Question:
Hi Greg,
I
love my church and generally accept its teachings.
However, there is one passage that gives rise to debate as to the role of
women in the church. It is 1 Timothy 2:12-13, stating “I do not permit women to
teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was
deceived and became a sinner. . .”
Why
would the holy spirit teach Paul and us that women should not have authority
over or teach men, referring to the account of Adam and Eve if the instruction
applied only to Christians of that specific era?
We know that our great God has selected or appointed women to be prophets
or leaders as he did Deborah and others!
Does
not the instruction cited in 1 Timothy above still stand for us?
Paul surely knew about Deborah and the others!
Thanks,
Ken
Answer: Dear Ken,
Your
question concerns the universal and timeless application of biblical passages.
For example, there are cultural issues that applied in biblical times but
are not “required” for Christians today – matters of dress, of style, of
tradition. The idea that Christians
were greeted with a “holy kiss” for example.
The
issue of a woman’s role within the church is debated across Christianity, and
in some denominations is one of the most hotly debated topics today.
This can be an issue over which Christians divide.
We should be careful that we remember Romans 14 in this context, and the
fact that Paul said that he would “eat no meat while the world stood if it
offended his brother.”
The
debate about a woman’s pastoral, teaching or preaching role centers around the
passage you cite, along with a few others.
The question is whether this is a normative statement for Christians of
all time, of all cultures, or whether this was only the acceptable norm for the
first century culture, the original audience Paul addressed.
There are pros and cons on both sides – and denominations take a
variety of positions as a result.
In
Christ,
Greg Albrecht