Women Pastors

There has always been a topic within churches and religions that perplexes me and that is the IDEA that women can't be pastors.  Right before I married Ross I had to have outpatient surgery, it was nothing big but still the last time I had been in a hospital was when I was born.  I was lucky enough to have never broken an arm or a leg or gash myself deep enough that I needed stitches.  I thought I was fine having the surgery until one of our pre-marital sessions with a pastor brought to light how upset I really was.  I had watched too much ER (remember that show!) and I was afraid that while my procedure was simple something would go wrong.  The pastor giving us the sessions showed up at the hospital, walked into the room, sat down next to me, took my hand, prayed with me and told me everything was going to be okay.  When I looked at the pastor I could see an aura surrounding the pastor's body. It was the most heavenly thing I had ever seen and the feeling of peace that come over me was overwhelmingly calm.   In my whole life (all 21 years at the time), I had never met anyone that I could say with absolute certainty had been touched by God.  Not only did this pastor preside over my marriage to Ross but attended our celebration as a friend.  Her name is Robin.

I now have another pastor in my life and this pastor is very encouraging, warm, open, accepting and has pushed me past the limits I thought I was capable of achieving.  When I think I have reached one level in my faith my pastor holds out a carrot and makes me work and push even more.  I have been given a confidence that I didn't even know I needed and a belief in myself that has transcended into all aspects of my life.  Her name is Carol.

I know different religions have different views on women being pastors and our church obviously allows women to be in leadership roles and encourages it.  But, I have people in my life that won't even attend our church because there is a woman pastor and when I was given an opportunity to fill in for our pastor awhile ago, I had friends who were more stunned than they were happy for me.  This has weighed on my mind for years and I finally decided to address the issue.

I will use the Old Testament and the New Testament to further my position and I mention this upfront because in arguments I have listened to and read the Old Testament is considered null and void. I disagree.  I don't believe you can have true faith without using both texts and accepting both texts.  As part of the Christian doctrine I believe in the Trinity.  The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.  The Father is God, Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God.  Without the teachings of the Old Testament we wouldn't have comprehension of the New Testament and Jesus was well aware of the importance of the past and how it dictated and encouraged his teachings.  Dismissing the teachings of the Old Testament is to dismiss the reasoning for God to walk the earth as Jesus and for him to continue to be a presence in our current lives as the Holy Spirit.

I will also preface that before I ever speak or write a verse I read everything surrounding it.  I encourage you to do the same if I only write one verse and, know that I never give a verse for verse argument.  The proper meaning of a verse lies in the message of the chapter containing it and most times chapters before and after. Also, all my verses come from the New Revised Standard Version.

When I started my research on this topic I found that there is ONE verse mainly used for this argument.  There are many verses that pertain to this type of subject matter but this is ONE verse that appears to be at the root:  1 Timothy 2:11-15 "

11 Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. 12 I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

There are many arguments that go with these verses.  "Man and Woman" are addressing "Husband and Wife" or "Man and Woman" are gender specific roles that need to be applied across the board. There is also debate in the translation of word "silence" and it actually meaning peaceful and the word used for "authority" was not defined as our modern use of the word. It was defined and used to mean something more vulgar.  To really get a look at what these verses are referring to and what Paul meant when we wrote the letter we need understand what  1 Timothy was about and the purpose for which the letter was written.

1 Timothy is considered a Pastoral Letter along with 2 Timothy and Titus.  These three letters are different from the rest of the letters written by Paul during his life. Questions over authorship have been raised about the letters because the style, tone and vocabulary are different than previous letters and the concepts of faith righteousness and being "In Christ" are examined differently. For our argument though, we will not question the authorship and view this letter as written by Paul.  Timothy is first mentioned in Acts 16:1-3,

1 Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Timothy and Paul's relationship was one of mentorship. Timothy traveled many places with Paul spreading the word of Christianity and doing mission work.  When Paul was leaving Ephesus he left Timothy to take care a problem that was taking over the church. 1 Timothy 1:3-7,

3 I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach any different doctrine, 4 and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith. 5 But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. 6 Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions.

Timothy's mission in Ephesus is very clear as is the reasoning behind writing this letter.  This letter was not a statement for all churches and how they were to be run but it was a letter written for this specific church and the need to make sure that false teachers were not spreading false information about faith. 

Going back to the original quote that has started this debate not only among different religions but also within religions themselves we will address these four verses with other text written by Paul to show that this was not a universal statement for women.  1 Timothy 2:11-15

 11 Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. 12 I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

Verse 11 and 12 state that women should learn in silence and have no authority over man.  That is not something that Paul believed in for all churches. In fact, in Acts and Romans when he mentions Priscilla and Aquila, Priscilla's name is always mentioned first.  It was very unusual that a woman's name would appear first and three out of the four time she is mentioned her name comes first (1C 16:19, her name is noted after her husband).  Acts 18:18-28 tells the story of how Priscilla and Aquila traveled with Paul to Ephesus while there they came across a Jew named Apollos who was well-versed in the scriptures.  He only knew of the baptism of John so Priscilla and Aquila "took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately" (v 28).  It wasn't just Aqulia who taught Apollos but it was Priscilla as well. In Romans (Chp 16) Paul says "Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus, and who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. At the end of Romans (Chp 16) Paul also asks that the Christian Romans greet Phoebe who is a deacon in the church at Cenchrea that they "welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints (apostles), and help her in whatever she may require from you,". Paul also mentions Andronicus and Junia as relatives who were in prison with him and are "prominent among the apostles and they were in Christ before I was.".  Junia was a woman who was not just in high standing with the apostles but was an apostle herself.

 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 also address the issue of women in silence, the same as Timothy,

34 women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

What is important to acknowledge is the verses that follow, 36 and 37,

36 Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones it has reached?) 37 Anyone who claims to be a prophet, or to have spiritual powers, must acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord.

Using the word OR indicates that Paul wasn't necessarily stating that women couldn't speak in church but more addressing a statement that had been made by the church.  Paul states the position on women and the says "Or did the word of God originate with you?", meaning did God speak this to you or is the a human law.  Paul is very careful in his letters to state what is the Law, the Law of God, not the Law of Humans. He continues stating that if you claim to be a prophet then you must acknowledge that his words have been commanded by God.  Given when this letter was written, prior to his letter to the Romans and knowing that Priscilla and Phoebe are members of this church, it would be very uncharacteristic of Paul to make a blanket statement that women would have to be silent in church.  It is also noteworthy to point out that only married women are being address here.

Verses 13, 14 and 15 address the fall of Adam and Eve.  This particular statement is contradictory in the way the Paul address the fall where he places the transgressions on Adam and not Eve.  Using Eve in this purpose may indicate that the women were more easily deceived by the false teachers at the church in Ephesus.  In Romans, Paul specifically writes about Adam and Christ compares the relationship by claiming that Adam brought sin into the world through his one transgression and Jesus brought redemption to all through his one act of righteousness.  He doesn't even mention Eve's role in the fall (Romans 5:12-21, please read). Paul is making a huge comparison here between Adam and Jesus and their roles, it is a very profound passage and it would be hard to believe that Paul would completely change his opinion on the matter for the Church as whole.  He was most likely comparing the women in Ephesus to Eve, not women everywhere.

Women have always been very important in the ministry of God during the Old Testament. Judges 4 & 5 tell the story of Deborah and her command of Barak and their battle against a strong Canaanite force.  The Book of Ester tells the story of a Queen standing up to her husband to stop the persecution of her people (Jews) and her command of the death of Haman.  In 2 Kings 22:11-20 King Josiah directed his men to seek the word of the Lord concerning the book of Law that had been found in the house or the Lord.  It was Huldah who spoke the words of the Lord and confirmed the book of Law.  Through her affirmative words King Josiah made a covenant to the Lord to keep his commandments, decrees and statutes.

Women are also highly regarded in ministry in the New Testament as well, as mentioned above.  Throughout the OT and the NT there are numerous verses that put women in equality with men when it comes to speaking the word of the Lord and taking one section of a passage and using that as a reasoning for saying women don't belong behind the pulpit does a disservice to those who have been given a gift to speak and educate those who don't understand the bible.  When making pronouncements based on the bible it is important to read everything that is surrounding the verses and comprehend why passages where written in the first place. 

Women are a gift in the life of the church and it has been women pastors that have affected my life the most and I am insulted when I am told that women don't belong in leadership in the church and they should "learn in silence."