In this article I briefly exlain why 1 Timothy 2:12 (“I do not allow a woman to teach …”), the only verse in the Bible that places a restriction on a woman teaching, shouldn’t be used as the proof text on the topic of women Bible teachers. (I wrote this article as an op-ed piece for The Christian Post an online Christian newspaper based in the USA.)
In his new book, The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood, Philip Payne outlines 3 reasons why Paul’s concern in 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 was not head coverings for women, but hairstyles.
Lately, I’ve been hearing some suggest the reason Jesus chose only men to be among the Twelve is because he knew the harsh persecution the Twelve would face. Is this reason valid?
What did Paul mean when he said “husband of one wife”? What was Priscilla’s role in Ephesus and Rome? What is Paul’s overall theology of ministry and women?
Here is more from a talk I gave on February 11. In part 2, I look at 1 Timothy 2:12 within its immediate context and within the context of First Timothy.
This is part 1 of a talk I gave recently which looks at Paul’s overall theology on ministry and the verses often used to limit women.
Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:10 that a woman should have “authority on her head.” Whose authority is it?
Miriam is identified as a prophet and leader in the Bible, but some say her ministry was only to women. Was this the case? What does the Bible say?
Paul’s message in Romans 14 has some relevance to the issue of women ministers, an issue that continues to cause division in some sectors of the church.
I was honoured to write a foreword to Graham Hill’s book “Holding Up Half the Sky” where he presents a biblical case for women leading and teaching in the church. The foreword is in this post.
Atto, bishop of Vercelli in the 900s, saw in church tradition that women had led churches and were presbyters (priests or elders). He did not think this was a bad thing.
Chrysostom (d. 407) praised Priscilla, Phoebe, Euodia, Syntyche, and Junia. He acknowledged that these women were leading ministers in their churches.
When we understand “preaching” words in the way New Testament authors used these words, we see that some New Testament women preached.
In this article, I look at 4 passages from the Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 27, Numbers 30, Ecclesiastes 7:28, Isaiah 3:12) which are sometimes used to diminish women.
Here are 3 reasons why 1 Timothy 2:12 may be about a particular couple in the Ephesian church and not Paul’s general thoughts on women in ministry.
Paul included women as ministry partners and used the same ministry terms for his male and female co-workers. He didn’t restricts the ministry of godly and gifted women.
In 1 Cor. 16:16, Paul tells the Corinthians to submit themselves to coworkers and labourers. Paul refers to several women by these ministry terms.
Timothy knew Paul’s views on ministry and it’s unlikely he needed to be reminded of them. 1 Tim. 2:11-15 is not Paul’s general teaching on ministry but something else.
Does 1 Timothy 3:4a (“managing his own household well”) show that men, and not women, are to rule or manage their households? What was the role of the first church overseers and bishops?
This article looks at Junia, a Christian missionary mentioned in Romans 16:7 who was persecuted for her faith and may have known Jesus personally. Was she also known as Joanna?
A few verses in Paul’s letters are frequently cited by Christians who exclude women from some ministries. Did Paul really restrict women in either ministry or marriage? This is part 3 of a series on gender roles in the Bible.
Does Jesus give instructions about gender roles as complementarians understand them? What does Jesus teach and say to women in the Gospels? This is part 2 in a series of gender roles in the Bible.
In this post, I respond to how the authority of police officers, etc, is used as an analogy by some Christians to support male-only authority.
Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:14ff), and women like her, were vital and strategic players at the forefront of the expanding Christian mission.
Here are four short clever videos which look at 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14 and intelligently discuss whether women can teach in church.
Three times this past week I’ve been in online conversations where a person has stated that women were not leaders or elders in early churches. Was this really the case?
This post is about two brave unnamed women mentioned in 2 Samuel 17 who each risked their lives to help King David’s, and God’s, cause.
A good understanding of scripture is an important qualification for many Christian ministries. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 mentions this qualification and does not exclude women like Priscilla.
If Paul had meant for only men to be leaders and teachers, why doesn’t he mention this in his lists of ministries in Rom. 12:6–8, 1 Cor. 12:28, and Eph. 4:11?
A poor understanding of church culture in the first century is one reason why some deny that women were leaders in some New Testament churches.
Craig Keener, Leon Morris, F.F. Bruce, and many more well-respected biblical scholars can hardly be accused of playing loose with the scriptures, but they all believed that suitably gifted women can be leaders and teachers in the church.
How are we to understand “man was not created for woman, but woman for man”? Does 1 Corinthians 11:9 indicate that service or submission is the role of women and not men?
This is a summary of the previous 6 parts. Paul was not reticent about using the same ministry terms (or titles), including deacon, for both men and women ministers.
Here I look at Paul’s introduction of Phoebe to the church at Rome. I also look at the ministry of certain women in the Gospels, and Tabitha’s ministry in Acts, and compare them with Phoebe’s ministry.
Some Christians have a mistaken view of our mutuality, or equality, in Christ. In this post, I briefly explain my perspective of Christian Egalitarianism
In this article I provide a brief overview of church life in the first century and I highlight the ministry contributions of women.
In Matthew 20:1–16 Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard workers and points out that there is equality in his kingdom. To those who have so far been sidelined, Jesus says “Go work in my vineyard.”
Does Paul refer to wives of apostles or female coworkers of apostles in 1 Cor. 9:5? Was their role companionship or teaching Christian doctrine?
John the Evangelist chose his words carefully when describing the ministry of certain apostolic women in his Gospel, women such as Mary Magdalene. [500 words]
Ignoring or highlighting the word “likewise” makes a big difference in how we understand certain New Testament passages that affect women.
There are many Bible verses that show women teaching or leading. Here are 15 of them, 15 reasons why I support women in church leadership.
In this short post, I look at two keywords in Heb. 13:17a which is poorly translated in the KJV as “Obey them that have the rule over you …”
What are the timeless principles in Paul’s instruction in Titus 2:4-5? Why did he want the young wives at Crete to be workers (or keepers) at home?
This 5-part series takes a close look at 1 Timothy 2:12, at what it does and doesn’t say, as well as providing some cultural context. Part 1 looks at the pitfalls of using 1 Timothy 2:12 as a proof text.
Paul’s main purpose for writing First Timothy was to address the heresy in the Ephesian Church, possibly a precursor to Gnosticism.
In Part 4 we begin looking at 1 Timothy 2:11-15, verse by verse, phrase by phrase.
Why are Adam and Eve mentioned immediately after Paul’s prohibition in 1 Timothy 2:12? What does Paul mean by salvation and childbirth in 1 Timothy 2:15?
Mary Magdalene and some other women knew a large stone had been rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid. They went to the tomb anyway. [300 words]
In this article, I look at Paul’s statements of equality and unity in ministry from 1 Corinthians chapter 12, including his instruction to give more honour to those lacking it.
Here are links to several articles that look at arguments related to the idea of a male-only priesthood, arguments that keep women out of church leadership.
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© 2022 Marg Mowczko