Women Preachers?

Question

I have read in the bible that women are to be silent in worship and that they should never be in the situation where they are preaching to men. I found an example of this in the o.t. but can not find it in the n.t. is it then still not right for a woman to preach if it is not stated in the n.t.? not sure if I'm just not looking in the right place.

Thank you it was 1 Corinthians 14:34 I was looking for!

Answer 1

From 1 Corinthians (ESV Translation)
1Co 14:34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.
1Co 14:35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

The instructions which Paul is giving to the Corinthian saints do not apply to them alone. These are the same instructions that have been addressed to all the churches of the saints. The uniform testimony of the NT is that while women have many valuable ministries, it is not given to them to have a public ministry to the whole church. They are entrusted with the unspeakably important work of the home and of raising children. But they are not allowed to speak publicly in the assembly. Theirs is to be a place of submission to the man. This rule is positive, explicit, and universal. There is no ambiguity in the expressions; and there can be no difference of opinion, one would suppose, in regard to their meaning.

The expression as the law also says has reference to the woman's being submissive to the man. This is clearly taught in the law, which here probably means the Pentateuch primarily. Gen_3:16, for instance, says “your desire shall be for your husband. And he shall rule over you.”

It is often contended that what Paul is forbidding in this verse is for the women to chatter or gossip while the service is going on. However, such an interpretation is not supportable. The word here translated speak (laleo) did not mean to chatter in Koine Greek. The same word is used of God in verse 21 of this chapter, and in Heb_1:1. It means to speak authoritatively.

14:35 Indeed, women are not permitted to ask questions publicly in the church. If they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands at home. Some women might try to evade the previous prohibition against speaking by asking questions. It is possible to teach by the simple act of questioning others. So this verse closes any such loophole or objection.

There is, therefore, no inconsistency between the argument in 1 Cor. 11: and the statement here; and the force of the whole is, that on every consideration it was improper, and to be expressly prohibited, for women to conduct the devotions of the church. It does not refer to those only who claimed to be inspired, but to all; it does not refer merely to acts of public preaching, but to all acts of speaking, or even asking questions, when the church is assembled for public worship.

No rule in the New Testament is more positive than this; and however plausible may be the reasons which may be urged for disregarding it, and for suffering women to take part in conducting public worship, yet the authority of the apostle Paul is positive, and his meaning cannot be mistaken; compare 1Ti_2:11-12.

If it is asked how this applies to an unmarried woman or a widow, the answer is that the Scriptures do not try to take up each individual case, but merely set forth general principles. If a woman does not have a husband, she could ask her father, her brother, or one of the elders of the church. Actually, this may be translated, “Let them ask their men-folks at home.” The basic rule to be remembered is that it is shameful for women to speak in church.

14:36 Apparently the Apostle Paul realized that his teaching here would cause considerable contention. How right he was! To meet any arguments, he uses irony in verse 36 by asking: Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? In other words, if the Corinthians professed to know more about these matters than the apostle, he would ask them if they, as a church, produced the word of God, or if they were the only ones who had received it. By their attitude they seemed to set themselves up as an official authority on these matters. But the facts are that no church originated the word of God, and no church has exclusive rights to it.

14:37 In connection with all the foregoing instructions, the apostle here emphasizes that they are not his own ideas or interpretations, but that they are the commandments of the Lord, and any man who is a prophet of the Lord or who is truly spiritual will acknowledge that that is the case. This verse is a sufficient answer to those who insist that some of Paul's teachings, especially those concerning women, reflected his own prejudices. These matters are not Paul's private view; they are the commandments of the Lord.

We all have roles in life. Christ the Son, the Second Person of the Trinitarian God, accepted His functional role as secondary to God the Father. But nowhere did Christ give up his ontological role as being fully God the Son. Likewise, men and women have roles defined by God in this life, but nowhere is God expecting us to give up our common humanity.

I recommend you review the following excellent website to learn more about women and the bible:

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/femalex.html

Answer 2

Good question!! I was asking that same thing to myself, but here are two passages in the new testament about women not being allowed to preach to men (of course women can preach to women because there is a verse in the bible where it says that women can preach to women, but not women teaching and/or preaching to men). Women can preach to women, women can teach their kids at home (because the bible commands it!) but when it comes to their husbands or other men, she cant just go up in front of a pulpit and teach the men, take the communion service, lead the congregation, etc…that position is to be done by a man that God has ordained for the pastor. So it would be really wrong if I got up and started teaching/preaching to men because its against the word of God.

I Corinthians 14:34-35
The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.

1Timothy 2:12
But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

There could be other verses as well, but these are the two that are most familiar to me.....God Bless!

Answer 3

According to Jesus and pauls explanation of headship the man was created as the spiritual leader within the congragation and the family.

In the bible woman are recognized with many strengths and additions to serving god with in the congragation and the family, just not preaching from the podium.
The bible says that the woman of god are a "large army" in sharing the good news of gods kingdom and helping many to come to an accurate knowledge of the bible and gods standards.

Answer 4

You are referring to 1 Cor 14:34 in the New Testament.

Answer 5

Women are not to teach in the church paul talked about it and so did timothy. In Corinthians he says how women have to be silent in church and In 1 timothy 2:11-12 it says clearly
"11A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
There it is! Women preachers on TBN are in great sin.

Now to teach the truth here is different and to teach my kids or Sunday school is different to a point. But to get up in a pulpit and teach men is wrong. AND I am a woman!

Answer 6

The reason Paul said women shouldn't talk in church is because when they were Jews the men would be taught stuff about God and the women wouldn't. Well, now that they're Christians and men and women could worship together, the women would sometimes blurt out in the middle of worship with a question that their husband could answer for them later. So Paul suggested they just wait if the don't know what the preacher is talking about.

In different letters Paul greets many women who he calls "co-workers" and even greets some husband and wife couples with the wife's name first. Paul liked the idea of women preachers.

Answer 7

I've Found the answer, using the NavPress Wordsearch software.
Apparently certain women in the Corinthian assembly (who Paul was writing to, in Corinth) needed to hear this refrain. More than uncovered heads were amiss in regard to their participation in worship services (11:2-16), and Paul was not about to dodge the problem.
Hope I Helped
God Bless

Answer 8

Paul was not telling us that women should be silent...he was quoting the people of Corinth, and questioning them on this issue.

Paul was responding to a letter he received from the people of Corinth when he wrote the book of Cor. We see many clear examples of this throughout Paul's writings, but for what ever reason intentional or not, 1 Cor. 14:34-35 has been included as Paul's own words instead of a quote.

We can be sure these two verses were not from Paul because he says women are to "be in silence and full submission as the law says"

Paul was an expert in the law, so he knew with 100% certainty that the law said no such thing. So If these were his words, he would be lying about the law intentionally.

After quoting this issue, Paul immediately questions the people of Corinth in verse 36...

"What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?"KJV

And to further assure us that verses 34-35 weren't from Paul, he concludes by saying....

"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues."

including "sisters" as those who should be eager to prophesy should erase all doubt as to rather or not Paul agreed the people of Corinth.

If Paul was silencing women, it would put him at odds with what the Old and New Testament had already established about women speaking on God's behalf.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter himself confirmed what the prophet Joel had said in Joel 2:28-32

17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy."
Acts 2:17-18

it is clear that both men and women will prophesy after God poured out his Spirit on the day of Pentecost. We are to be as one, with no divisions, God's Spirit works in all the same....he didn't give less of his Spirit to women, nor would he ever ask anyone to not speak his word. God will always make sense.

for more on this issue see truth-about-god.com

Answer 9

I read a very interesting article on this subject and its true origins (yes, it's in the Bible, but when did it appear, who really wrote it, and for what purpose?) It is believed that the Corinthians passages you refer to are a later addition to text, not Paul's original words, and were there to reinforce later church doctrine.

Answer 10

1 Corithians 14 : 33 - 35