Q/A: Are we told anywhere in the Bible that it is a sin for a woman to wear makeup?  I know that some churches teach this is a sin. - Grace

Q/A: 1 Timothy 2:9 is a topic of discussion for our small group this week.  A friend of a friend of one of our teenagers is using this scripture to say girls should not wear shorts.  This particular attitude is causing our friend not to want anything to do with that particular church. - Ron

Q/A: 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. - Jordan  

Q/A:  Some churches believe that it is wrong to have women as pastors in the church and don't allow them to hold any offices of authority over men. Are there any verses in the Bible to support this? - John

Q/A: I listened to one of your broadcasts and felt you did a good job of explaining the husband’s role in marriage but came up short in the wife’s role.  You never explained what it meant for wives to submit or what “the husband is head of the wife,” meant.  It was a very one-sided presentation.  I am not saying it was intentional on your part, but for whatever reason, that is the way you presented it. Also, I think you mischaracterized Ephesians 5:21 which is talking about the approach of any Christian to another, not the specific approach of husband to wife or vice versa.  I’m not saying your information was bad, just that it was one-sided.  And with respect to Ephesians 5:21 , you made a specific application out of something intended for a more general application of Christians toward Christians. Thanks for your dedication in serving Christ, - Dan

Q/A: I have a question in regards to 1 Corinthians 14:34. It really regards two things—the role of the law in the New Testament and women. I read here that “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.” My question is this: Paul is so clear in Galatians and Ephesians and other texts about the role of the Old Testament regulations in New Testament life (that it has replaced with the new covenant). Then why in this text is there a reference to the Old Testament laws? This is confusing to me. I read on another site that these two verses are regarded as forgery put in by someone other than Paul. - Sherry

Q/A: Isn’t it biblical that women should not work outside the home especially if they have children?  Isn’t their role to teach and nurture the children at home while the husband’s role is to provide for the family?  If so, are Christian families where both husband and wife are working and putting the kids in day care living in sin? - Larry

Q/A: Please clarify for me the scripture in Genesis 3:16 (the last part), “Then he said to the woman, ‘You will bear children with intense pain and suffering.  And though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master.’” This was a curse on women.  Please share your thoughts. I work with Christian women who are in abusive relationships and this scripture comes into my mind as I see over and over again the power the husband has over her, and her great “desire” for him even at the expense of her own life or her children’s lives.  Does this scripture have any relevance to this situation?  How do you interpret its meaning? - Nancy

Q/A: I am struggling in my understanding of men and women as being equal in God’s eyes.  Pastors tell me that we are created equal, but have different roles.  Somehow these “roles” seem to limit women.  We are “allowed” to do certain things in the church, but ALL things are fine for a man to do.  Because there is no specific scripture that states a woman was a pastor (which, by the way, where is there a scripture that states a man was a pastor?) women are not “allowed” to be elders or pastor a church.  But when I read about women’s roles in the Bible I see them as prophets, judges, evangelists, etc. This is a stumbling block to me.  Could you help me, through scripture, clear this up?  I know scriptures can be interpreted in different ways, and perhaps because of that this question will be reserved for when I see Jesus. Thank you for your very open and honest answers. - Nancy

Q/A: 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! - Ken

Q/A: I have a concern. When women get married are we supposed to submit to our husbands and do what they tell us to do? My fiancée said that there is a Scripture in the Bible that says women must submit to their husbands and obey them. Is this a biblical truth? Please let me know. - Marion

Q/A: A question has come up in our church. One of my good friends and I got into a discussion today about women speaking in church. He used as his reason the scripture in 1 Corinthians 14: 34 where Paul tells the Corinthian Church that women are to remain silent. Personally, I like to hear the women speak, but I had no answer for his objection. - Ron

Q/A: People say that the New Testament teaching (especially those of Paul in Corinthians) are not applicable to today’s social order – for instance that of the role of women in church. What is the position of the Plain Truth Ministries on these issues? - Mick

Q/A: God is BOTH feminine and masculine and it bothers and saddens me that some denominations use only the masculine to refer to God. -Mary

Q/A:  I am from Indonesia. I want to learn about my Jesus more from the Bible. One question for you: Is there anything in the Bible saying about how women are valued for men? Seems to be that women are obligated with many things - such as to be wise, humble, serving and obey their husbands, but not mentioning what men should do for their women. Is that right? ..... - Agnes

Q/A: If a wife makes more money than her husband does and she wants him to stay home to be a househusband, is there any biblical passage that forbids this? Most Christian men think this is not right.  Are we not to be submissive to one another?  Is not this idea of the wife being the homemaker more a cultural thing that makes no difference to God either way?  Isn’t it more important that we be good Christians?  What do you think? - Bryan