Women are Not to Teach or Usurp Authority...

[Armchair Apologist]

1 Timothy 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

OK, we all understand this and most of us here would give a hearty "Amen" right?

We all understand that women are not qualified to hold the office of a bishop and she is not to get behind the pulpit and "Preach" but...

We let women get up and testify and often "lead in worship" meaning she is holding the microphone and is the 'lead vocalist' singing a song that the rest of the congregation is (supposedly) singing. We allow them to "testify" and perhaps even 'teach' on matters in which she may be an expert. It is my understanding that women are often teaching Seminary courses although I have not experienced such first-hand but I could see where a lady may be an expert in languages, history, apologetics, and so forth. I have never had a woman teacher and my seminary experience was largely online but would a woman be able to teach in a seminary without violating 1 Timothy 2:12? Could she teach courses in theology, hermeneutics, homiletics... are there any courses in which she ought to be expressly forbidden from teaching?

Can a woman teach a Sunday School class where men are present and in attendance? Can a woman give the gospel to a man and show him how he may be saved?

Can we draw a line between what is permissable and that which is not?

 

[Deacon]

Out of context that passage is ridiculous.
Imagine Paul telling the men, "Don't ever learn anything from women, they can't be teachers."

Galatians 3:28 says that ...in Christ, "there is no male and female."

We see women in a variety of leadership roles in the NT:
Phoebe, who served as a deacon (Romans 16:1-2)
Priscilla and Aquila, Paul’s fellow workers (Romans 16:3)
Euodia and Syntyche labored with Paul (Philippians 4:2-3)
Priscilla instructed Apollos in the faith (Acts 18:26)

These examples suggest the prohibition against teaching wasn't absolute; the admonition might have been a solution to a local problem.

Can we draw a line between what is permissible and that which is not?

Probably not.... it's rather grey.

Rob

 

[Armchair Apologist]

Out of context that passage is ridiculous.
Imagine Paul telling the men, "Don't ever learn anything from women, they can't be teachers."

I agree, and this is one end of the extreme. Women are not dumb and I am always learning from the one that the Lord has put in my life! What about the other extreme? Aside from regarding the scriptures as sexist, misogynistic, and rejecting it altogether, what is the rationale for women pastors and pretty much doing what the scriptures obviously teach against?

Galatians 3:28 says that ...in Christ, "there is no male and female."

A very broad statement but does such negate that which is clearly taught in 1 Tim 2, 3, and Tit 1?

We see women in a variety of leadership roles in the NT:
Phoebe, who served as a deacon (Romans 16:1-2)
Priscilla and Aquila, Paul’s fellow workers (Romans 16:3)
Euodia and Syntyche labored with Paul (Philippians 4:2-3)
Priscilla instructed Apollos in the faith (Acts 18:26)

Leadership does not always equate to teaching and preaching and serving in a "Deacon" role usually does not involve teaching and preaching. I am one of the few deacons at my Church who does any actual teaching and preaching on a regular basis.

Whether women can serve in the role of a deacon is another intermural debate separate from this. I would assert that the Greek word diakanos does not always equate to one holding to the "office of a deacon" and I would agree with most translators who simply refer to Phoebe as being a "Servant."

Regarding my role as a deacon in our church, my wife serves right alongside me as I believe she should. I am not against women serving as deacons so long as it is not in a church where deacons are often functional "Elders" due to the absence of actual elders but I also believe it would be shameful for my wife to serve as a deacon(ness) without my being a deacon. I have been in churches where there were widowed ladies serving as deacons whose husbands had served as deacons.

Priscilla instructing Apollos is a good example - could we use such as an example of a female serving as a seminary professor/instructor?

These examples suggest the prohibition against teaching wasn't absolute; the admonition might have been a solution to a local problem.

I have heard it argued that it is a cultural matter but Paul equating the role of a man and woman in the order of creation (1 Tim 2) tells me that it goes far beyond cultural concerns.

Probably not.... it's rather grey.

I think we all agree that women are able to teach under certain circumstances and most here would agree that a woman cannot serve in the "Office of a Bishop." There may be differences of opinion where one may draw this line and make such a distinction and this is where I am hoping there would be some good discussion.