OUTLINE:
I.  Principles of Biblical Study
II. Biblical Evidence of God Using Women
III. Biblical Principles for Men & Women
IV. NT Texts that Limit Women
 V. Reading the NT in Context
VI. Concluding Comments

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Other Links on this topic:
- The Role of Women in the Church
- Women in the Early Church


This series began from my reading of a scholar who opened my eyes to the women who followed Jesus.
- Women in Early Christianity (6 Posts)
- The Women Who Followed Jesus
- Women in the Orbit of the Apostle Paul
- Women must be silent?...Difficult Pauline passages
- Women in Problematic 2nd Century Sects
- Part 6: The Importance of Mary and Martha

What Ministry are Women Allowed to do in the Church?

I posted an article on water baptism a few months ago. I used a nice photo of two young ladies baptizing another young lady. One reader posted a comment saying "All that happened here is this girl got wet." He went on to spout off about how unbiblical it is for women to engage in ministry. This has been rolling around in my head for the last few weeks, so I am going to address this issue.

My first point is to refer the reader to my series of articles on patheos.com titled "Women in Early Christianity." In this series I point the reader to some excellent biblical scholars I have read in the last 4-5 years.

People who are upset with my views on women typically are very conservative in their biblical views. One of the problems with those who hold to an ultra-conservative position is quoting single verses here and there to support their position. There are 3-4 important principles to follow when trying to interpret the biblical text. You cannot simply find 1-2 verses and use them as a proof-text.

I. PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL STUDY

1. You cannot always read a text literally. Jesus said that you cannot be His disciple unless you hate your parents (Luke 14:26). Ok, I fully realize that this is obviously NOT to be taken literally. Yes, this is an extreme example. But there are many more I could list.

If your hand leads you to sin, cut it off (Matt 5:30). Another obvious one,
If eating meat offends my brother, I will never eat meat again. (1 Cor 8:13). IF I try to follow this verse 100%, here are some things I would have to do:
- no TV on Sunday (some would argue no TV...ever)
- cannot watch football
- I must be a vegetarian
- no alcohol...ever (not even Tylenol PM! LOL)

This list would go on and on.
So even Paul's chapter on "matters of conscience" must be read carefully and every...single...verse cannot be taken literally.

2. You must have at least three CLEAR texts to make a "rule" or "standard" for doctrine. Many fail here to follow the "clear" part. Many people read a text with an already established position and they read into the text what they already believe. It is always best to have clear texts from different writers or different books of the NT.

3. If there are clear examples within the OT and/or NT that strain the reading of what you think is a clear text... Then your texts are in tension. This does not mean that your position is wrong, but when there is tension (contradiction) you simply must admit that your position is NOT 100% clear. That does not mean that your conviction is wrong. It might just mean that God's direction for you is not applicable to everyone else.

With these principles for good biblical exegesis (or interpretation) in mind, let's get to the issue at hand.

II. BIBLICAL EVIDENCE for GOD USING WOMEN

1. The first woman that comes to mind is Deborah. She was raised up by God to lead the Israelites into battle. She was a prophet and served as Israel's judge.

2. The woman at the well (John 4). Jesus initiated the contact and she believed. What did she do? She went back to her town and testified/preached to all who would listen! "Many of the Samaritans...believed in [Jesus] because of the woman's testimony..." v39
The text does not say she only told the women nor does v39 say "Many of the women believed."
This was one of the first woman preachers.

3. Priscilla, wife of Aquila (Acts 18).
This was a couple was an important part of Paul's ministry team. They are mentioned seven times (Acts 18 (4x); Rom 16:3; 1 Cor 16:9; 2 Tim 4:19).

In Acts 18 probably THE most sophisticated, educated man in the early church came onto the scene - Apollos of Alexandria. Apollos started speaking in the synagogue, preaching with great zeal and with incisive arguments. Priscilla and her husband invited him to their home and fully explained the gospel to him. The fact that Priscilla is named prior to her husband leads most scholars to believe that she was an extrovert and took the lead.
So a woman taught a man...she was a teacher
Paul called her a "co-worker" and a church met in her house.

4. In Romans 16 Paul greets 12 people who are cited with terms that distinguish them as leaders.
Seven of the 12 are women.
- Phoebe is listed as a "deacon" - Rom 16:1
- Junia, mentioned as an "apostle" - Rom 16:7
- Mary (Rom 16:6); Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis, (Rom 16:12)
All four are cited by Paul as women who "worked hard" for the gospel. The Greek term [kopiao] is used several times by Paul describing his own labors for the gospel (1 Cor 4:12; Gal 4:11; and especially 1 Thess 5:12-13).

III. BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO MEN & WOMAN

1. John 3:16 - God loves ALL people; Jesus died for ALL people; ALL people can be saved by trusting in Him
(His life, death and resurrection).

2. There are dozens of promises listed in the scriptures that apply for ALL people. I will only list a few so the reader can get the point.
- if you put your trust in Him, He will direct your life (Prov 3:5-6)
- if you confess your sins, He is faithful to forgive and cleanse (1 John 1:9)
- if you pray, God hears and will respond with His peace (Phil 4:6-7)
You can find 50 Promises here.

3. There are dozens of commands in the NT. Any verb in the imperative mood is a command.
Again, I will only list a few to get the idea.
- serve one another (Gal 5:13)
- do not get drunk with wine (Eph 5:18)
- be submitting to one another (Eph 5:21)
- confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)

IV. NT TEXTS THAT LIMIT THE ROLE OF WOMEN

A. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 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.
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I cannot go into details on these texts, but I will make brief comments.
1. In Chapter 11 Paul says that "every woman who prays or prophesies" must cover her head. ALL scholars agree that this head covering text is talking about during the worship service. So a woman is allowed to pray out loud and to prophesy; they cannot do either AND "remain silent" at the same time!

2. Perhaps the 1 Cor 14 text is talking about being silent during the teaching or when someone is speaking. What it cannot mean is that women cannot ever be vocal during worship. I am sure that the explanations from those who do not think women can "teach a man" are strained when it comes to allowing the women to prophesy.

The typical complementarian (if they do not believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit are active) would also define "prophesying" as preaching. Yet they would not follow 1 Cor 11 and allow women to preach. Some early fathers maintained that women were not allowed to even sing during worship!

3. It is HIGHLY unlikely that these two verses in 1 Cor 14 are in the earliest manuscripts. They are footnoted in many English translations. See my article "Are Women Supposed To Be Silent In Church?" where I give the evidence and point the reader to the best MSS scholars on this issue.

There are numerous MSS where the verses are added at the bottom of the page in the manuscript, at the end of what we call chapter 14. Some manuscripts have a gap of 1 to 1 1/2 inches in the manuscript, then the two verses. Some manuscripts have a note in the margin indicating that these are problematic verses.

Perhaps more importantly for me, once you put aside the 1 Cor 14:34-35 text, there is now only one single verse in the entire NT requiring women to learn in quietness [to be "silent"] under the authority of a man in church. That single verse is in 1 Tim 2:11-12...and that is our next text.

B. 1 Timothy 2:11-12
Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.
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1. The situation in Ephesus at the time of this letter is obviously a difficult one. We should treat these verses as guidelines for an occasional letter.

2. There are two calls for utter silence of women in these verses. Compared to everything else we read in Pauline letters, these are very unusual commands.

3. Again, for me these are now THE ONLY verses in the entire NT requiring women to learn in quietness [to be "silent"] under the authority of a man (or her husband) in church. I cannot count the verses above in 1 Cor 14 just as I cannot count the ending in Mark's gospel (even though I might like some of what is said in Mark 16:9-20).

4. The only similar text to 1 Tim 2:11-12 happens to be in another Pastoral Epistle: Titus 1:10-11. These verses speak of "rebellious people...talkers and deceivers...they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching."

When Paul speaks about "silence" he usually seems to be coming against something very serious that has potential to be dangerous for the church. The verses in Titus mention those of the circumcision - the Judaizers were a thorn in Paul's side for his entire ministry.

C. Ephesians 5:21-24 and Peter 3:7

These two texts are more about marriage, so I am not going to make comment on these verses. I will mention the Ephesians text later in another context.

V. READING THE NEW TESTAMENT IN CONTEXT

As a reminder, what prompted me to write this article was the response I got from a post about water baptism. A reader posted comments that reflect a view that women cannot engage in ministry. This position is almost always supported using the texts I have listed above.

I listed texts that illustrate biblical principles. This is what scholars call "the meta-narrative." I like to call it the "meta-message," the overarching message of the NT. META-MESSAGE: "The central theme that shapes and governs all underlying thoughts, actions and directions of a cohesive system."

This is not an easy concept. Under meta-message one could say: "God is Love." However, you must also affirm "God is Just." These two statements at face value do not seem compatible. Yet Christians believe BOTH are true. I certainly do. We have to face the fact that there is tension in our faith. God is One, yet we hold that He is also Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I do not attempt to explain these theological concepts because I do not think we are capable of FULLY understanding these concepts.

There are several New Testament principles that are overarching for the difficult texts we encounter in this discussion. John 3:16 - God loves ALL people: Jews, Gentiles, black people, white people and ALL shades in between; male and female, men/women, boys/girls. Jesus died for ALL people. I listed several texts: 1 John 1:9: "if you confess your sins" is for EVERYONE. Living a righteous life - that is the same for ALL people.

Galatians 3:28:
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
This is an extremely important text for this topic. ALL of the promises are for men AND women. ALL of the commands are for men AND women: "submit to one another," "love one another," "do not judge," "confess your sins to one another." ALL of the promises AND ALL of the NT commands are for ALL Christians, men AND women.

The Great Commission was originally given by Jesus to ALL of His followers. Do you think only the remaining 11 disciples were there? No, Jesus had up to 500 people (men and women) who followed Him. Luke 8:1-5 makes it clear that Jesus had women following Him. Paul tells us (1 Cor 15:6) that 500 people were at the Mount of Ascension. The only place in the biblical text that can be linked to this account is Acts 1:9-11. Regardless of whether this text in Acts is the same event, Paul records that Jesus appeared to "more than 500 people." It is very difficult to think that only men witnessed this event.
Even IF someone thinks only men witnessed this event, does anyone think the Great Commission was ONLY given to men? Only men need to be baptized? Women are not commanded (commission) to share the gospel? If you answer, "They can only share the gospel with women and children." Where does the text say this?
When Paul says "nor male and female, for you are all one in Christ" - this (similar to John 3:16) - ALL promises, commands, and exhortations written in the NT are for EVERYONE...unless there is a clear text stating otherwise.

"Woman is meant to be submitted to man."
The main text for this is Ephesians 5:22, YET v21 is the meta-message for this passage:
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
This, like almost ALL of the verbs used in texts that urge Christians to DO something for "one another" is meant for ALL Christians to do the exhortation. So prior to telling the wife to submit to her husband, Paul basically says, "All of you should submit to one another." ALL Christians are supposed to show humility towards ALL others (men and women) and submit to others. Husbands should also submit to their wives. Not as the leader of the household, but as he should to ALL others in the community of Jesus. Is this easy? No, and none of us faithfully follow this command 100% of the time.
People in church are commanded to submit to their leaders (Heb 13:17), but pastors, according to Eph 5:21 should also submit to the congregation at points.
While there is no verse that gives this command, it is part of the meta-message in biblical principles.

VI. CONCLUDING COMMENTS

This topic, like many in the Christian faith, has tension. There are not many easy answers in our faith - that is partly why we live by faith, not by sight, not solely by reason/logic, and sometimes not by the literal reading of a verse. Many people get irritated when they hear me or read comments like this.

Understanding the biblical text is not always easy. Living it out can be more difficult. We have to be willing to live with nuance and tension...and disagreement. Christian history is filled with conflict: bishops excommunicating one another, fellow monks parting ways after years of close friendship, condemning leaders as "heretics," burning some of them at the stake. I could go on and on.

We are going to disagree from time to time. We need to strive to be agreeable and not stubborn and not arrogant.
Paul says "we look through a glass in enigma" (Gk is en enigmati, 1 Cor 13:12) and it basically means "in enigma." The Apostle Paul, a man who had a dynamic vision of the risen Lord Jesus and went on to have an amazing life filled with God moving through him AND floggings, being stoned, being chased from town to town...and being cursed. Yet even Paul admits in this verse that all things are not as clear as we would like...even Paul did not understand it all.

Questions, Comments or Criticisms:
You can send an email to directly to me Al Baker, CH101.
CH101 retains the right to edit and post comments/questions unless you specifically ask that your comments NOT be posted. Comments that are personal or private are never posted...only questions about Church History, the Bible, etc.