WOMEN in CHURCH LEADERSHIP? (Part 1 of 3)
Forward: As promised, I started writing this a few weeks ago. I’m not a theologian or a Bible scholar. However, I do trust the Bible to tell the truth. Archeologists find confirmation every year of biblical events written in the Bible…things they previously doubted as fables or myths; and they have yet to find evidence that anything written there is false or untrue. Funny, isn’t it! I, on the other hand, don’t need the archeologists to tell me it is true. A God who would lie about events could not be trusted about salvation. His prophets foretold good and bad … and those things happened just as they had foretold. Followers of God did not find God, He revealed Himself to them. Regarding the events in Genesis 1-3 … some joke that believers think the world is only 6,000 years old. Yet the Bible doesn’t say it is. Rather, it goes forward through family lines to event after event which show how God has guided mankind toward the truth. Regarding Genesis 1-3 it merely says, “In the beginning…” The beginning of what? Ah! That is the best question of all! In the beginning of God’s salvation plan … that’s the true beginning of all that matters for human beings. The Bible is not written as a history book, as such, but as a revelation of God’s salvation plan. God had a plan before He created us … and He is still working to gather us into that which is best for us: His kingdom.
Does the Bible really say that women must be silent in church?
1 Corinthians 14: 34 (NIV) “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.[b]”
Footnote b: “1 Corinthians 14:35 In a few manuscripts these verses come after verse 40.” (see later)
YES, it does. But the situation to which it refers and its meaning may not be what you have been told. A casual reading would leave many modern people aghast! (Me, too!) In fact, some church leaders have used this passage to deny the ordination of women. That is a misuse of the passage, as there are many other places in Scripture where women are elevated to high spiritual positions and honored for their leadership and devotion.
To be fair, some Bible scholars insist that 1 Cor 14:34-35 is an interpolation. That means that it was“added later” and wasn’t in the original letter. Their reasoning follows 3 courses. 1) Paul writes that this is the case “in the churches.” This is the only place Paul says something not specific only to Corinth. Paul doesn’t go off topic like that anywhere else. 2) Paul says earlier in 1 Corinthians that some women are prophets. Preceding these two verses he makes no distinction between male and female prophets, both of which would be permitted to speak in the church. 3) (see footnote b above) In the various ancient manuscripts the placement of these verses shifts…which points to them not being original, but added. I don’t have a strong opinion about this, so I will treat this passage as part of Paul’s original letter.
Seminaries across the land offer EB courses. The simplicity and usefulness of an English Bible course are both large. Without looking back to the original language verbs and pronouns, one can still find amazing gems. Sure, I took New Testament Greek and still use it for study. Just yesterday, with the help of Watchman Nee, I explored the Greek word “ek” (it means “of”, “from”, or “out of”). One can find truth that way. However, truth can be found in many passages without one’s knowing a lick of “Koine Greek” (the Greek language of New Testament times). One can even find truth without looking at a Bible commentary. Look at a passage, explore it thoroughly and ask questions. This particular passage opens many questions in my mind. The following such exploration uses few word studies, commentaries, or theological points of view (except the view that the Bible must be the primary source to explain the Bible and the context of the passage is essential to understanding). I also hold that the following must be utterly true in study of the Bible: One passage must not be used to disapprove of another; God would not eliminate one of His truths by presenting an alternative truth. Proof texts which over-rule another text should be forbidden if one wants to be honest before God.
But first, allow me to share this fitting joke found in a book by John T. Bristow: “A cartoon appeared in a Christian magazine about two decades ago, depicting Saint Paul arriving by boat on some distant shore, met by a group of women carrying placards that read ‘Unfair to Women,’ ‘Paul is a Male Chauvinist Pig,’ and such. Paul looks sheepishly at this protest rally and says, ‘Heh, heh, I see you got my letter.’”
TREATMENT OF WOMEN IN BIBLICAL HISTORY.
New Testament.
Before turning to how the Old Testament speaks of women in authority and God’s view of women, etc. maybe we should look at how Paul himself refers to women. He seems to have a high regard for women at many points. Priscilla and Aquila were a couple who supported the ministry and Paul spoke highly of both. He tells husbands to love their wives as they love their own bodies AND in the same way that Christ loves the church. If Paul believed that women were of no importance in the church or to the kingdom, I would not expect those comments to come from him. He also mentions the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother.
In the Gospels (John 2:1-11), Jesus obeys his mother when she tells him that the host of the wedding has run out of wine. She tells the servants to bring many large containers filled with water. Jesus turns the water to wine just as his mother instructed him.
Much is made of Mary’s obedience and faith. Gabriel speaks to her in Luke 1:28 (NIV) “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
In Luke 2:36-38 we read about Anna a prophetess at the temple: “…she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”
So, the New Testament offers numerous awe-inspiring stories of faithful women. Clearly, women are not belittled or considered lesser there.
Saint Paul, however, has several comments in his letters that seem to belittle women and make them second class citizens (see 1 Timothy, for example). At the same time he says some interesting things that give the opposite position. For example, he says that males and females are one in Christ. He says the same thing about Jews and Gentiles, as well as those who are slaves and those who are not … all are one in Christ.
Which should we believe? Paul did not have a problem with women on a personal level, he seemed genuine in his respect for individual women. Look at Romans 16 and you will see several examples of his respect for women (Phoebe, Priscilla, Junia, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis and others in Rom 16:1-12). He even commends them for their work on behalf of God’s kingdom. On a general level, however, he comes across harshly.
Looking at the secular writings from the same time period in the Greek/Roman world one would see that Paul’s point of view is actually much more generous to women than his secular contemporaries. For example, Paul says that women and men are equal in Christ. His secular contemporaries would never say that men and women are equal in any arena.
Our secular contemporaries, on the other hand, are so confused that they cannot even define “woman.” They think men can be women and women can be men. That fact nullifies everything gender. I don’t know why, then, they would complain about this passage at all. Secular people don’t have a clue about God’s purposes, so why should we listen to them?
C.S. Lewis has an amusing thing to say about secular people in “Mere Christianity”: “There is no need to be worried about facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of ‘Heaven’ ridiculous by saying they do not want ‘to spend eternity playing harps’. The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them.” It is the same regarding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. This is a grown-up selection and we must at least try to understand it before making broad pronouncements.
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
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