September 24, 2017
taught by Ken McGarvey
First Baptist Church of Tellico Village, Tennessee
Today many theological seminaries have more female students than male. Some denominations have had women as pastors and denominational leaders for many decades. Some still forbid women from ordination or serving as pastor, elders or even deacons. Most claim scriptural support for their position. In this discussion I am not going to quote any one Bible verse to give you the answer. I don’t want you to think you can have the answer based on one or two verses. We will look at several things in the Bible before we draw our conclusions.
Warning: All generalizations are false! (Including this one, of course.) Are women smaller, weaker, more talkative, less violent, more tender than men? If you have an answer, it is wrong, because it will be a generalization. The average muscular strength may be less than the average man, but how many are average? Every person I have ever met is an individual, not an average or a representative. So please don’t base your answer on generalizations. Also don’t form opinions based on insufficient observation. (All Indians walk single file. At least the one I saw did.)
The Bible, like most books written before the 20th century, was written by men. It is inspired by God, but reflects societies dominated by men. Therefore, in the language of the Bible, on gender-related issues, men are spoken of in the first person, women in the second or third person. That’s just the way language works.
In those societies men did the important things, like pray, learn language, govern, fight wars, hunt and fish, and sometimes spread their seed with many women. Most women were held back socially and educationally by the continual birthing and rearing of children. Yet the Bible tells us, even in a male-dominated world, how so many women affected society so profoundly as leaders in one way or another. We read of Rahab, Deborah, Jael, Hannah, Miriam, an anonymous woman of Abel Beth Maacah, Abigail, Huldah, Esther, all distinguished themselves as faithful, effective women who had a profound effect on God’s people in the Old Testament. They judged, led militarily, taught, governed and often led from behind the scenes. God blessed their work mightily, and there is never a suggestion that they should not have led, taught or influenced others.
Jesus and Paul distinguished themselves in their society by the way they treated women, with respect and honor. Jesus never reprimanded a woman, but was always compassionate. Paul listed numerous women whom he appreciated for their effective service. Phoebe was a deacon, Junia an apostle, and Priscilla a teacher. The Marys were witnesses, telling Jesus’ disciples that he had risen from the dead. John Mark’s mother was a prayer leader.
So if Paul said anything that would sound as though women were not to teach, or were to keep quiet in the church, it would totally contradict the rest of the Bible, including Paul’s ministry; hence, it would need careful study, and not be taken at first general appearance. After all, twice Jesus said salvation comes from caring for and giving to the poor; yet that is so contradictory to the rest of the New Testament, we study those further and learn that that’s not what he was actually saying (Matthew 19:21 and 25:31–46).
Today, though there is a “glass ceiling” in many work environments, by and large, women have been liberated, and we have a very egalitarian society. In Southern Baptist Churches (which we are) the official statement of their beliefs, the Baptist Faith and Message of 2000, states “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.” (This statement does not appear in earlier versions of the document, from 1925 or 1963.) Several other denominations have that limitation as well. Why is this the case, and should it be? What was said by the Apostle Paul that goes against the grain of the rest of the Bible to cause them to believe this?
Actually, there are four scriptures most often quoted, two from each testament. Most common is 1 Timothy 2:12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to be silent. Often the next verses are quoted as well, 13 For Adam was created first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. 15 But she will be saved through childbearing, if she continues in faith, love, and holiness, with good judgment.
I see at least two problems with an interpretation of these verses that would keep women out of teaching or leading positions. First, since Paul begins to reason from the order of creation, if that really affected men and women today it would mean that people should submit themselves to the animals. That’s not what Paul is saying. He seems to be referring to the guilt of Eve in the fall, where God speaks of not only her curse of pain in childbirth, but also her victory in producing offspring, a chain of generations resulting eventually in the Messiah — hence salvation through the childbearing of Eve. Second, the Greek words used by Paul in this passage lend themselves to the idea that teaching and having authority over a man are one act, not two, and that “having” authority would be better translated (as in the KJV) “usurping” authority over a man. In other words, a woman is not to coercively take power over a man to lead and teach him.
A second scripture often quoted to keep women from church leadership is in 1 Corinthians 14:34–35, where Paul says, 34 the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church meeting. There is never a hint that women are not to speak in church, and much indication that they did indeed do so. Earlier in this letter (11:5) Paul has already said that when women prophesy (preach) or pray they should have their head covered. At the end of Paul’s third missionary journey he stayed with James, who had four unmarried daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:8–9). Priscilla, wife of Aquila, is mentioned first when Luke speaks of them teaching Apollos, who was already a powerful preacher (Acts 18:24–26). A number of gifts to the church, including teachers, are listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. For some of these gifts there are female examples in the Scriptures (Junia was an apostle, Phoebe a deacon and messenger), but there’s no qualification here that women aren’t allowed to teach. Paul asks, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?” While the obvious answer to this question is “no” there is absolutely no indication that some of these gifts are gender specific.
It seems likely that there was something in the Corinthian church related to speaking in tongues (the subject of chapter 14) that Paul wanted to end. To interpret it broadly would contradict pretty much all the rest of the Bible.
Why then have so many tried to limit the contribution women can make in the ministry of the church? First of all, I wouldn’t assign ignoble purposes to this. I think most of those believing women should be limited are genuinely and sincerely trying to follow the word of God obediently. Chinese Christian leader Watchman Nee was greatly appreciative of a woman missionary, but didn’t want to contradict what he thought the Bible taught. So he had the missionary teach the women in his church, while the men sat behind a cloth curtain to also benefit from her teaching.
I think one reason is that we (mankind) are natural born legalists. If we can simply codify what is acceptable and what is not, we can justify ourselves and condemn others. We just need to know all the rules. Therefore everything promoted in scripture is what we do, and what is put down or condemned, we do not do.
But so much of the Bible is not rules, but principles. Rules have no exceptions — if they do, they just become part of the rules. There’s no thinking process involved. If we rather see these things as principles, we get to think about background, context, purpose, etc. and make reasonable, godly decisions.
Paul did not say the rule is that women should not teach men, but that “I do not permit a woman to teach or rule over a man.” And yet in the case of Priscilla, he did exactly that. As a general principle, societies are dominated by men, as leaders and teachers. Most societies are patriarchal. There are a few matriarchal societies. How have they fared? Or maybe we should ask how the patriarchal societies have fared. Often not so well.
If we look at these comments by Paul not as rules, but as principles, I think we will come closer to the truth. Generally speaking, most churches do well with male leadership. But to rule out gifted women who love God and are trained and studied in the word of God from ever teaching or leading a man or a group that includes men doesn’t make much sense to me. And
I think it runs counter to the tone and content of the rest of the Bible.
In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 we are told of spiritual gifts, that we are to use them to build up the body of Christ. There is no mention of any kind of gender qualification for having or using those gifts. Why would the Holy Spirit give spiritual gifts to women (for the building up of the church) and not allow them to use those gifts to minister to half of the people of a the church? I know God’s reasoning is not necessarily the same as ours, but I see no other conclusion.
Let us celebrate our gifts, develop them and use them as God gives us opportunity. And let us celebrate others as they use their spiritual gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ and the reaching of the world with the love of God through Jesus Christ.