Wedge wrote:
And this one says that a woman can´t preach:
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (New International Version)
34women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
That is not egalitarian. Unless you re-write the Bible.
Easy, Wedge. I think the matter of women preaching is a cultural matter, not a matter of natural order. Now, I DO think that the "place" for women in spiritual matter ideally should be a subservient role. What's going on with women and spirituality has to do with the spiritual roles of husbands and wives in the home.
FIRST of all, women were not CREATED subservient beings. Eve was created from Adam's rib, NOT his head (so she'd dominate him, all though female dominance CAN be a lot of fun), nor his foot (so he'd dominate her). It's a side-by-side relationship. The man as spiritual head of the household is just that: the director and manager of spiritual matters in the home, responsible for the spiritual education and welfare of all within his family. The wife is subservient only in the sense that spiritually she follows in the husband's decision in regards to those kinds of matters. For the husband, it is a HUGE responsibility because religion can become a tremendous source of conflict if all parties are not in agreement. Primarily, this has worked in my family because I do insist on attending a specific church. However, it isn't like I never included my wife in those decisions. For example, at one point we were conflicted over which denomination we should associate with because we belong to two different traditions. She decided on her own, however, that she was happy with the decision I made to attend a certain church, and her experience was that, after we'd gone to church there for a while, that her search for a church was over. On the other hand, we have experienced difficulties with people within our church and have considered moving elsewhere. While I do insist that we stay were we are, at a certain point I would have to decide whether allowing the rest of my family to attend a different church without me would really be what's best.
As far as the proper relationship in all matters between husband and wife, the husband is commanded to love his wife as Christ loved the Church. This means the husband should be prepared, if necessary, to die in order to save her life.
As to the quote from scripture in question: You have to understand the context of that verse. 1 Corinthians was written to a church with serious problems. Among other things, the worshippers in Corinth were still involved in pagan worship and practices. Paul, the writer, basically started the church in Corinth before moving to a different location, a 3-day voyage away. So after some time had passed, the Corinthian congregation began questioning why they even listened to Paul's letters. Honestly, though, he didn't have very nice things to say, and rightfully so.
Apparently, a few things were at play here. While it is assumed that women had inferior status in many parts of the ancient world, apparently this wasn't quite so in ancient Greece and Rome. Apparently women of noble status enjoyed a certain amount of privilege not afforded to others of lower socio-economic class, and I'm sure there were other cultural considerations as well. So it would have not been unusual for women to take an active role in church life, including worship services and religious debates.
Further, there is no Biblical basis for disqualifying women as teachers, prophets, and so on. Aaron's sister (and wife) Miriam, for example, was accepted as a prophetess next to her husband, the high priest. Aquila and Priscilla were prominently featured in the NT as early church leaders. I forget the name, but there is a character in Acts who had 4 daughter who all had the gift of prophecy. So featuring women in prominent leadership was not unheard of. Men HAVE, on the other hand, been featured as the figureheads of church congregations from early times in Hebrew tradition. The proper role of a man is to lead the way in spiritual matters, but that does not exclude the importance of women in their roles within the church.
What happened in Corinth had nothing to do with a female preacher, though. Apparently the men in Corinth weren't really stepping up and taking charge the way they should have, and this led to some inconsistent teaching. Worship in the early church was much like Pharisaic debates in the synagogues and the Temple. Plus, the Greeks were philosophers, so they were also used to extensively debating any new teaching they were exposed to.
The women of Corinth enjoyed special social status and were included in these debates. What they were doing was shouting down their husbands who were trying to preach to the congregation. This is not only disruptive to worship services, but it is openly disrespectful to the men they were married to!
In my own married life, there are a few things that are expressly forbidden: One BIG rule is we never bad-mouth each other in front of friends (or kids), whether or not the other spouse is present. The reason for that is, #1, we love each other, and #2 it's not nice to make someone you love look like an idiot in front of others. If my wife has a problem with me, she can make me feel like a moron after the kids go to bed! The idea is unity, and solidarity is VERY important in any congregation.
Paul was telling the women to be quiet in church because the way in which they approached discourse was destructive.
06 Oct 2010, 8:47 am
