Paul's Take on Women in Ministry
Towers, author of The Letters to Timothy and Titus presents the idea that Paul was referring
to a specific group of wealthy women who may have been excessively adorned – causing
a distraction with their attire and may have been affiliated with heretical
teachings made popular by false prophets.[1] Paul,
in addressing these matters, would have been concerned with the way that women
were negatively affecting the image of the church.[2] Paul
was greatly concerned with the spiritual health and well-being of the church for
he addressed such issues in his letters to both Timothy and Titus. In his
attempt to address all problematic areas within the church, one could say that Paul
did not leave any stone unturned, but in so doing, the proper appropriation for
the issue that was being addressed must not be misconstrued to say that those issues
was the rule of law for every church who did not have such problems. When
addressing a crowd, Peter repeated the prophecy given by the Prophet Joel that
in the last days …God’s servants both sons and daughters, men and women would
prophesy.[3] In
order to prophesy, one must speak the words of the Lord. This means that women
are included in giving the Word from the Lord to those who have not heard. God
is a God of order, so anyone, rather male or female, who causes disorder in God’s
house is to be addressed so that the Word of the Lord may go forth. Also,
Towers mentioned that there may have been an issue with false teachings with
these women who may have formerly been teaching in certain groups. Regardless
of either sex, heretical teachings should not be allowed amongst God’s people.[4]
Women are to present themselves as holy before a Holy God and live upright in
every aspect of their lives.
Some scholars such as D.J. Moo, whom Hugenberger
references, believed that Paul’s mention of the genders was not limited to just
husbands and wives, but both male and female behavior that would be best suited
for Christian service.[5] I
believe this to be true, for not everyone was probably married then and surely
not in the times that we presently live in. Also, every woman has not been
blessed to have children as Paul stated that women would be saved through
childbirth if they continued in the faith.[6] One
must properly analyze Paul’s writings, for women who do not have children, for
example, would be deemed lost if not understood correctly. Paul was outlining
the importance of the family as they related to being in the family of God so
that women could take great joy in rearing their families well as an example of
Godly living. Many Christians have taken Paul’s writings to permanently ban
women from being able to partake in ministry – erroneously in my opinion. I am
of the mindset that Paul was addressing a particular attitude of women, during
that period and culture, which was prevalent in which he did not want to become
like a cancer in the church. We may find similarities to what we have now in
the feminist movement where men are increasingly being deemed as irrelevant in
the home and women are demanding more equal and dominant roles. Women must be
mindful that God did put men as the head of the home, but submission does not mean
that women should be excluded from ministry roles within the church as long as
respect is given from both sexes. Some women do not have husbands to inquire of,
however, and would be left out of learning about God if Paul’s statement was the
set standard to be applied to every church. Nevertheless, anyone who abuses
authority, rather male or female, should not be in leadership. A woman who
teaches can still honor and respect men even if she is the teacher just as
Priscilla assisted her husband, Aquila, in instructing Apollos.[7]
When we study Paul’s meaning concerning women
being silent in the church, it is important to understand the context for which
he was speaking. Women during that day were very seldom independent of their
male counterparts but seemed to have had their own women’s revolutionary
movement being referred to as the “new woman” during the Roman era.[8]
This is not to say that Paul’s writings were in error regarding their need for silence.
What it does say, however, is that he was more than likely addressing
situations amongst the women of that day which had gotten out of hand, for
which a standard had to be set. Therefore, anyone who acts unbecoming of a Christian
needs to be counseled, for it can affect the church as a whole, and those to
whom we are to be of witness to.
[1] Philip H Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus (Grand
Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2009), 200-201.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Acts 2:17-18 (New International
Version).
[5] Gordon P. Hugenberger,
"Women in Church Office: Hermeneutics or Exegesis? A Survey of Approaches
to 1 Tim 2:8-15," Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society 35, no. 3 (September 1992): 342.
[6] 1
Tim. 2:15 (New International Version).
[7] Acts
18:18-28 (New International Version).
No comments:
Post a Comment