Session 4 | Did God Really Say Women Can’t Teach and Lead in Church Contexts? Big Ideas: ● Gender equality does not come from sameness but source. God declared man and woman unique, but equal, and therefore they are. ● Two controversial texts. (1 Corinthians 14:34-35 & 1 Timothy 2:11-12) ● How do we govern at Catalyst? Galatians 3:26-29 (all are spiritually equal in Christ) For you are all sons (children) of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Some church Fathers Views: (Very Greek Influenced) (the extreme attitude I have read, heard, and had conversations around on this) · Epiphanius: “In very truth, women are a feeble race.” · John Knox: “Weak, frail, impatient, feeble, inconstant, variable and lacking in the spirit of counsel.” · Aquinas: “Woman is defective and misbegotten.” · Augustine: “I do not see what sort of help woman was created to provide men with, if one excludes procreation.” · Chrysostom: “God maintained the order of each sex by dividing the business of life into two parts and assigned the more necessary and beneficial aspects to the man, and the less important, inferior matters to the woman.” Langberg, Diane. Redeeming Power (p. 96). Baker Publishing Group Two Controversial texts: (1 Corinthians 14:34-35 & 1 Timothy 2:11-12) ● Are these verses literal interpretations for all people and time? ● Are they simply correcting problems in their church? ● Is this culturally specific for that part of the text? 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 34 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. 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. Acts 2:17-18 And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 18And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:1; 26 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 1 Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 1 Timothy 2:11-12 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control. 1 Timothy 2:9-15 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control. Some Biblical women God used in leadership ● Miriam prophetess (Exodus 15:20) ● Rahab Joshua 2; 6:22-25 ● Hannah 1 Samuel 1,2 ● Esther saved God’s people (Esther 4) ● Ruth’s leadership changed history; she was in the lineage of Christ (Ruth 4) ● Hannah’s faith and courage made history (1 Samuel 1) ● Abigail influenced a king (1 Samuel 25:30-33) ● Deborah was a judge and prophetess (Judges 4) ● Jael- the honor of killing the captain of Jabin’s army went to a woman. (Judges 4) ● Hulda was a prophetess and gave authoritative words to the king (2 Kings 22) ● Anna a prophetess (Luke 2:36-38) ● Mary (mother of Jesus) Luke 1:26-38; John 19:25-27 ● Mary Magdalene told everyone about the resurrection (John 20) ● Women listed that helped Jesus in His ministry (Luke 8:1-3) ● Nympha Colossians 4:15 ● Priscilla, along with her husband, helped disciple and teach Apollos (Acts 18:18-28) Paul addressed them as fellow workers in Christ Jesus who risked their lives for him. (Romans 16:3) ● Paul acknowledged Andronicus and Junia as fellow prisoners and of note among the apostles. (Romans 16:7) ● Chloe’s testimony to Paul was so solid that he used it to address some contention in the church. (1 Cor. 1:11) ● Paul includes Claudia in 2 Timothy among a group of Christian leaders. ● Paul addresses Phoebe as a deacon in the church and asked them to give her what she needs in her ministry business. (Romans 16:1) ● Philip’s daughters prophesied (Acts 21:9) ● Women prayed and prophesied in the church assembly (1 Cor. 11:4) (some have argued that prophesy in the early church was a simple teaching or proclamation of the gospel and yet don’t use that same argument to allow that if these women were prophesying then they are teaching and proclaiming the gospel. That is an incredible group of women and if we added history and modern-day women of God we’d have countless names. How we govern at Catalyst (soft complementarian) (vs Egalitarian) Verses about all being under authority · All to God (Ephesians 5:23)(Colossians 1:18) · Elders to God and other Elders (1 Peter 5:1-4) · Church to church leaders (Hebrews 13:17-19; 22-25; 1 Corinthians 16:16) · The body of Christ to the Body of Christ (James 4:7, Ephesians 5:21-24) · Kids to parents (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:18-4:1) · Wives to Husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18-4:1; 1 Peter 3:5;6) · Employees to Employers (Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:18-4:1) · Employers to God (Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:18-4:1) · All kings, governors, authorities. (1 Peter 2:13; Romans 13:1-7) · Young people to elders (1 Peter 5:5) None of this means that women are called to be governors in the church. Like a man who can hold his wife’s hand in the delivery room can still never give birth to a baby, women can be useful to God in countless ways as spiritual equals, but their role can never be elder. These are not issues of inequality. They are divine designs for functionality. We know who is supposed to do what and how it’s all supposed to look. ● We don’t see any place in scripture where God instructs women to govern in church context. ● No woman is in a governance position in the New Testament church. · We do see clear commands and instructions for male governance all throughout the bible. ● No woman wrote a book of the bible. All Using your gifts in the body: Romans 12-all are called to use their gifts to the fullest within the assembly as fully equal members of Christs body. (prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, gives, leads, mercy) 1 Peter 4:10-11 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Take Away: 1. Has my understanding of Biblical leadership and governance been holistic, or could I grow in greater depth on this topic? 2. Do I have any questions, comments, or concerns that I want to explore in deeper and more meaningful ways?