Woman Be Silent! Women’s Role in the Church

 

1 Timothy 2:12 – I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet.

A few months ago I was in a Bible study on Colossians 3:18-25. Verse 18 says, “Wives, submit to your husbands.” The teacher (who was, of course, a man) carefully explained that a wife’s submission to her husband is a picture of the church’s submission to Christ, and although the world disagrees, the wife’s duty to submit transcends cultural norms. After all, male superiority is part of the natural order of creation since man was created first and Eve was created for Adam. However, let’s look at the teacher’s rationale more carefully.

First, what about the woman’s submission as part of the natural order of creation? The teacher conveniently ignored the fact that Christ came to reverse the curse of sin, and female submission is part of the curse – after all, Eve was not told to submit to Adam until after they both had sinned. It’s true that Eve sinned first – I suppose someone had to be first! But in other scriptures Adam seems to carry the bulk of responsibility for sin. Romans 5:12 says that “sin came into the world through one man,” and 1 Corinthians 15:22 says that “in Adam all die.”

Second, what about female submission as a picture of the church’s submission to Christ? The teacher conveniently ran out of time before getting to Colossians 3:22 – “Slaves, obey your earthly masters.” Isn’t this also a picture of the church’s submission to Christ? If female submission transcends culture as a picture of the church’s submission to Christ, then doesn’t slavery also transcend culture? Christians are often referred to as “slaves” of Christ in the New Testament, and the Bible never condemns slavery. As a matter of fact, both female submission and slavery can be viewed as pictures of the church’s submission to Christ. But this does not prove that they are normative for all times and in all places.

Today’s generation of female-submission proponents are the same type of Christians who opposed the abolition of slavery 200 years ago. After all, slavery was established by God himself in the post-flood world (Genesis 9:25) and slavery is a beautiful picture of the church’s submission to Christ! Well, I don’t think most slaves would agree with that logic, and I don’t think most women agree with that rationale when it’s used against them.

The sexism and cultural irrelevance of the evangelical church leaves non-Christians smirking and shaking their heads. The church picks and chooses which scriptures to believe and which scriptures to ignore based on its own self-interest. “If I can find a verse that supports male superiority, then it must transcend culture, because I’m a male!” And thus the patriarchy continues to self-perpetuate. But just because you’re fooling yourself doesn’t mean you’re fooling anyone else. You can’t see the wart of inconsistency and hypocrisy on the end of your own nose, but everyone else can see it.

Another favorite passage of the patriarchy is 1 Corinthians 15:34, 35 – “Women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in submission … for it is dishonorable for a woman to speak in the church.”

Unfortunately for male dominance, there is significant doubt about the authenticity of these two verses. Many Bible scholars suggest that these verses were inserted into the text by over-zealous scribes who were trying to preserve male authority. There are various reasons for this suggestion, and scholars are by no means unanimous, but their concerns should make us hesitant to use the verses as a proof text.

In any case, we know that Paul approved of women teachers because 1 Corinthians 11:5 (of which there are no doubts regarding authenticity) says that “every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head …” So Paul recognized the legitimacy of women praying and prophesying in church, as long as they wore a head covering. The head covering is a separate issue, but few Christians today believe that the command for head coverings transcends culture.

And that brings us to the verse at the very top of this article. If Paul recognized the right of women to speak in church (1 Corinthians 11:5) then why did he tell them to be silent in 1 Timothy 2:11, 12? “A woman must learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet.” A couple of things can be said about this passage.

First, the Greek word “quietness” in verse 11 is the same word as “quiet” in verse 2 – “that we [men] may live peaceful and quiet lives.” So if women are to be “quiet” in church, then men are to be “quiet” in all areas of their lives. Perhaps a more reasonable interpretation of the word “quiet” would be something like peacefulness, diplomacy, and calmness, rather than absolute silence. Can a man live a quiet life while still speaking? If so, then a woman can preach and teach in a quiet manner.

Second, the Greek word for “man” is the same as that for “husband,” and the Greek word for “woman” is the same as that for “wife.” When Bible translators see these Greek words, they decide from the context whether to translate them as “man / woman” versus “husband / wife.” So 1 Timothy 2:11, 12 could just as correctly be translated, “A wife must learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a wife to teach or to exercise authority over a husband; she is to remain quiet.” In view of Paul’s discussion of Adam, Eve, and childbearing in subsequent verses, I think it’s likely that Paul is talking about the relationship between husband and wife in verses 11 and 12, rather than women’s role in the church.

But again – whether Paul is telling women to be quiet in church, or wives to be subject to husbands, he surely is commanding female submission in some form, isn’t he? Yes he is. But because of 1 Corinthians 11:5 and my other points above, I think female silence and submission is a first-century cultural expression of Christianity that does not extend to the 21st century. Paul recognized the equality of men and women (Galatians 3:28), and we see female prophets, apostles, and teachers elsewhere in the New Testament. But there was apparently some unique situation in Timothy’s church that caused Paul to back off from his position in Galatians and to ask women and wives to submit.

And therein lies the irony. Note that Paul acknowledges gender equality in Galatians, but he asks the women in Timothy’s church to step back and take a secondary role in view of the patriarchal nature of their society. In other words, he asks women to accommodate themselves to the expectations of their culture so that the gospel would not be hindered. He asks them to “become all things to all people so that they might by all means save some.”

But the church today hangs on to Paul’s instructions regarding women, which he gave in order to make the first-century church culturally relevant, and today’s church thus loses its cultural relevance! By following Paul’s instructions to the letter, we violate its intent. If Paul were writing today he would say in the same spirit, “Give women an equal role in the church, including speaking and leadership positions. That’s how you can make the gospel and the church relevant to your culture.”

Instead, the church (and by extension, Christianity) continues to lose ground because of its outmoded, patriarchal confusion between the essence of Christianity and its cultural expression. The church relegates itself to the fringes of society as it separates itself from the world – not on the basis of the gospel but on the basis of gender roles inherited from the dark ages.

Woman, be silent? No. Woman, let your voice heard! Speak up! Many of you (most of you?) are more gifted and qualified than our male teachers, preachers, and leaders. If your church won’t allow you to speak, then know that at least some of us support your right to be heard. And consider finding a less legalistic and more gospel-focused church where you can exercise your gifts rather than being suppressed. Remember that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17) and that “it is for freedom that Christ has set you free, so don’t let anyone subject you to bondage” (Galatians 5:1).