I have been wondering a lot lately about the role of women in the church. While there are passages such as 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 which state that women should remain silent in the church, and 1 Timothy 2:12 which say women should not teach or usurp authority over men. However, these verses do not sit right with me when I think about the message of the Bible as a whole. When it says that women should not teach of have authority over men then what about the great commission? Does this mean that women cannot spread the gospel to men as they cannot teach them? What about a man that is teaching false doctrine; can a women full of the Holy Spirit and using scripture not refute him? Does God really want women to remain silent in the church or is it simply a ploy by domineering men or those who misinterpret scripture? What about Euodia and Synyche who are mention in Philippians 4:2.3 as fellow workers of the gospel? What about Philip's four virgin daughters who prophesied? What of Phoebe? In the original Greek the word used to describe her is diakonos, a term which Paul used to refer to ministers or leaders of a congregation and a word that he used to describe Jesus? Also the original Greek also used the name Junia in Romans 16:7. However, interpreters changed the name to Junias refusing to believe that there could be a women apostle. Is the women's ministry in the church really limited or are we imposing our will on God's word? Also the word that is used to describe women as helpers in the original Hebrew does not have a subordinate meaning? 17 out of the 20 times the work kenegdo is used it is used to describe God as our helper. This does not mean that the passages in 1st Corinthians and 1st Timothy are not applicable or contrary to God's word. If you read through the whole passage in 1st Corinthians 14 it appears that when it says women should remain silent it is referring to them being disruptive in services. And a complete review of 1st Timothy shows that the church there was filled with false doctrines and that there were many problems among the women. It could be that because of these problems Paul is prohibiting women from having a leadership role. This would fit with the rest of scripture passages where women do have a teaching or leadership role. These passages could simply be instructions on how to deal with specific problems. Could it be that as Peter says in 2 Peter 3:15,16 that people are having a hard time understanding Paul's writings and that they are distorting them? Is the church had problems understanding Paul over 1900 years ago then how much more all these years later. I believe that when studying God's word, before forming opinions and beliefs we must refer to the Bible as a whole and consult with the Holy Spirit for guidance. So it is my opinion that the role of women in the church is not restricted in any way except for in certain situations where the women as a whole are having severe spiritual problems. If I were to be persuaded that the role of women in the church is limited then I would need answers on the questions I posed above.
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