Miriam is clearly identified as a prophet and as a leader in the Bible, but some say her ministry was only to women. Was this the case? What does the Bible say?
I read Romans chapter 14 today and saw that Paul’s message here has relevance to the issue of women ministers, an issue that continues to cause debate and 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 compelling biblical case for women leading and teaching in the church. I’ve included the foreword 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.
John Chrysostom (d. 407) praised Priscilla, Phoebe, Euodia, Syntyche, and Junia, and acknowledged that these five women were leading ministers in their churches.
When we understand “preaching” words in the way New Testament authors and understood and used these words we see that some New Testament women preached.
Here is a list of over a dozen early and medieval scholars who took Junia’s name in Romans 16:7 to be feminine. Junia was a woman and not Junias, a man.
In this article, I look at four passages from the Hebrew Bible: Leviticus 27, Numbers 30, Ecclesiastes 7:28 and Isaiah 3:12. These verses are sometimes brought up in comments that 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 Corinthians 16:16, Paul tells the Corinthians to submit themselves to coworkers and labourers. Paul refers to several women by these ministry terms.
Timothy well knew Paul’s views on ministry. So it doesn’t make sense that 1 Timothy 2:12ff represents the apostle’s general teaching on women in ministry, a teaching that Timothy needed to be told or reminded of. What’s going on in this verse?
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 short post, I respond to a reader’s question about how the authority of police officers is used as an analogy by some complementarians to support male-only authority in the church.
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 Timothy 3:16-17, which mentions this qualification, does not exclude women, 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 Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:28, and Ephesians 4:11?
A poor understanding of church culture in the first century is one reason why some deny that women were leaders in some 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
It is helpful to have some insight into the values and customs of the first Christians. 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 Corinthians 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 and leading. Here are 15 of them, 15 reasons why I support women in church leadership.
In this post I link to a video where Wade Burleson explains that there is no Greek word for “over” in the verses about church leaders in Hebrews chapter 13.
What are the timeless principles in Paul’s instruction in Titus 2:4-5 about the young wives at Crete? Why did he want them 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.
According to the late Dr David M. Scholer, a former New Testament professor at Fuller, here are the top ten reasons men should not be ordained as ministers.
In this post I quote Michael Bird who notes discrepancies between the ideology and practice of some complementarians regarding women teaching men.
In his 2012 book “Hearing Her Voice,” scholar and minister John Dickson argues that women can speak in church meetings: women can preach, exhort, exposit Scripture, prophecy, pray, etc.
Does the New Testament teach that men and women have different roles in the church Are some ministries too important for women?
Kathy Keller argues that women are prohibited from just one kind of speaking ministry and from holding one kind of position in the church.
Many Christians are concerned with who has authority in the church. In particular they are concerned about whether a woman can have authority over a man. Who has authority in the church?
Would you like to support my ministry of encouraging mutuality and equality between men and women in the church and in marriage?
© 2021 Marg Mowczko