Category Archives: Role of Women

In light of the questions we asked in the last post, we should consider the very real possibility that Paul’s command was caused by temporary cultural circumstances that no longer apply. There is considerable support from history that First Century … Continue reading →

I’d like to ask the readers to harken back to the beginning of this series several weeks ago. I began with a discussion of hermeneutics, because it’s in hermeneutics where our real disagreements are often found. Let me remind the … Continue reading →

Let’s first remember that our relationship with God as Christians is defined by the overriding principles of love and grace. God doesn’t just make up arbitrary rules and impose them on us. It is, therefore, entirely proper to ask if … Continue reading →

[This is expanded to include responses to comments. I’ll likely edit it some more as I work further through the comments. It’s been great working through the commentaries this afternoon, digging into the word to better understand this challenging passage, … Continue reading →

A. Introduction. Let’s take a closer look at the passage. “Women should remain silent.” What does this mean? As tempting as it is to say, “Means what it says; says what it means,” no thinking Christian can believe this passage … Continue reading →

[This is not new material. I’m posting it this way to extract this argument from my more conventional arguments previously post, which I think are actually right. I have less confidence in this interpretation than I did before, but it’s … Continue reading →

The first part of 1 Corinthians 11, dealing with veils, hair length, and such, is a puzzlement. No, “puzzlement” is not strong enough. This chapter is a consternation. Commentator after commentator throws up his hands in frustration at trying to … Continue reading →

Many good Christians argue from 1 Timothy 2:12 that women can have no authority over a man and no wife may have authority over her husband. But Paul explains the relationship of a husband and wife very differently in 1 … Continue reading →

We next note 1 Peter 2:11-3:7, a passage very similar to Ephesians 5: Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among … Continue reading →

As Eph. 5:23 is often the passage most heavily relied on to establish the hierarchicalist position, this article will challenge the hierarchical interpretation of that passage. We begin somewhat indirectly, however, by first addressing two articles published recently in the … Continue reading →