Looming deadlines are making it difficult to find time to write new posts for my website. So, instead of something new, here is a collection of some of my previously posted articles about Paul and women. (Click on headings to read more.)
I love Paul!
1 Timothy 2:12 in Context
1 Timothy 2:12 has been used by many people to argue that women cannot be church leaders. In this five-part series I take a close look at 1 Timothy 2:12 and what it does and doesn’t say. I also provide some background to the culture of the Ephesus where Timothy was ministering. More articles on 1 Timothy 2:11-15 are here.
Interpretations and Applications of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
In this article, I present summaries of a range of interpretations of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 proposed by well-known New Testament scholars.
Kephalē and “Male Headship” in Paul’s Letters
Here are some of my findings on Paul’s use of “head” (kephalē). This article answers the question: Does Paul’s statement that the husband is the head of the wife in Ephesians 5:23 mean that the husband has leadership or authority over his wife? More articles on the meaning of “head” (kephalē) in ancient texts, including Paul’s letters, are here.
Paul’s Qualifications for Church Leaders
Can only men be church leaders? Some people think the moral qualifications for church leaders, recorded in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9, were written about men and apply only to men. They read these passages as implying that only men can be church leaders (overseers and elders). Is this really the case? (Check out the footnotes too.) More articles on the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 are here.
“Equality” in Paul’s Letters
Paul wanted equality for all Christians and he wrote about this in his letters. In some verses, equality is implied. In other verses, the Greek word for “equality” is used. Equality was Paul’s goal (2 Cor. 8:14 NIV 2011).
Paul’s Instructions for “Modest Dress”
In discussions on the roles of women, one hot topic is the subject of modesty. While I think it is important for women (and men) not to dress in a revealing or sexually provocative way, this was not Paul’s meaning in his instructions in 1 Timothy 2:9-10.
Masculine and Feminine Leadership (1 Thessalonians 2)
There are Christians who believe that being a leader is a man’s role and that it is unfeminine for women to be leaders. Does the Bible teach that leadership is masculine? In 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul describes his apostolic ministry in both maternal and paternal terms.
Working Women in the New Testament
What does the Bible say about women who work outside the home? Is it God’s ideal that women stay out of the workforce and stay at home? What is the position that Complementarians, such as John Piper, take on the subject of work and working women? (This article looks especially at Priscilla, Lydia, and Phoebe.)
I also have articles about New Testament women who were ministry colleagues of Paul: Junia, Priscilla, Lydia, Phoebe, Euodia and Syntyche, Nympha, etc.
Paul’s Personal Greetings to Women Ministers
How is it that Paul gained a reputation for being a misogynist? Paul did not have a low opinion of women. Far from it! Paul’s affection and respect for female ministers and women who cared for house churches is obvious in many of his letters. This article looks at the women Paul greeted in his letters, including the Romans 16 women, and it shows that Paul did not have a problem with women in ministry.
“Busy at Home”: How does Titus 2:4-5 apply today?
The only time the Bible mentions that women should be homemakers is in two instructions regarding young women. In this article, I look at Paul’s basic but important instructions to young wives in Titus 2:4-5 and at what principle we can take from these verses.
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Newer articles on the topic of “Paul and Women” are here.
A collection of articles on “New Testament Women Church Leaders” is here.
A collection of articles on an “All-Male Priesthood Versus Women in Ministry” is here.
All my articles on 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 are here.
All my articles on Ephesians 5 are here.
Articles on “Paul’s Theology of Ministry” are here.
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