it Timothy's own personal viewpoint? Note the verse reads, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man..."
Further, was Mary Lambert teaching Sunday School to MEN or CHILDREN? And is teaching Sunday School really a position of authority, or is it rather a gift of facilitating an exchange of understanding? (I believe in the latter of the two.)
Here is yet another case of a local fellowship contorting the contextual message in one verse of Scripture, changing the original intent of the meaning, and selling it as doctrine! And I love how the church board handled the matter. They didn't even have the guts to talk to Ms. Lambert in person, as they should have, IF they adhered to Biblical guidelines. Oh, yeah, and on the article on ABC News tonight, the letter to Mary didn't even bear the signatures of the board members, even though the body of the letter began, "We the board and pastoral staff of First Baptist..." It also bore just one signature at the salutation: that of Mr. LaBouf.
Poor Ms. Lambert taught for 54 years because she loved it, not because she was attempting to usurp man's authority, as the church hints at. A member for 60 years, Lambert is now considering leaving the church, so hurtful this turn of events was to her.

I believe Mr. LeBouf has some soul-searching to do, and some apologizing to do as well.