Expert: John of AllFaith - 7/5/2010

Question
i know what pauls says about women having authority over men an teaching also i know God is the head of the church and man the head of woman.  what i dont understand is (by who's authority is the pastors allowing women to speak in church on women day women are secretaries  women sing in the choir, women usher, according to paul women are to be silent and silent means silent.

Answer
Hi Lillie,

Christianity as you know is a very diverse religion where most doctrines are not held in common by all denominations or individual Believers. This is a good example. Widely differing views exist on this topic within the churches today.

What Paul intended with this prohibition is widely debated. Many biblical scholars hold that prior to this time women were not allowed to enter the Jewish congregations at all and so allowing them to enter the newly forming Christian assemblies was itself revolutionary and indicative of the changing views of women expressed by Jesus and his movement. This position holds that women were instructed to remain silent because they lacked experience with how such assemblies were run, and for their husbands to explain every point of service would have been a distraction to the congregations. As time went by women were naturally gradually included more fully in the services. This view seems to be supported by verses such as Galatians 3:28 ("There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus").  We must remember that 1 and 2 AD were very different time periods than today. In that culture women did not enjoy the status of equality they do today.

How any given congregation interprets such rules are usually left to the determination of the pastoral or denominational staff. Some allow women to serve as deacons, some as choir members, some as choir directors and so on. More and more congregations are now accepting women as pastors. I am not aware of any denomination today nor in the past that prohibited women from speaking at all within the congregation nor do I believe this to be the intent of the comment. The role of the congregation is to build up the members so they can all more fully serve the Lord and women are essential for the effective maintenance of the congregations.

Doctrinal purity is essential of course, however exactly what that means is rightly open to debate. The best those who are serious about their faith can do is to find a congregation they feel is close to the biblical doctrines and practice and fellowship there. If you have any questions about such issues in your church its always a good idea to speak with the pastor about them. As one searches for a church home one does well to recall the old adage: If you ever find the perfect church don't joint it! If you do it won't be perfect anymore.

Maranatha,
~ John of AllFaith