Hey friends! I wanted to point your attention to an article I wrote for Throw Mountains, blog. It is on the subject of women in ministry and is a condensed version of my series, “Liberating Women for Ministry.” Also, you should know that this is a great blog to frequent as many gifted writers are part of contributing to it!
Finally, If you are following links from Throw Mountains, let me simply say hello, and welcome to our blog community!
UPDATE: I ACCIDENTALLY POSTED PART 5 BEFORE PART 4! PLEASE READ PART 4 FIRST IF YOU CAN OR GO BACK AND READ IT!
This is a series about women in ministry. I have found that in most evangelical circles, women who are in ministry do not have the same opportunities as men. Why is this? It comes from a deep seeded belief that core leadership of a biblical church is found in men alone. Women are equal in worth to God, but are limited in their function within the body of Christ. Here is the kicker, I think that Scripture might tell a different story. This series will be and exploration on this important topic. Here is part one two three & four.
Central Question: Can women serve in any role within the church? If so, how does this compare to most modern evangelical churches? If not, what are the boundaries for women in ministry? How does the New Testament serve as a guide on this issue?
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The need to reframe the way people in the church understand these texts is not simply for the sake of the issue of women in ministry, but also in order to enable the larger Christian community to embrace a better exegetical approach that leads to a more biblically robust ethic. Surface readings of the Bible are not only evident on this issue, but have created many distorted theologies that must be revisited. On the particular question of female leadership, we have demonstrated that both women and men can be encouraged to discover their unique gifts including those of the leader and teacher within the body of Christ. We also have the opportunity to be missional in a whole new way. Continue Reading…
UPDATE: I ACCIDENTALLY POSTED PART 5 FIRST AND PART 4 SECOND. HOPEFULLY YOU READ THIS POST FIRST AND THEN MOVE ON TO PART 5. BLESSINGS!
This is a series about women in ministry. I have found that in most evangelical circles, women who are in ministry do not have the same opportunities as men. Why is this? It comes from a deep seeded belief that core leadership of a biblical church is found in men alone. Women are equal in worth to God, but are limited in their function within the body of Christ. Here is the kicker, I think that Scripture might tell a different story. This series will be and exploration on this important topic. Here is part one two & three.
Central Question: Can women serve in any role within the church? If so, how does this compare to most modern evangelical churches? If not, what are the boundaries for women in ministry? How does the New Testament serve as a guide on this issue?
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How are we to receive and respond to this New Testament witness in an age where egalitarianism is becoming the dominant mode of Western culture and where the church has a reputation for being oppressive towards women?
None of our main texts present a RULE although more often then not, both the 1 Timothy and 1 Corinthians texts have been read as such. In 1 Cor. 14 we find a PRINCIPLE that worship ought to be performed in the community in an orderly fashion. In 1 Timothy 2, the principle is that everyone has the right to learn and such is a prerequisite to speaking up and teaching. No one ought to assume such a role based on one’s gender status, for in Jesus the principle of equality abolishes any assumed entitlement. A PARADIGM that is evident is Paul’s example of Eve being deceived first to demonstrate that women are susceptible to failure and are therefore summoned to not allow their arrogance toward men in the church to lead them into Eve-like scenarios. Paul reminds them of the “fall” Continue Reading…
This is a series about women in ministry. I have found that in most evangelical circles, women who are in ministry do not have the same opportunities as men. Why is this? It comes from a deep seeded belief that core leadership of a biblical church is found in men alone. Women are equal in worth to God, but are limited in their function within the body of Christ. Here is the kicker, I think that Scripture might tell a different story. This series will be and exploration on this important topic. Here is part one & two.
Central Question: Can women serve in any role within the church? If so, how does this compare to most modern evangelical churches? If not, what are the boundaries for women in ministry? How does the New Testament serve as a guide on this issue?
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The texts we examined (in previous posts) demonstrate that although women may have stirred up some mischief in various local contexts, that Paul in no way intended to create a rule about women in ministry. In the larger canonical (biblical) context it becomes clear that women were in every level of leadership. In the Old Testament the equality of women is expressed in creation of both male and female being made “in the image of God” (Gen. 1.27). The disorientation of gender roles does not become present in the narrative of Scripture until after the fall (Gen 3.16-19). With this as an underlying assumption, the Hebrew Scriptures are full of women who exorcised leadership over both men and women—Miriam (Exodus 15.20; Micah 6.4) and Deborah (Judges 4.4-7) being the clearest examples. In the New Testament there are—Phillip’s four daughters (Acts 21.8-9), the female gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 11.5), Junia (Romans 16.7) who is identified as an apostle Continue Reading…
This is a series about women in ministry. I have found that in most evangelical circles, women who are in ministry do not have the same opportunities as men. Why is this? It comes from a deep seeded belief that core leadership of a biblical church is found in men alone. Women are equal in worth to God, but are limited in their function within the body of Christ. Here is the kicker, I think that Scripture might tell a different story. This series will be and exploration on this important topic. Here is part one.
Central Question: Can women serve in any role within the church? If so, how does this compare to most modern evangelical churches? If not, what are the boundaries for women in ministry? How does the New Testament serve as a guide on this issue?
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11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. 1 Timothy 2.11-15
In the ancient world, this was written during the emergence of what some historians call: “the new Roman Women.” In the major cities of the empire there was a movement of women who were choosing immodesty, sexual indiscretion, elaborate dress, and even taking the podium from men to speak. This movement was bent on subverting the defined gender roles of the day. In addition to this, Ephesus was the home of the famous Artemis/Diana fertility cult, which was female-dominated and had similar tendencies to raise women over-against men.[1] The Temple of Artemis Continue Reading…
This is a series about women in ministry. I have found that in most evangelical circles, women who are in ministry do not have the same opportunities as men. Why is this? It comes from a deep seeded belief that core leadership of a biblical church is found in men alone. Women are equal in worth to God, but are limited in their function within the body of Christ. Here is the kicker, I think that Scripture might tell a different story. This series will be and exploration on this important topic…
Central Question: Can women serve in any role within the church? If so, how does this compare to most modern evangelical churches? If not, what are the boundaries for women in ministry? How does the New Testament serve as a guide on this issue?
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Today I want to explore this by looking at a key text that on the surface seems to exclude women from serving in leadership.
34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. 1 Corinthians 14.34-35
In this first Corinthian letter, Paul spent several chapters discussing orderly worship. In the flow of the letter, this text seems out of place and what some scholars refer to as an interpolation. It appears to be an appendix that was added by a second or third generation Pauline letter compiler. Continue Reading…
