What are your views about the role of women in the church?

Question

"These heretical woman, how audacious they are. I mean they, they teach, they baptize, they preach, they do all kinds of things they shouldn't do. It's horrible, in short." Tertullian?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/roles.html

Why shouldn't there be equality?

Answer 1

Personally, and I'm sure there are those who would argue, I prefer to follow the lead of God / Jesus in important matters. First, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary first.....not Joseph. The first person Jesus appeared to after His Resurrection was Mary M., not Peter or John or any of the other men. Apparently God values women and their contribution. Imagine that!

Answer 2

Without having to assume that those the New Testament calls men were actually women, we have plenty of New testament evidence for women's ministry in the church. Peter, in his sermon explaining the introduction of the New Covenant (Acts chapter 2), quotes Joel's prophecy saying that young women would prophecy. Then later in the book of Acts we learn that Phillip's daughters were all prophetesses. In 1st Corinthians 11, there are instructions as to a woman's demeanor when prophesying or praying in public services: they should have their heads covered. The reason for that was that in Corinth, the sacred prostitutes of the pagan temple were the only ones who wore no veil and their heads shaved. So Paul was objecting to the fact that some women were imitating their appearance, giving a wrong message. He did make it clear though that it was normal for women to have a public ministry.
On the other hand we do have texts showing the general leadership of men. One of our problems in the church today is that men are not taking their places, and women have to fill in for them.
EDIT:
Well said, Rainbow. Don't settle for less.
EDIT again:
The first person to announce the resurrection of Jesus, was Mary of Magdala. So she was the first evangelist! Also Priscilla and Aquila together took Apollos aside and taught him the Gospel.
EDIT again: Cowgirl, there is no place in the Bible where it says that women should let men do the talking while they pray in their hearts. That is the interpretation of some preacher.
Also, in Galatians, we learn that in Christ there is neither "Gentile nor Jew, neither man nor woman".

Answer 3

Women are not valued. We are the backbone of the Church. Generally women are the ones that make sure thier childrens receive religious education. We are the worker bees. But Lord forbid we try to take a leadership role, then we are stepping out of our bounds.

But this is not a reflection of the church as much as a reflection of society. I could replace the word "Church" with any other noun and what I said applies. Work, Home, Politics, Religion, Healthcare...and its the same.

The fact is men do not like to share power. As long as we maintain our place its all good, but try to move into the realm of power, then suddenly we are heretics. Look at Hillary Clinton.

Answer 4

Because Paul wrote a few choice verses of the bible that are nearly always taken out of context to justify the oppression or domination of women within the church.

I honestly do not understand why there shouldn't be equality. Especially when you consider that most churches only exist because Women are more likely than men to get up on Sunday mornings (or whenever services are held) and actually GO to church. Without women there would be no congregation to speak of at all for the vast majority of churches in the US. And there certainly wouldn't be anyone willing to volunteer to teach Sunday school, provide child care services, clean the place up, and organize lunches and other get togethers.

Women are just as capable as men in leading within a church.

~Raja

Answer 5

Tertullian is ancient history. What he said no longer applies.

Christ has made women equal with men. There are many women leaders in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In marriage, women are to keep the order that God has instituted, that men are the head of the family & wives are to submit to their husbands - this is God's order for families, to ensure a happy & functional home. Christ used this same picture to describe the Church's role...to submit to Christ for He is the Head of the Church (NOT the pope, mind you!). Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loves the Church and gave His life for it.

Answer 6

Kjelstad, how am I my own worst nightmare when I'm not the one going around raping men and forcing them to have sex in order to stay with me?
How I am my own worst enemy when I don't rack up on porn magazines and videos and hide it behind some guy's back?
How am I my own worst enemy when I am not the one to take away the guy's right to having his thoughts and feelings and when I don't tell him in any way, shaep, or form he's NOT allowed equal say in things?
How am I my own worst enemy when I go hang out with the girls and I make any guy I used to be with have to stay home?

When far more women than men do the above mentioned, then we'll talk!

I'll HAPPILY stay unmarried until I find a guy who know how to respect women and won't try to be my master, but desires to have me as his equal 50/50 partner instead. I know these Prince Charming Christian men exist! Not all of them think of women the same as you!

As for you, glade b, thank you sweetie! ;-)

Answer 7

Women should be able to fill whatever roles they want in their church, so far as their abilities allow (same goes for men, I've known a few ministers who had no business being in a leadership role).

However, Christians like to quote the words of one woman-hater in the bible rather than follow the example of the one they say they believe in.

Answer 8

There is equality in standing before God as his redeemed children. Equality does not mean that men and women are exactly alike or that God has not ordained specific roles for the sexes. An obvious example is that even though the Bible states...

Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

...it doesn't mean that men stop being men and women stop being women. Women are still the only members of the human race who can bear children if you see what I mean.

The Bible is clear that God has ordained an order where Jesus, while equal to the Father in divinity, is still subject to the Father and where women while "equal" with men are not to take the role of leadership in the church of God.

Sure, there can be exceptions when men don't come forward and take the lead like in the days of the Judges when Deborah had to accompany the cowardly Barak, but those are the exceptions and not the rule.

Answer 9

Women can do those things, if called by God. But men are to foremost in those roles, I do believe. Sometimes, men don't respond to the call of God and he calls a woman. There are definitely places for both men/women in the church. Just not the same roles @ the same time.

Answer 10

I will get a lot of slack for this...
Women in the church can be called to do all things EXCEPT pastor. Eve was not granted authority over her husband, and nowhere did God reverse the trend since.
Call me old fashioned, but I would rather seek the old paths and the good ways than try to "find ways" around God's Word (Jeremiah 6:16).