Other Books at Freedom's Ring

Chapter 18

Important Questions

Does anyone believe women are less intelligent than men?

Does anyone believe women are less articulate than men?

Does anyone believe women are inferior teachers, readers, singers, speakers, or organizers than men?

Does anyone believe God would allow men and women to remain ignorant of His grace just because no man was present to teach or preach about it?

Does anyone believe the Bible prohibits a godly, mature Christian woman from teaching a class just because a baptized twelve-year-old boy is present?

Does anyone believe that just because a man stands at the front of the class, he is the only one teaching?

Does anyone believe a woman may read God's word in a class, comment on it, and teach it to others (both men and women), but that the God whose word she teaches would be displeased if she opened her mouth in prayer to Him in that same class?

Does anyone believe Priscilla could teach Apollos God's word, but she could not pray aloud in his presence?

Does anyone believe that leading a mixed group in prayer is having dominion over them?

Does anyone believe that serving communion is an act of dominion?

Does anyone believe that picking up the collection plates or attendance cards is taught in God's word to be only a man's job? Or an act of dominion?

Does anyone believe that the public reading of God's word by anybody, male or female, is an affront to God and is an act of dominion?

Does anyone believe that a botched song service led by an incompetent man is more acceptable to God as worship than a well-led song service by a competent woman?

Does anyone believe that leading a prayer is an act of dominion over husbands? Or sons? Or brothers?

Does anyone believe that a woman can teach through poetry, or writing songs, books, or articles in religious journals, but that it would be wrong to teach the same men the same messages in Bible class or worship service? If so, where in the scripture do we find a distinction between teaching by writing and any other method of teaching?

Does anyone believe that God would be displeased if a Christian woman related to a congregation what God had wrought in her life, but that He would be pleased if a male Christian did so?

Must all members of the church have to sing to obey God in a worship service? If not, what percentage of the congregation must sing in order to have God's stamp of approval? Can ninety percent sing with his approval? Fifty percent? Twenty-five percent? If fifty percent could sing and be approved, why could not one percent? What if the church had only one hundred members, or four members, could twenty-five percent of that small congregation sing and still be acceptable to God? What if that twenty-five percent of a congregation of four happened to be a woman? Would she have to be silent in order to meet the requirements of I Corinthians 14?

What logic can be used that restricts obedience to commands in the scripture for the church to exhort, admonish, teach, preach, comfort, and encourage to only the men in the assembly, and yet allows women to do the same at other times?

What scripture allows the church to make all kinds of exceptions to women's speaking in the assembly, but imposes restrictions on their reading, leading prayer, waiting on the table, picking up attendance cards, and preaching? What scripture specifies these limitations or grants exceptions to the silence command?

How do we scripturally differentiate between these different kinds of silence, and these different "permits" to speak? Is the scripture actually that clear?

Where in scripture does God allow a woman in a small church to lead singing from the pew? Is she any less leading singing if she does it from the pew than from the podium? In so doing, is she serving the church or exercising authority?

Where do the scriptures clearly point out that her posture and position in the assembly are of great importance?

Would the song service be better if a woman directed the songs from the front? If not, why don't we have men lead from the pews?

Would God be more pleased with our best song service than our worst song service? If not, why are we so concerned about quality anyway?

If we really believe that Paul meant for women to be silent when the whole church is assembled, is there a single exception that cannot be performed outside the assembly, and thus allow for obedience and consistency?

Can't a woman confess her faith outside the assembly?

Can't a woman sing outside the assembly?

Can't a woman greet members and visitors outside the assembly?

Can't a woman ask for a song book, attendance card, etc., before the assembly begins so she will not have to violate the scripture which we have claimed says that she is not to "speak" in the assembly?

Where does God give instruction on exactly when an assembly begins and ends anyway?

Is the submission of the younger (men and women) to the elders (older persons) any more or less absolute than other calls for submission, such as to the "household of Stephanas" in I Corinthians 16:16, or "to one another" in Ephesians 5:21, I Peter 5:5, or "of wives" in Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:18, I Timothy 2:12, or I Peter 3:1, or "servants" in I Peter 2:18?

If not, why can younger men or even older men not be in submission to older, better informed, and more experienced Christian women?

Does any thoughtful student believe that Paul and the Holy Spirit really intended to say, "I would that men only lead in prayer in every place where Christian men and women gather to study or worship" in I Timothy 2:8?

Does anyone believe the Holy Spirit is so inaccurate as to have left the true (?) meaning out of this passage?

Why didn't the Holy Spirit help us by adding our doctrine to this scripture? Why didn't the Holy Spirit, even in the slightest degree, indicate that this was a command to be obeyed at a worship service or a Bible study or a home devotion? Have we not simply used this as the "proof text" to prop up our tradition of wording prayers in male-dominated worship services?

If a Christian man were critically ill and were being attended by a doctor who was a Christian woman, could she, at his request, pray for his healing and comfort, just as many male Christian doctors do? Would anyone argue she could do so only in a silent prayer?

If Jews and Greeks, bond men and free men, male and female, are "joint heirs," why would God allow male Jews and Greeks, male slaves and free men to exercise their heirship in leading in worship and hold back the women?

Why did the translators translate "gune" wives in at least thirty-three passages, and "aner" husbands twenty-two times, and yet in I Corinthians 14:34-35 mix them, "women keep silent...ask husbands at home?" Which is a more logical translation: "Women," many of whom had no husbands at home, or "wives," who had their "own husbands at home"?

Why did the translators do the same thing in I Timothy 2, in spite of Paul's using Adam and Eve, a husband and a wife, as his illustration for the lesson he was teaching? Why did he, then, specify that the "she" of the passage was to be saved in child bearing, when the only woman God had approved to bear children is a wife?

Do we believe a wife is not to "teach (over) or have dominion over" her husband, or that she is not to teach him at all, or, does "I permit not a woman to teach" stand alone, thus prohibiting any teaching by any woman?

Do we not believe this scripture teaches that a woman is to have a tranquil and quiet spirit indicative of a wife professing godliness, rather than to be silent?

Do we not believe and practice that a quiet spirit would direct a woman to learn in quietness, but not necessarily in silence?

Does anyone believe that our women in the church learn in quietness or in silence? Or that women sin when they read aloud and make comments aloud while learning in all of our Bible classes? How do men learn - in quietness or silence?

Does anyone believe that the New Testament circumscribes and defines a worship service, as opposed to a Bible class, or that it defines a Bible class as private and a worship service as public?

Would anyone believe that God would be displeased with a small church that combined a Bible study, song service, prayer, communion, giving, invitation, announcements, and all the rest into one service?

Why then would anyone argue that a large church could not scripturally do the same?

Can women scripturally read their verses and make appropriate comments in a small church worship service where no separate Bible class is held?

Must we have "separate private" Bible classes to be scriptural? If so, where does God so direct?

May communion be taken by a group which meets on Sunday for a Bible class?

Does one believe that it would be wrong to use a quarterly as a teaching instrument in a public worship service and have all members present read their verse and make appropriate comments instead of the usual sermon?

Does anyone believe that there is clear scriptural authority for women's reading, commenting and answering questions from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m., on the Lord's Day in a class, and that they are clearly in violation of the scripture if they read the same verse to the same men and the same women between 11:00 and 12:00 noon? Where, in I Corinthians 11-14, or anywhere else, does the Bible make a distinction between coming together for classes and coming together for worship?

Was the edification from a prophet in class different from edification from a prophet in worship? If so, where does God make the distinction?

What New Testament writer established the Sunday School or Bible class arrangements?

Doesn't the assembly of I Corinthians 11-14 include prophecy, prayer, the Lord's Supper, singing, tongues, revelation, interpretation of tongues, edification, unity, order, peace, etc.? Who has the authority or the wisdom to speak for God as to when, where, and in what ways a woman may speak or must be silent? Who will be bold enough to write this creed for "all the churches" to follow?

Do we really believe that God's word is final? If so, why do we let tradition, security, safety, ignorance, fear, cowardice, or maintaining the status quo keep us from preaching and practicing the truth of His word as we learn it? Do we stand by our plea, "Back to the Bible," do we compromise, or do we build on a fuller understanding of truth?

Must a Christian wife agree with her Christian husband, even when he wrests the scripture?

Does she violate the "submission rule" if she argues that his wresting is wrong?

Is my wife bound by scripture to be in submission to all other husbands or men? If not, which ones are excluded, and under what conditions?

If it is unscriptural, according to I Timothy 2:12, for a woman to refuse to be in submission to men, why did Paul allow wives to leave their husbands in I Corinthians 7:11?

If a wife could refuse to be in submission to her own husband, and even leave him, why would we even suggest that I Timothy 2:12 is an absolute rule about all women being in submission to all men?

If a woman may speak up in services to get clarification on a song number or scripture citation, or an announcement, why couldn't she ask the preacher for clarification about an unclear point in his sermon?

If a church in Wallowa, Oregon, had seven members and all were widows, could one of the widows teach and baptize a 12-year-old grandson who was visiting her for the summer?

If the baptism occurred on Saturday, July 15, who would conduct services on July 16, the mature Christian widows or the 12-year-old grandson? Or a 30-year-old grandson?

If each widow converted a grandson in July, would each be compelled to turn the teaching and worship services over to those babes in Christ?

Suppose none of the men agreed to teach or lead in worship. Would the church have to quit meeting?

What empirical or Biblical evidence do we have that men are generally better equipped to participate and serve in worship than women? Were male prophets or judges superior to female prophets and judges?

Is there not substantial evidence of men having "butchered" prayers, songs, readings and sermons while capable women were forced to sit by in embarrassed silence?

Who has led the factions and the rebellions in the church? Men or women? Have not preachers, elders, editors, rather than women of the church, caused most divisions?

Who believes that women have no responsibility to rebuke the immoral, the heretical, the factious, the deceitful, the unjust or the abuser of power and position?

Is it not strange that a church which does not officially separate laity and clergy, which does not even believe that ordination of a clergy is biblical, ordains men to do all the leading (serving) in public worship? Since "lead" or "leading" is not included in any text in the New Testament as we apply it, but a mutually shared ministry of making known God's manifold wisdom, including all the redeemed, why would we demand that men fill all roles? Aren't women able to serve as well as men?

In spite of all the clear arguments that the gifts of I Corinthians 11-14 were for men and women and were exercised to the edification of the church, how can we shrug and say, "I am sorry, folks, women must still keep silent, and if they learn anything they must wait until they get home to ask their husbands?" Why then do we make a dozen exceptions to the silence rule?

Isn't the maintenance of the traditional, inconsistent, and unscriptural stances in the church too costly in terms of intellectual honesty? In keeping our integrity? In our submission to God and His truth?

Why do we arbitrarily name and sanctify a pulpit area as the domain of men, when the New Testament does not even mention a pulpit, let alone a pulpit area?

Can anyone overlook Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah, Anna, the Samaritan woman, Philip's four daughters, Phoebe, Priscilla, Junias, Tryphena, Persis, Euodia, and Synteche? Can we overlook Joel 2:28-29, which clearly points to a day when "daughters will prophesy" and that His spirit will be "poured out on handmaidens?" Can we overlook Peter's declaration that this was fulfilled in the establishment of the church?

Psalms 16:11 says, "The Lord giveth the word: The women that publish the tidings are a great host." Facetiously, I ask, "Can we honestly conclude from this statement that it is alright for women to publish the word or the glad tidings, as long as it is in a letter, poem, song, book, tract, private Bible class, or magazine article, but they are forbidden to publish it with their lips in most other places?"

Would anyone translate I Corinthians 14:26 thus: "What is it, then, brethren, when you come together, each one of you men, and only you men can have a psalm, a revelation, a tongue, an interpretation?" Yet, is not that what we most blatantly do to get our doctrine? Isn't the cost to our intellectual integrity for such additions to God's word entirely too high?

Would anyone translate I Corinthians 14:1, "Follow after love, yet only you men earnestly desire the spiritual gifts?" Isn't the price too high?

Would anyone translate 14:23, "If, therefore, the whole church be assembled together and all men and only the men speak in tongues?" Isn't the price too high?

Would we translate verse 24, "But if all men prophesy ... declaring that God is among only you men, indeed?" Isn't the price too high?

Would anyone add "only lead" to I Timothy 2:8?

Would a translator dare do any of the above?

The most important question in this series of questions is, "Will we compromise our integrity and our quest for eternal truth in order to maintain our traditions by making the above additions to and deletions from the word of God?