By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
Before the turn of the 19th Century this question was perhaps not even contemplated in the Christian traditions because churches across all denominations were unquestioningly led by men at the time. Today the ecclesial topologies have radically changed so that even among orthodox or conservative churches such as Anglicans and Presbyterians, women have been ordained as church ministers.
Some Evangelical traditions have been cautious on female ordination while others have flatly rejected the clamor for reforms to this end. I am aware that the issue of female ordination or church rule is quite divisive. I intend to approach my answer to the above question purely on what I can discern from my study of the Scriptures. This article therefore conveys my personal view on this question.
BIBLICAL ANALYSIS
Let us begin by examining one of the leading passages of Scripture that perhaps holds the crux of the question.
My view is that there are two notable grounds that underlie the interpretation of this scripture text. Either Scripture does not permit women believers to teach or rule church congregations or that married women should not teach or rule if their husbands are present with them in the congregation. Some consider the latter position as a basis for excluding single or widowed women from the restriction.
One cardinal rule of Scripture interpretation is to examine the context of the Scripture passage. Our passage of context lies in 1 Timothy 2:1-15 where Paul was giving the Ephesian believers instructions on appropriate decorum in congregational worship gatherings. A brief survey through this passage would therefore be appropriate.
Paul first emphasizes on the significance of prayer in the Christian community (vv. 1-5). He observes that prayer should be offered for all men generally and specifically for those in authority (v. 2). He then marks out the pivotal position that Christ occupies in God's divine order. Jesus is described as the mediator [High Priest] between man and God. The ultimate purpose of prayer is to connect or reconcile sinful men to a holy God (vv. 5-6). Paul observes that this mediation resonates with his calling as an apostle to the Gentiles (v. 7). Notice the three key offices that Paul occupied as preacher, apostle, and teacher.
One may perhaps consider the opening statement as Paul's justification for the critical instruction that he was about to convey. Some may also construe it as a defense of his apostolic authority that some had doubted or questioned. Both persuasions are valid.
The mention of two heretics in the preceding passage of 1 Tim. 1:19-20 is perhaps significant to the passage context. It appears that Hymenaeus and Alexander taught that the resurrection of believers had already taken place (cf. 2 Timothy 2:17). Alexander [if he was the same teacher mentioned in both texts of Scripture] had resisted Paul's ministry on another occasion (2 Timothy 4:14). Both heretics were excommunicated by Paul.
Now back to our passage of context.
The next section of the Scripture passage provides specific guidelines on worship in the New Testament church (1 Timothy 2:8-12). This is consistent with Paul's various instructions on the appointment of church leaders which he later outlines in greater detail (1 Timothy 3:1-13).
By raising holy hands, men are to worship God with purity of hearts and in faith (1 Timothy 2:9). The word "everywhere" suggests that all congregations in Ephesus or all churches in Paul's apostolic see were contemplated in this context. If we consider that this context applied to all New Testament churches, Paul's instructions would hinge on the universality of the application of the teachings of this passage.
The next address is directed to Christian women. This teaching concludes the passage (1 Timothy 2:9-12). Women are instructed on modest or seemly dressing (1 Timothy 2:9-10). The negations are spelt out in detail. Some scholars say that temple prostitutes dedicated to the worship of goddess Diana (Greek: Artemis) in Ephesus dressed expensively to attract men and there was fear that Christian women would be sending confusing signals to men if they adopted the pattern.
This "dress-code" instruction has been cited by some as evidence of the local application of the teaching given its cultural import.
The second instruction to women is perhaps the most controversial of all Paul's teachings in the passage. 1 Timothy 2:11-13 says:
The next verse carries the famous prohibition on Christian women from teaching or ruling men in the congregation. It is instructive that the Greek word γυνή [goo-nay] for "woman" can also refer to "wife". Instead, apostle Paul teaches that women should be in quietness. Some have attempted to water down the theological implications of this text by arguing that only Christian husbands were contemplated by Paul. They insist that not all male believers were the subject of the exhortation in this context. My view is that it may perhaps matters little whether we translate the ancient Greek male noun ἀνήρ [aner] as "man" or "husband". The Greek word ἄνθρωπος [anthropos] can also refer to a person or mankind in general. The context of Paul's exhortation suggests that male believers were in contemplation in either case. I am therefore hesitant to resort to splitting hairs in this context!
"It is possible for discoveries and advances in society to challenge a long-held interpretation of Scripture…As the industrial revolution and the first waves of what would become the Woman’s Liberation Movement swept through the West, for the first time ever women were given a chance to show their comparable intelligence and capacity to men. Instead of seeing this as a threat, this is in fact an opportunity for us to revisit Scripture itself with the question: what have we been missing all along" [1]
LOCAL VERSUS UNIVERSAL APPLICATION OF THE RULES
The above Scripture passages raises a number of fundamental questions. Did Paul intend a local or universal application for his teaching? Was Paul's instructions exclusively intended for the Ephesian, Corinthian, and Cretan believers in their respective contexts? Is the local application context consistent with the holistic teaching of Scripture?
For starters, it would create a hopeless contradiction with what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:5, which indicates that women were “praying and prophesying” in the church. Paul doesn’t rebuke their praying and prophesying in church. On the contrary, he gives them instructions on how to do it in the right way—in a way that allows them to speak but that at the same time honors male headship. [4]
With respect to the issue of women’s public leadership, there are good theological reasons to insist that we should be guided by Paul’s vision of Christian worship in which the gifts of the Spirit are given to all members of the church, men and women alike, for the building up of the community. The few New Testament texts that seek to silence women (such as 1 Cor. 14:34–35, and 1 Tim. 2:11–15) should not be allowed to override this vision. [5]
Denny Burk observes that Kays' egalitarian approach violates the inspiration of the two texts since it implies that the reader should choose which between the two texts rightly conveys the mind of God in this context. Kays' observation nevertheless brings to the fore the open contradiction that would arise from the implications of a literal treatment of the "absolute prohibition" on the silence of women in the church. God cannot assign spiritual gifts to women and silence them at the same time!
D. A. Carson in advocating against a woman teaching in the church argues that Paul's instruction on the silence of women implies that while women may prophecy, they may not participate in the judgment of prophecies. [6]. Carson's argument is however informed by the complementarian view - that women should exercise the gift of prophecy with utmost care lest they contradict male authority in the church. It is intended to assert the male headship principle in the strictest sense.
It is difficult to comprehend how this violation would arise given that unlike the New Testament church situation, the sealed cannon of Scripture became available to the church following its canonization by the Council of Carthage in 397 AD. Besides, Evangelic traditions generally agree that prophetic foretelling was effectively closed and the congregational exhortation, admonition and edification of God's people through the word of God constitutes prophetic forthtelling - speaking the truth of God for the present moments rather than predicting future events. The preacher therefore reveals the mind of God to his hearers in each particular context based on the revelation and authority of Scripture. Scripture cautions that believers are to judge every preaching or teaching in line with the Berea principle. My view is that this noble task falls on all believers without gender distinctions.
The text of Scripture therefore remains the basis for the objective evaluation of the faithfulness of any teaching in church. Having dispensed with the theological implications of the "silence" prohibition, we shall now examine Paul's arguments on God's divine order for leadership in the church.
There are three theological implications that naturally flow from the study of the above texts.
First, Paul appeals to the law in 1 Corinthians 14:34. Which law is this? Some scholars have suggested that Paul was making reference to the Jewish law in general to provide a precedent or justification for its application within the cultural context. Others tie Paul's instruction to the Roman law under which women had limited public roles. They argue that Paul sought to align the church to existing social customs in order to preserve order.
Secondly, Paul's reference to the creation order in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 is replicated in the Ephesian context. Notice that Paul appeals to the order of creation in the concluding section of our passage of context. 1 Timothy 2:13 says in part: "...For Adam was formed then Eve..."
Thirdly, Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 11:16 suggests that his instructions were intended for universal application. He argues that it was a universal custom in all churches that women are to be subject to male authority. The teaching on covering the head was simply a confirmation of God's order of rule. It is further evident in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 that women were not eligible for appointment to the offices of elder and deacon. This is also amplified in Titus 1:6-9, a text intended for the Christian community in the Island of Crete.
CONCLUSION
Back to our question...Does the Bible forbid women from teaching and ruling a church congregation? This concluding section conveys my personal reflection drawn from my study of the relevant passages of Scripture. I wish to break down my response to this question as follows:
1) Should women rule or preside over a church congregation?
My view is that a church congregation ought to be ruled by spiritually mature male believers. Novices or recent converts are not permitted to exercise spiritual authority in the church (1 Timothy 3:6). However, if peradventure no mature male believers are available, or those present are unwilling to lead, my view is that mature Christian women with leadership skills may hold brief until the incapacity is rectified. They should disciple men and equip them to lead. I can distill this principle from Acts 18:24-28 where Apollos was mentored by a faithful Christian couple called Priscilla and Aquila. Some scholars consider the prominence of Priscilla to have been asserted by Luke, given the order of names in some Bible translations.
Some have labelled this approach as the Deborah principle because Deborah, the only female judge and prophetess, was compelled to step into battle when Barak was reluctant to lead Israel to battle without Deborah accompanying him (Judges 4:8-9). The pair sung a beautiful doxology in Judges 5 in celebration of their teamwork. Barak is however mentioned in the hall of heroes in Hebrews 11.
2) Should women preach in a church congregation?
My view is that since women can proclaim Christ in the same way that men can, nothing in Scripture forbids a woman from speaking or preaching in a church congregation or exercising her spiritual gifts provided that she does not rule the congregation (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). This interpretation has been accepted by some Evangelical traditions as a compromise position under which women can serve as pastors in churches without violating 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9 and other relevant passages of Scripture that exclude women from serving as elders or overseers. Other traditions identify Matthew 28:19-20 as a composite command for all believers irrespective of gender. Still others consider Mary Magdalene's encounter with the Risen Christ at the tomb as evidence that women are empowered to proclaim the gospel unhindered (John 20:11-18).
I am further persuaded that gifted women should be permitted to serve in the church provided that they submit to male oversight authority in accordance with Scripture (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-7). Their pastoral ordination or licensing certificates should, in my view, contain a submission clause conveying this caveat. In this way, female pastors will faithfully serve Christ without violating Scripture. I am aware that sections of conservative Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions will sharply disagree with this position.
3) Should women be ordained as overseers or bishops of a church congregation or communion?
While each denomination or tradition has its set of regulations by which they run their churches, my view is that it is unbiblical to install a woman as bishop or principal overseer of a Christian congregation or church communion. This would violate several texts and passages of Scripture (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:23; 1 Timothy 2:12-14: Titus 1:6-9). My view is that it is difficult to relegate express commands of Scripture to silence under the quest of gender inclusivity. Again, I am aware that some Christian traditions would sharply disagree with this view.
4) Can a woman serve as a church elder?
Scripture expressly disqualifies a Christian woman from serving as a church elder (Titus 1:6-7; 1 Timothy 3:1-7). Christian women, whether single or married, are therefore not eligible to serve in that capacity. Some churches consider the wives of elders as deaconesses because they minister to elders. This discretion however appears to violate the restrictions outlined in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Shalom
[2] Tom Sculthorpe, "Book Review on Terran Williams, How God Sees Women: The End of Patriarchy" in Eikon: A Journal for Biblical Anthropology, in The Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, https://cbmw.org/journal/book-review-terran-williams-how-god-sees-women-the-end-of-patriarchy/
[3] Thomas Schreiner, "The Ministries of Women in the Context of Male Leadership," in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006), 222.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment