With the advent of the feminist movement, the role of women in 
all parts of society has come under increasing scrutiny. One area of 
recent controversy is the role of women in the Christian Church. Some 
churches whose traditions and practices are less rigidly tied to 
Biblical doctrines have begun placing women in leadership positions 
such as pastor or teacher. Other churches which interpret the Bible 
more literally have been slow to adopt such changes. Much of the 
confusion is based on attempts to interpret scriptures pertaining to 
women. In this essay, we will use the Bible to understand the role of 
women in the church of the first century and apply that understanding 
to the church of the twentieth century.

      Many people would dispute the Bible's relevance to contemporary 
thought in general, and in particular to the role of women in worship. 
If the Bible were not written under divine inspiration, a person or 
practice is not bound by its teachings. He or she can therefor pick 
and choose whatever corresponds to his/her point of view. However, if 
the Bible is of divine inspiration, then a cautious consideration of 
passages relevant to a particular issue must be undertaken. Traditions 
and customs that have arisen after the Bible was written may thus be 
carefully scrutinized. Such practices may or may not prove sound after 
comparison with scripture.

      Before we discuss specific issues concerning women in worship, 
we should consider principles derived from the relationship of Adam 
and Eve as described in Genesis chapter one. The Apostle Paul 
frequently uses this passage as a guideline when discussing women and 
women's issues. Genesis 1 verse 27 states: "So God created man in his 
own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he 
created them." Most Commentators agree that man and woman are both 
equally a reflection of God's image; the word "man" here is used as a 
synonym for humanity. Adam and Eve were also given joint dominion over 
creation. But the fact that Adam was created before Eve has 
significance to Paul and other Old Testament scholars; it signifies 
role distinction between the two sexes. The role of the man is 
leadership, while the role of woman is as a source of strength and 
support. In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul states: "For the husband 
is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. . ." 
(Eph. 5:23) This is an important analogy. If a person wants to 
understand the Christian authority of a man over his wife, he must 
consider how Christ demonstrated his leadership as head over the 
Church. Primarily, he gave his life for his church, not using force or 
coercion for her submission. When considering mens and woman's 
ministry in the church, it is important to keep in mind this role 
distinction.

      Lets examine the public ministry of women in the Church. Two 
major passages give specific instructions regarding women during 
worship in the letters of the Apostle Paul. These two passages are 
used frequently when denying women a public role in church life. The 
first is in I Corinthians chapter 14 verses 33 - 35, this passage 
commands women to be silent during worship service. Similarly but with 
more details, I Timothy 2 verses 8 - 15 not only contains a command to 
be silent but also instruction on authority along with a reference to 
the fall of Adam and Eve for further explanation. Here is the passage 
in its entirety using the NIV (New International Version) Bible 
translation:

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger 
or disputing. I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and 
propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive 
clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to 
worship God. A women should learn in quietness and full submission. I
do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she 
must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not 
the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a 
sinner. But women will be kept safe through childbirth, if they 
continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. 

      A woman raised in the U.S. in this day and age, reading the 
letter for the first time, may be quite taken aback by its apparent
chauvinism. However, there are some specific historical and cultural 
references that must be taken into account when considering the 
meaning and intent of this passage. First of all, this was a letter 
written by Paul to a young preacher named Timothy. Timothy was 
presumably preaching at the church in the city of Ephesus. Paul starts 
out the letter by telling him to stay in Ephesus and correct false 
teachers who were creating a disruption in the church. Various 
commentators have tried to recreate some of the heresies of these 
false teachers. This can be a difficult task since there is not a 
record of exactly what was being said, so only remarks made in the 
text itself can give a clue. One probable heresy was the idea of 
asceticism as a way to achieve spirituality. The ascetic practices 
being recommended consisted of; abstinence from certain foods, from 
marriage, and sex. Add to all of this physical training as an 
additional means of spirituality. It was thought that through these 
practices, one could achieve something akin to heaven on earth. In 
other words, there was possibly a denial of a future physical 
resurrection being taught in favor of a spiritual one that could be 
achieved in their present lifetimes. It seems also from Paul's remarks 
that many women in the church had been converted to this message and 
they were being persuaded to renounce their traditional roles in favor 
of a more egalitarian way of life in line with their new-found 
spirituality. This would explain the strong words Paul makes in 
reference to Eve, reminding the women that she was indeed led into 
sin, and that bearing children and raising them was a good thing, not 
unspiritual as they were being taught. 

      Yet, the other parts of this passage that admonish women not to 
teach and not to have authority over a man have been agreed upon by 
many, if not most, commentators to have timeless application; the 
words and grammar in Greek do not lend themselves to any cultural 
reference. The teaching that Paul is concerned about here is 
specifically the truths of the faith while the authority in question 
refers to women in governing or leadership positions of the church. 

      But, before making conclusions on a Biblical truth it is 
important to see if the truth holds fast throughout the whole of 
scripture. Let's consider some other passages. In Galations 3 verse 
28, Paul states: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male
nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Some commentators 
have suggested that this teaching could have had some influence in the 
false teachings that were encountered in Ephesus and Corinth in regard 
to women. Christ himself taught that in the afterlife, men and women 
would not be given in marriage and they would be like the angels. 
Thus, the women were being encouraged, by some misguided teachers, to 
renounce their traditional roles. Without taking this radical extreme, 
the modern reader is at least inclined to ask what it means that men 
and women are one in Christ Jesus? It must certainly mean that there 
is not one sex inferior to the other.

      Beyond this, their are clear examples in the book of Acts that 
may shed some light by way of documented practice, on the command not 
to have authority over men. First of all, there were prophetess's. In 
Acts 21: 8 - 9, Philip, one of the seven deacons, is said to have four 
daughters who prophesied. Prophesying was not primarily divination of 
the future but also the conveying of Gods Word to his people, i. e. 
teaching. Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 11: 4 - 5 Paul states, "Every 
woman who prays or prophesies. . ." Clearly women in Corinth were 
praying and prophesying during the worship service. There is also the
case of Precilla and Aquila described in Acts Chapter 18. Many 
Commentators feel it is significant that whenever this couple are 
mentioned in the Bible, Precilla, the women, is mentioned first 
because of her great knowledge. It appears that they worked together 
as a teaching team and their effectiveness is demonstrated when they 
taught Apollos "the ways of the Lord more adequately" (Acts 18: 26). 
Apollos is described as a learned man who came to Ephesus and began 
teaching from the scriptures in a knowledgeable way although lacking 
in one of the fundamental teachings. Another Case in point is a 
business woman named Lydia who lived in Philippi. She accepted the 
Gospel message from Paul and Silas while at a place of prayer.
After this incident is recorded, a strong church is mentioned in 
Philippi later in the Bible. We can only surmise that she played a
significant part in the growth of this church, since no men were 
initially converted.

      These passages all call into question the real nature of the 
moratorium on teaching and the meaning of no authority mentioned in
1st Timothy. That women were teaching men is obvious, although at 
times they may have been co-teaching with male teachers. The case of 
the prophetess's is also compelling because although most churches do 
not recognize prophecy as being a modern gift, teaching certainly is 
and this was one of the important functions of a prophet.

      Some Commentators in discussing women's ministry in the New 
Testament have brought to light the customs of the day regarding 
women. Paul's main concern was the spread of the Gospel and that the 
message could be made attractive in every way. For this reason Paul 
encourages women in other passages to continue observing social 
customs such as the wearing of a veil; otherwise people might 
criticize them as loose or immoral and belittle the Gospel message. 
This is, I believe, a valid thought not only in 1st century times but 
in our culture today. Consider, for example, what non believing women 
in the US think upon entering a Christian assembly for the first time 
and seeing a service that appears to be run completely by men? They 
may conclude that women are being suppressed and that the gospel 
message makes women inferior to men. 

      In conclusion, we can say that although there is no sanction in 
scripture for women to take roles of leadership, public ministry
and teaching are not as clearly forbidden and a degree of latitude in 
interpretation is warranted. More importantly, if women are not 
allowed to have a voice or some kind of input, the church could be 
loosing a valuable resource. If a husband does not consider his wives 
thoughts and ideas as being important or valid, his family is surely 
incomplete, dysfunctional and doomed to failure. Therefore, as the 
church strives to realize Gods purpose for women, we must remember the 
truths of the scripture and apply them to our present day culture. 
This will allow men and women to present the Christian message to our 
world in the most powerful way. That is exactly what the Apostle Paul 
desired along with all of the New Testament leaders and it is what
we should desire as we consider the path of the modern church.