Apples of Gold

In high school I double lettered in track and soccer. Soccer was my sport, I mainly ran track to stay in shape for soccer. One of the events I attempted to avoid during track season was the hurdles. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get over them but I was intimidated by them. You had to keep your stride and rhythm just so in order to clear them and remain competitive. It takes longer to run the same distance when you have to jump over hurdles. Even the fastest sprinter would be passed by just an average runner if they were required to jump hurdles and the other runners were not. When we do not take the time to fully understand scripture we unintentionally, and sometimes intentionally place hurdles in the path of other believers. We can all likely recall getting our foot caught as we attempted to clear a spiritual “hurdle” placed in our path by a less than accurate understanding of the Word of God. In order to avoid unnecessary hurdles it is necessary to put in some serious effort.

Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

If you have spent much time in church, you might be able to recite this verse by heart. It’s a staple of our faith, and holds a familiarity to many believers. When you turn on Christian television or search through YouTube videos it is evident there are many teachers who are in fact not following this practice.

Paul encourages Timothy to take time and be intentional about fully understanding what Scripture is saying. Sometimes a surface reading of a text doesn’t really convey the author’s intent. If this is true for Timothy, it is much more critical in our time. We are far removed from the culture and worldview of the original writers. One area dear to my heart is what the biblical role of women in ministry should be. This is a heavily debated concept with extremely differing and staunchly held opinions. I want to share a few thoughts on this topic with hope those who have never intentionally studied this might be challenged to dig deeper.

Ironically, most of the confusion on this topic comes from Paul. A surface reading of some of his letters seems to both applaud and prohibit women becoming leaders in the church. Let’s start with some commendations.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me. Romans 16:1-2

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. Romans 16:7

An asterisk is found in the NLT after Junia, noting this is a feminine name which was changed to a masculine ending in later manuscripts. Junia is in prison with Paul. She is also a highly respected apostle.

Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. Colossians 4:15

Since there is no leader mentioned here it is likely that Nympha was pastoring this group of believers.

Of course, we are all familiar with Deborah from Judges chapter 4. She served as a prophet and a judge, which was the highest position in Israel, and let’s not forget, commander of their entire army.

We find through our Biblical texts that women have clearly held the highest positions of leadership at times throughout Scriptures. Notice that Paul is not rebuking them for being out of line-in fact, he is commending them and telling others to show them proper respect. So case closed, right? Well, not exactly.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 seems to throw confusion into the mix.

Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.

God might not be the author of confusion, but unless there is an explanation, Paul could be.

I remember receiving a troubling letter when I was in Bible college. It contained the following passage from Jeremiah which the writer asserted that having a Christmas tree was worshipping an idol:

Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Jeremiah 10:3-4

Being a Sola Scriptura girl, and definitely not wanting to have an idol around, I made an appointment to speak with the strictest holiness, Bible professor on campus and ask his opinion. He explained the actual meaning of the text and why this was not talking about Christmas trees. Some passages require more than a cursory reading to understand their true meaning. If I had taken that letter-which was sent to be a helpful warning-purely on its own merit, and did not dig into the context and history, I would have tacked on a meaning scripture never intended.

We need to remember these letters are exactly that: letters, written to a specific person or group of people, at a specific time. Some things are directed specifically to them for current situations or issues. For example, in 1 Timothy 5:23 Paul encourages Timothy to drink wine to help with his ailments. Well, this could be a whole other discussion, but obviously that doesn’t mean we should all be drinking less water and more wine. This is why it is crucial for us to look at the author’s intentions when Scripture was written.

The verses from earlier regarding women being silent in the letter to the Corinthians are actually quite controversial in the realm of biblical criticism. It is questionable if they were actually written by Paul, and some scholars are convinced they were a scribal interpolation written into the text as it was copied and not part of the original manuscript.

Even setting that aside, there are some obvious cultural factors applied to the Corinthian church which would not apply today. At the time this was written, most women had little to no training in the text. Boys were taught in the Scriptures and girls were taught how to be wives and mothers. In this culture men and women were seated in different parts of the synagogue: sometimes women were in the balcony and men on the floor. Clearly the women who were not taught would have questions, and shouting to their husband across the building during teaching would be distracting.

The second, and perhaps more troubling passage, is found earlier in Paul’s first letter to Timothy.

Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness and modesty. 1 Timothy 2:11-15

So which is it? Women should be highly esteemed apostles and deacons-or silent? Certainly having children is not required for a woman’s salvation. A closer look at the purpose of 1 Timothy helps shed some light on this. This book was written to confront false teachings which were causing the church to become unstable. Some of these teachings included forbidding marriage and engrossment in myths and genealogies. From anger and controversy to attire, accessories, and hairstyles, Paul hits many issues. It reads like a modern day soap opera plot.

Paul is likely addressing specific issues, in this specific church, for a specific time. Verse 11 states an expectation that the women needed to learn: logically, before someone can teach, learning is required. As stated earlier, this was a strikingly new opportunity for women. Learning had primarily been restricted to men.

In verse 12 the prohibition to teach is in the present tense in the Greek which normally indicates that this prohibition is both limited and temporary. Scholars also believe that Paul was likely referring to avoiding an abusive and violent ritual in which men were mutilated as an act of worship to Artemis (Cybele) rather than teaching of the Scriptures. Coupled with Paul’s earlier accolades regaling women in leadership, it is logical to conclude Paul is guiding this specific group of women, who apparently needed some serious direction, to be taught before they could lead. The cultural trends and horrific practices occurring around them, and the necessity for avoiding these practices, bring clarity to the rest of the text.

I certainly have no illusions that this brief discussion will assuage the centuries of controversy over the role of women. I do hope it will encourage a few to examine the Scriptures deeper rather than simply accept a view “just because”.

Let each of us take Paul’s advice from Romans 14:5 and after careful consideration, “Be fully convinced in our own mind” and understand others may come to a different conclusion with the same sincerity we possess. Our differences should sharpen us like iron on iron, not separate us like oil and water.