Expert: Tom Smith - 4/1/2004

Question
1Co 14:34 - Show Context
"Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says."

I have heard the argument that Paul only meant this for the church at Corinth, but in the previous verse he talks "all" the churches of of the saints. (1 Cor 14:33 "for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."

The most logical interpretation, therefore, of the following verse, when he continues to refer to "churches" (note the plural) is "all the churches of the saints"...not just the churches of Corinth or Galatia or isolated places.

How then, can we interpret the passage as not applying to all Christian churches? Is this not simply a rationalization to avoid the fact that it is no longer politically correct to subjugate women (in or out of the church)? How can we ignore the teaching of the New Testament simply because it is not politically correct in our age? Can those who claim it was only meant for the women at the particular church to whom he was writing support this with evidence to that supposition? If this position is taken with regard to this issue, how can we ever know whether anything Paul said was universally true or only intended for application to the particular church to whom he was writing?


Answer
This is often taken out of context to suggest that scripture is in some way putting women into a lesser role. That is not true. Women are shown in scripture to be teachers, but there is a different role in teaching for men and for women:

Titus 2:3-5
3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
NKJV

So the older women are to teach younger women.

In rare cases, God even put women into leadership roles:

Judg 4:4-8
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; 7 and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand'?"
NKJV

But I think that the Bible is clear that though men and women are equal, their roles are different, and I do hope that all would agree that men and women are different and have different perspectives and different strengths and weaknesses.

Now, why would Paul then say this specifically about the churches, that women are to be silent. What I understand is that historically in the first century, due to the culture, it was men who had the opportunities for education and thus were better able to read and understand what the scriptures said. Thus the intent was that women who wanted to understand what was being taught and might have questions should remain silent ans ask later at home.

1 Cor 14:35
35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.
NKJV

The shame was that it would be disruptive, not because they were women.

Would this be universally applied? Probably yes, because of the culture at that time.