Question:  Hi, Greg,

            I got to this web site somehow and started to look around.  Under the Q&A portion I noticed the “Women’s Role” category.  In reading some of your responses it appears as if you see 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 and 1 Timothy 2 as “cultural commands”.  I was wondering if this was in fact your interpretation or if I was missing your points.

            Thank you,

            Jordan

Answer:  Hello Jordan,

            PTM does not take a dogmatic position about women in ministry, other than to warn against the most extreme positions on the spectrum.

There are at least three views about women in ministry that are commonly held by Christians.  The two most extreme are the traditional and the egalitarian views.  The traditional view is often represented by the Pauline instruction to “let your women keep silence.”  This view would limit women in ministry to no formal leadership or teaching, possibly with the exception of teaching Sunday school to young children (not older children or adults).

            At the other end of the spectrum is the egalitarian view, ironically also represented by the Pauline statement, “there is neither male nor female in Christ.”  This view would see women as senior pastors or denomination presidents—holding all spiritual leadership roles as men have and do.

            In between these two views is the male leadership role, which sees women as having ministerial leadership roles as long the woman’s ultimate (and in some views, her immediate) spiritual superior is a male.

             The gospel of Jesus Christ does not depend upon whether women do or do not become involved in ministry.  PTM would see the issue of culture as important.  After all, there are many passages in the Bible that we can clearly see as being of immediate use to the primary audience, but not necessarily of universal application to us today.  “Greet one another with a holy kiss” is one.  Some Christians believe anointing with oil and praying for the sick is another, some Christians see speaking in tongues as yet another.

            PTM believes that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that the Bible is not culturally relative, but that the Bible is culturally relevant.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht