by Wayne Jackson<\/p>\n
Every significant movement within society will eventually, to some degree, make itself felt in the church. The phenomenon of “women’s liberation” is no exception.<\/p>\n
There are those within the body of Christ who are clamoring that women must throw off the yoke of male domination and claim their rightful place in the family of God – namely, an active role in preaching and leadership.<\/p>\n
The approach to this issue has been twofold. One group has argued that New Testament authority is virtually a fiction-that its restrictions have virtually no application for modern times.<\/p>\n
Bobbie Lee Holley, a former editor of Mission journal, adopted a completely infidelic attitude by suggesting that certain troubling passages in the Bible are merely the result of “rabbinical trappings, the innate prejudices of a patriarchal social structure, physiological ignorance, and obsolete cultural patterns” (1975, 9). Ms. Holley contended that there are no divine distinctions between the sexes, thus apostolic restrictions on woman’s roles are not authoritative for today’s church.<\/p>\n
Adopting a similarly modernistic viewpoint, some simply deny Paul’s authorship of passages like\u00a01 Corinthians 14:33-34 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14. They allege that these proscriptions of woman’s public-serving capacity were authored by anonymous writers of a later period, and, therefore, may be ignored.<\/p>\n
Such was the position of the Cahaba Valley Church of Christ (Birmingham, Alabama) as outlined in a letter from her elders to the congregation (Cahaba 1990, 8-9). While on one hand disputing the veracity of the New Testament documents, the elders oddly enough in the very same document also appealed to New Testament authority for their actions, alleging there are passages “that show women doing virtually everything that men do in the church” (5). With or without New Testament authority, the Cahaba elders then prescribed a program for implementing women worship leaders, deacons, and preachers over the next five years.<\/p>\n
Some have even brazenly claimed direct revelation from the Holy Spirit, instructing their expanded role as did Lauren King, a “minister” with the 4th Avenue church in Franklin, Tennessee.<\/p>\n
Such positions are so radical they should be forthrightly rejected by sincere Christians. We will not consume the space to refute them.<\/p>\n
The other and more popular approach is to argue that there is New Testament authority supporting the expanded role of women in the worship and leadership of the church. The following is a brief review of some of the common arguments currently being advanced as alleged proof for this position.<\/p>\n
The New Testament mentions women prophesying (Acts 2:18; 21:9; I Corinthians 11:5). It is asserted that prophesying was preaching, hence, women of the first century preached.<\/p>\n
Several unwarranted assumptions are made in this argument.<\/p>\n
First, it would have to be proven that women prophesied in a leadership and teaching capacity within the sexually integrated assemblies in the passages under consideration.<\/p>\n
There is no justification for that assumption in any of the texts cited.<\/p>\n
Second, we must observe that the word “prophesy” derives from two Greek roots, pro (forth), and phemi<\/em> (to speak). It is a very general term and may mean “to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort” (Thayer 1958, 553;\u00a0cf. I Corinthians 14:3).<\/p>\n Prophesying can simply suggest the idea of “giving thanks and praising God<\/em>”\u00a0(I Chronicles 25:3). The meaning of the word in a given situation must be determined by the context, as well as additional information in the scriptures.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Paul limits the extent of a woman’s “forth-speaking” (teaching, etc.) when he writes:<\/p>\n I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness\u00a0(I Timothy 2:12).<\/p>\n The negative conjunction oude<\/em> (nor) is explanatory in force, suggesting that the kind of female teaching prohibited is that which exercises dominion (i.e., leadership) over the man (Lenski 1964, 563; see also Arndt & Gingrich 1967, 595).<\/p>\n And so, while it is clear that women of the early church did prophesy, it is equally certain that they did not subordinate men to the role of students in any public teaching capacity.<\/p>\n It should be noted that Priscilla’s involvement in teaching Apollos was privately done in conjunction with her husband, Aquilla (Acts 18:26).<\/p>\n On the basis of\u00a0Romans 16:1-2, some are contending that:<\/p>\n All of this supposedly proves that Phoebe was some sort of authoritarian figure in the early church.<\/p>\n Mike Armour, a former preacher for the Skillman Avenue Church in Dallas, employed this argument in defense of a feminine-authority role in the church (Methvin 1990, 257). Armour contended that prostatis<\/em>, used of Phoebe, is also employed of an elder’s “rule” in\u00a0I Timothy 3:5.<\/p>\n Though a cognate verbal form is employed in that place, Armour neglected to mention that the term can also mean to “be concerned about, care for, give aid” (Arndt & Gingrich, 714).<\/p>\n For example, in\u00a0Titus 3:8,14\u00a0the sense is “maintain” good works, not to “rule.”<\/p>\n Both Hugo McCord and Norman Gipson publicly and lovingly rebuked brother Armour at the 1990 Yosemite Family Encampment. Both men have excellent responses to Armour’s material in the volume cited above.<\/p>\n In reply to this argument, the following facts must be observed:<\/p>\n The word\u00a0diakonos<\/em>\u00a0simply means a “servant”\u00a0(Matthew 23:11; John 2:5, etc.), and any “official” attachment to the term must be demanded by the context, as in\u00a0Philippians 1:1 and I Timothy 3:8,12.<\/p>\n The fact that the saints were encouraged to “assist” Phoebe did not imply her authority over them.<\/p>\n The Greek word\u00a0paristemi<\/em>\u00a0meant to “come to the aid of, help, stand by.” When Paul said, “the Lord stood by (pareste<\/em>, i.e. assisted) me” (II Timothy 4:17), he certainly was not asserting that he had authority over the Lord!<\/p>\n The word\u00a0prostatis<\/em>\u00a0(helper) does not necessitate oversight or a position of authority. If it did, then Phoebe had exercised authority over an apostle, for Paul said she had been his helper as well as others!<\/p>\n The term could simply denote the idea of rendering aid. Though the word is found only here in the New Testament, a third-century B.C. letter of a son to his father uses the verbal form:<\/p>\n There will be nothing of more importance for me than to look after you for the remainder of life, in a manner worthy of you, and worthy of me” (Mouton & Milligan 1963, 551).<\/p>\n Phoebe had merely been a helper of Paul and others. There is not the slightest evidence that she held any male-designated church office or served as our modern-day preacherettes so badly desire.<\/p>\n In Philippians 4:2-3, Paul comments that these two women “labored” with him in the gospel. He calls them, along with others, his “fellow workers.”<\/p>\n Again, the assumption is made that “fellow workers” necessitate an authoritarian position comparable to the apostles.<\/p>\n However, Christians are said to be “God’s fellow-workers” (I Corinthians 3:9). Obviously this does not suggest that we possess authority comparable to that of deity! Countless godly ladies have assisted and labored with gospel ministers without ever having become public preachers themselves.<\/p>\n It is argued that Junia (KJV), a woman, was an apostle and thus certainly occupied a place of authority in the early church\u00a0(Romans 16:7).<\/p>\n This is truly a desperate argument. In the first place, in the Greek text, the name is Junian<\/em> – in the accusative case. The gender of the name is not evident. It could either be Junia (feminine) or, more likely, Junias (masculine), especially since the pronouns modifying the names are masculine. Origen, a scholar of the third century A.D., considered it a reference to a man (Lightfoot 1957, 96).<\/p>\n In the second place, it is by no means certain that Junias is here identified as an “apostle.” The phrase translated “of note among the apostles” (ASV) is rendered by Zahn as “famed, mentioned with honor in the circle of the apostles,” giving the sense of being well-known by the apostles, rather than actually being an apostle (1953, 418).<\/p>\n But in the third place, the word “apostle” is used occasionally in the scriptures in a nontechnical sense to denote merely a messenger.<\/p>\n Jesus said that “one sent” (apostolos<\/em>) is not greater than the sender (Jn. 13:16). See also\u00a0II Corinthians 8:23.\u00a0The word need not imply one who has dominion over another, nor even a preacher.<\/p>\n No case can be built on Romans 16:7.<\/p>\n Some argue that Paul’s admonition that women be in subjection is limited by the expression, “as also saith the law<\/em>” (I Corinthians 14:34). And since the law allowed women prophets (as in the case of Miriam, Huldah, and Anna), and even a prophetess and judge, Deborah, so preaching executives are permissible in the church today.<\/p>\n A careful study of the foregoing cases will reveal that the coveted evidence for women preachers is lacking.<\/p>\n When Miriam prophesied, it was “all the women<\/em>” that went out after her\u00a0(Exodus 15:20), and there is no evidence that she publicly preached to men.<\/p>\n Though Huldah was a prophetess, the solitary record of her prophesying involved some men going to her where they communed privately\u00a0(II Kings 22:14f; II Chronicles 34:22f).\u00a0It is impossible to find public preaching here.<\/p>\n Anna was a prophetess “who departed not from the temple<\/em>”\u00a0(Luke 2:36-38). In describing the temple, Josephus says “there was a partition built for the women” that separated them from the men; this was “the proper place wherein they were to worship.” (Wars, 5, 5, 2.)<\/p>\n If Anna instructed men, it was doubtless in private situations. There is no proof that she publicly prophesied to mixed audiences.<\/p>\n Deborah was a prophetess of the hill country of Ephraim, but there is no indication that she publicly proclaimed God’s message to the multitudes. Rather, “the children of Israel came to her for judgment<\/em>”\u00a0(Judges 4:5). She gave prophetic judgment as a “mother in Israel<\/em>”\u00a0(Judges 5:7).<\/p>\n The fact that she judged at all is a dramatic commentary on the spiritual anemia of the Israelites during this period, and Deborah’s song laments this woeful condition (Judges 5). This was but one of those occasions where Jehovah accommodated his working to Israel’s weaknesses\u00a0(cf. I Samuel 8:9; Matthew 19:8), and it certainly affords no precedent for the Christian age.<\/p>\n Some are asserting that Paul’s limitations upon women were given in view of the Graeco-Judaistic culture of his day, but they are not binding in our twentieth century where such cultural elements are lacking.<\/p>\n William Barclay wrote regarding\u00a0I Timothy 2:12:<\/p>\n “This is a passage that cannot be read out of its historical context … All the things in this chapter are mere temporary regulations laid down to meet a given situation” (1960, 76, 78).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There are three New Testament contexts where the apostle discusses the distinctive roles of men and women in the church. They are\u00a0I Corinthians 11:2-16; 14:33b-35; and I Timothy 2:8-15.<\/p>\n A summary of these passages reveals that Paul’s inspired reasons for feminine subjection were based upon; the order of creation\u00a0(I Corinthians 11:7-9; 14:34b; I Timothy 2:13), and woman’s deception by Satan\u00a0(I Timothy 2:14).<\/p>\n “Culture” is not a factor in these contexts.<\/p>\n This is evidenced by the fact that the apostolic regulations concerning woman’s roles were universally imposed in the first century (cf. I Corinthians 11:16; 14:33-34), whereas cultural conditions fluctuate from place to place.<\/p>\n When Paul discusses authority within the home in\u00a0Ephesians 5:22-33, he appeals to Jehovah’s creation of Adam and Eve\u00a0(Genesis 2:24)\u00a0as the basis for his instruction. In fact, it is clearly evident that the graduation of authority within the home, and within the church, is grounded upon the same facts of sacred history.<\/p>\n Accordingly, if women can demand a place of equal leadership with men in the church, by the same reasoning no wife today would be bound to be in subjection to her husband. Some might delight in this conclusion, but those who fear God will continue to serve the Creator with honor and dignity consistent with divinely assigned roles.<\/p>\n Several years ago, Roy Lanier, Sr. reviewed an article by Melvin Bobo that took the position that the Greek terms aner<\/em> and gune<\/em> (generally rendered “man” and “woman”) have been mistranslated in virtually every English version of the New Testament. Bobo alleged that the rendition of these words in such passages as\u00a0I Corinthians 11:2ff; 14:33-34; I Timothy 2:8ff\u00a0should be “husband” and “wife” (1984, 229-234). This theory was also argued by Mike Armour (Methvin 1990, 257).<\/p>\n The logical consequence of this position is that there is no male-female order of authority in the church. There is only the authority of the husband-wife relationship. This would mean that a woman may do anything in the church that a man may do – preach, lead prayers, etc., provided her husband is not present. Single women would have no restrictions at all.<\/p>\n The fallacy of the argument is the fact that aner<\/em> and gune<\/em> are ordinarily rendered “man” and “woman” and the translation “husband” and “wife” must be demanded by contextual circumstances\u00a0(e.g., I Corinthians 7:3-4), which factors are not present in the contexts under consideration. An exception is in I Corinthians 14:35, where “their own” indicates that a husband is under consideration.<\/p>\n But the fallacy of Armour’s theory is further demonstrated by considering the logical consequence of his argument. Does\u00a0I Corinthians 11:3\u00a0suggest that Christ is the “head” of “husbands” only, thus bachelors are exempt from the headship of Jesus Christ?<\/p>\n Armour does not even consistently stay with his own translation. Occasionally he slips and renders aner<\/em> and gune<\/em> as “man” and “woman” himself in the very context he attempts to reinterpret\u00a0(e.g., I Corinthians 11:2ff). The fact is this argument is baseless.<\/p>\n Some in the body of Christ are militantly pushing for a broader role for Christian women in preaching and leadership activities of the church. They no longer respect the authority of the Bible and feel free to adapt the church to their personal preferences or the whims of culture.<\/p>\n Others are assuming a noncommittal stance, at least for the present. One may be assured, however, that when it is politically expedient to do so, they will join the revolution.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, those who respect the authority of the Holy Scriptures will continue to honor women in harmony with the instruction of the New Testament. They will not degrade godly Christian ladies by imposing upon them roles that are not ordained by God.<\/p>\n Arndt & Gingrich. 1967. Greek-English Lexicon. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.<\/p>\n Barclay, William. 1960. Letters to Timothy, Titus, & Philemon. Philadelphia: Westminster Press.<\/p>\n Cahaba Valley Church of Christ Elders. January 1990. Letter to Cahaba Valley Church of Christ. Birmingham, AL 35242.<\/p>\n Holley, Bobbie Lee. March 1975. “God’s Design: Woman’s Dignity.” Mission.<\/p>\n Lanier, Sr., Roy. 1984. 20 Years of the Problem Page. Vol. 2. Abilene: Quality Publications.<\/p>\n Lenski, R. C. H. 1964. Paul’s Epistles to Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus & Philemon. Minneapolis: Augsburg.<\/p>\n Lightfoot, J. B. 1957. The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.<\/p>\n Methvin, Paul ed. 1990. 50th Anniversary Yosemite Family Encampment. Nashville: Gospel Advocate.<\/p>\n Moulton & Milligan 1963. The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. Hodder & Stroughton.<\/p>\n Thayer, J. H. 1958. Greek-English Lexicon. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.<\/p>\n Zahn, Theodor. 1953. Introduction to the New Testament. Vol. I. Minneapolis: Klock & Klock.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Wayne Jackson Every significant movement within society will eventually, to some degree, make itself felt in the church. The phenomenon of “women’s liberation” is no exception. There are those within the body of Christ who are clamoring that women must throw off the yoke of male domination and claim their rightful place in the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[81,82],"class_list":["post-54350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-women-preachers","tag-womens-roles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7887,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-cant-women-lead-singing-serve-at-the-lords-table-and-lead-a-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":54350,"position":0},"title":"Why can’t women lead singing, serve at the Lord’s table, and lead a prayer?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 26, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been struggling with women in worship. I know that men are to be elders and deacons. I know men are to be preachers. What I'm not sure on is why women cannot lead singing, serve at the table and pray. I have found some Scriptures that give\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":70557,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/equal-in-christ-distinct-in-roles-a-scriptural-case-for-male-leadership-in-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":54350,"position":1},"title":"Equal in Christ, Distinct in Roles: A Scriptural Case for Male Leadership in the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gregory Alan Tidwell I've been a preacher in the church for over forty years, and over time, I've seen many debates rise up among us. One of the most enduring, particularly in recent decades, is the question of women's leadership in the church. Many voices today, both from within\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2676,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-acts-217-18-prove-women-can-be-preachers\/","url_meta":{"origin":54350,"position":2},"title":"Does Acts 2:17-18 prove women can be preachers?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 22, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I've been talking with a person who says Acts 2:17-18 gives women the right to be preachers. I showed him I Corinthians 14:34-37 and I Timothy 2:11-12. I said woman have divinely been given a place, but that place is not to be in authority over a man. Answer:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4089,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-the-role-of-women-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":54350,"position":3},"title":"Can the role of women change?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I hear that women roles are changing within the group of churches as a whole. What are the roles women are permitted to do? In my congregation women now talk and teach, they read scripture, and pass communion trays. On the web, they are saying that women may do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27828,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-women-cannot-preach-then-why-can-they-sing\/","url_meta":{"origin":54350,"position":4},"title":"If women cannot preach, then why can they sing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question regarding the preaching of a woman in church. Last Sunday my friend told me that in church one woman is leading and also preaching the message. In that meeting, men were also there. I know that according to I Corinthians and I Timothy women should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8595,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-woman-be-a-pastor\/","url_meta":{"origin":54350,"position":5},"title":"Can a woman be a pastor?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 13, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can a woman be ordained as a Christian pastor? Answer: The word \"pastor\" is used very loosely in the denominations. Generally, in a denomination a pastor is a preacher. Women are not able to be preachers since God through Paul stated, \"And I do not permit a woman to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Was Phoebe a Deaconess?<\/h2>\n
\n
1. A servant doesn’t imply authority.<\/h3>\n
2. Assistance doesn’t imply authority.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. A helper doesn’t imply authority.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Fellow workers, Euodia and Syntyche<\/h2>\n
Was Junia an Apostle?<\/h2>\n
Does “As Also Saith the Law” Authorize Women Preachers Today?<\/h2>\n
The Culture Argument<\/h2>\n
Neither Male nor Female in Christ<\/h2>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
References<\/h3>\n