Women's Roles in Worship (Probably Part 1)

Hey guys. I hate leaving my engagement story but I guess I will have to keep blogging. Thanks for all of the well-wishes. I am STILL the happiest man in the world! The wedding will be July 18th in Kansas, so be there!

One of my students from last year recently got in touch with me to ask me a biblical question she is wrestling with: What is a woman's role in church? Here's part of her email:

"Is it ok for girls to read scripture during Bible class at churchand at school?? I've read the Bible about this, and gotten my parents opinion. I would really love to hear your input on this situation.
I know the Bible says for women to be silent during church and to ask their husbands questions afterward...but I don't have a husband (haha). so, do I count as a child? is it based on age or spiritual maturity?"

I have recently emailed my student back, and I am going to share my email with you guys. I would value your input. Some of you will think it is a little to "left-leaning." Others of you won't think it is as "progressive" as you think it should be. Sorry... this is where I sit as I have studied it. I have a feeling my ideas might change as I get older/study more/progress in my faith. BUT... this is where I sit as of now:

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Dear _________-

Hey there. Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you. I completely apologize; ministry/life have both been busy. I hope life is going great for you. How are things with _______?

Getting down to your question: What should a woman's role be concerning scripture reading, worship, etc...

Here are my thoughts (take it for what it is worth.) The passage you are referring to is found in 1 Cor. 15, where it tells women to remain silent in church and ask questions of their husbands at home. Intriguingly, however, we often leave out 1 Cor. 11:5, which discusses what a woman should do WHEN she prays/prophesies in the assembly. Intriguingly, the church in Corinth was (partially) founded by a woman: Aquila and Priscilla were part of Paul's team to reach out to the Corinthian people, and they stayed around after Paul left for another location, and then eventually wind up moving to Ephesus. Interestingly, when we first meet Aquila and Priscilla, Aquila the husband is mentioned first. But throughout the rest of the Bible, anytime they are referred to the Biblical authors put Priscilla's name first. (Quite possibly to reveal who was the more dominant one for the gospel.)

1 Timothy 2:9-15 is also used in our discussions of women's roles in church. It tells us that women are not permitted to teach or have authority over a man, for they must be silent. There are two things I thing that are important to remember here: at this moment Timothy is in Ephesus, where Priscilla and Aquila were (once) workers for the Gospel. Secondly, we don't follow the instructions Paul sets out for men in 1 Timothy 2:8, but we hold 9-15 to be binding.

One of the problems about taking verses of Scripture and quickly trying to build an argument is that we never ask the question, "Why are these things written? What is going on within the churches in Corinth and Ephesus that causes Paul to say these things?" I think the situation is the most important part of the whole question. From reading the entire book of 1 Corinthians, we realize that the Corinthians are having a hard time respecting one another within the church. It seems as if the married women are questioning their husband's abilities to preach/teach the Gospel and making them look foolish in front of the church. In 1 Timothy the cultural situation is even harder to grasp, because the book is written to address Timothy's needs. It seems as if the women are trying to call attention to themselves through their wardrobe/accessories and through their disrespect in the assembly.

Wow, this is really long. I am sorry. Sadly, I'm not even done yet! =)

I think that 1 Cor. 11 sheds some light on women's roles within church. They do have a role; Paul even allows them to prophesy and pray. The question becomes, “Who is in charge?” Paul places women under the authority of men by tossing the argument back to Creation (and in 1 Timothy, by reminding them of the consequences of their disobedience in the Garden.) Paul tells them that Christ is the head of man and man is the head of woman (yours might say husbands/wives, but the words for man and husband and wife/woman are the same.) Thus, men are placed above women in the church. However, we are to also be reminded that Christ is the head of both, and men are to treat their wives with love and respect just as Christ loves the church. We are to place the needs of one another above our own needs.

So… what does all of this mean? I have no idea. =) Just kidding. Here’s what it means for me. I believe that women have a role to play in worship and in Bible class. That is why I ask the girls/young women to read and pray in class. The question is, who is in control? Ultimately, the Bible class teacher is the one in authority. Within the church, it is ultimately the elders who are in authority (under Christ.) Thus, any time I ask a woman to do something in Bible class, I believe that I am helping them fulfill the commandment in 1 Cor. 11, because her “head” is covered by my authority. (Really LOOOOOOOOONG explanation there that I didn’t include here, but I do have a grad school paper I wrote that was 20+ pages long if you are REALLY interested!)

I think we have done women a great disservice by not allowing them to have roles within class and worship. The fact is, women were a large part of early Christianity. The faithfulness of men AND women caused the church to spread, and a number of women are mentioned throughout the later NT for their faithfulness, their desire to serve God, and their willingness to host churches within their homes. There are even female deacons in Scripture (1 Tim. 3:11.)

So, can a woman speak, ask questions, read the Bible, and pray in class? My argument is yes, they can. I would draw the line at preaching, however, because a woman is supposed to be under the authority of a man.

Wow, this is long and I apologize. I hope it helps. If you have other questions, please let me know! I might not have answered them all.

In Christ,
Daniel <><
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What are your thoughts? Where is my logic flawed? (I personally don't think it is.) Please realize this is a SHORTENED version of what I have come to in my own thinking.

I do think that I need to state this: I believe that there are things that women are ALLOWED to do that I am not yet comfortable with. My own personal comfort would be stretched and pushed by my theology here. However, I DO believe that certain worship practices are acceptable and biblical.

What are your own thoughts? Where do you agree or disagree? I value each of your insight and I want to hear from you (whether you agree with me or not.)

Thanks for your time! I have a feeling we will discuss this topic more.