Can Women Preach?

“If God can speak through a donkey, He can speak through a woman!” The small crowd roared in laughter as I defended my position to folks who were accustomed to hearing me preach. They thought it was funny, anyway.

It was a humble way of saying that I know there may be people that day who may just get up and walk off in the middle of my message simply because of my gender, but I will not allow that shame to oppose what God has called me to.

I never planned on being a woman preacher. In fact, when we planted LifeShare, I made it clear that I would be a support to all ministries, but I did not want to lead anything. Slowly, as the need arose, I found that I needed to take the lead.

There were Sundays that my husband needed to rest from preaching- particularly on Sundays in which our worship leader was out and he had to lead worship and preach (keep in mind set-up begins two hours before the service starts) Being the next one with the most Bible knowledge, I was called on to preach (I’m more of a teacher). Because I too, had been taught women cannot teach men, I had to do a thorough search of scripture to have peace about this new role I was called to step into.

I was surprised at what I discovered. I think you will be too.

Family, friends, and even pastors will inevitably ask you how you feel about attending a church in which a woman preaches. You will face opposition. We, at times, get messages from men and women accusing us of being in error, and sometimes they are such heated, impassioned pleas that we repent. If we receive those messages, how much more the folks who attend a church like ours.

Annually, I teach the women who attend Grace-full what scripture says regarding women preachers. As I’ve done so I have seen relief wash over faces as the truth dawns. I usually have husbands thank me after their wives share with them what they learned because they too have faced opposition and found relief at knowing what the truth is. Having a ready answer is freedom.

I want you to have an answer so that you can silence the criticism.

So, is it wrong for women to preach? Let’s find out.

Let’s look at the primary verse which causes the majority of the problem:

“I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety.” 1 Timothy 2:9-15

Author: Paul

Recipient: Timothy and the Ephesian Church

Context: Paul is addressing this particular Roman church during a time in which the culture was saturated with paganism. Many, if not all of the church members grew up with a polytheistic (worship of many gods- mythology) worldview. Ephesus was the epicenter of worship of one particular goddess. The Romans called her Diana.The Greeks had a different name for the same goddess- Artemis; the goddess of childbirth, wild animals, and the hunt. Their belief was that Diana helped her mother, Leto, birth her twin brother Apollo (the god who made mortals aware of their guilt and he was the god of just about everything).

Ephesiaca by Xenophon (the historian who recorded the culture of his day) tells in detail the importance of the Ephesian Temple of Artemis (one of the seven ancient wonders of the world). Their “holy” temple consisted of three tiers. The lower tier was occupied by the virgins who were given to Artemis by their family as an act of worship. They were known for shaved heads and plain clothing. Many soon became temple prostitutes. The next tier were the women who had gained a greater status and were known for gilded, plaited hair and rich clothing. The third and most prestigious tier were the female scholars. They were responsible to uphold the teaching of their creation story in which a female goddess (Gaia) gave birth, without male assistance, to the world. They believed it was a woman who was created first, then a man. The priestesses and virgins endlessnessly chanted their stories throughout the temple, thus, it was ingrained into the fabric of their culture. Women in the Roman and Greek cultures were highly regarded and did not hold a subservient place as the Jewish culture taught. They could own property, they had rights and could even hold prominent public positions.

Let’s break down the scripture with the knowledge we have gained through the context.

Verse: “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”

Interpretation: Paul wanted the women of this culture to dress in such a way as to not mark them as temple prostitutes or worshipers of Artemis. Those first-tier prostitutes, now saved, must stop wearing their hair shaved so as to no longer mark themselves as temple prostitutes and those on the higher status tiers should wear their hair differently than the temple women. They should be defined, by how they dress, as worshipers of the one true God.

Verse: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. “

Interpretation: The scholars and priestesses were given such high prominence and ear by society, that they now need to unlearn all they had believed to be true. The culture taught that women had a stronger opinion and voice over a man’s, not to mention the right to loudly oppose and shout their opinion during religious services. That is no longer appropriate. She must learn what pleases God, in creating male and female, co-reigning together.

Verse: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.”

Interpretation: The Mythology story of a woman creator was false. It was also false that a woman was created first and that a male god was the one who was first deceived. The new converts, especially the women as they were held in the highest esteem for their scholarly wisdom, should learn the true creation story that God created the world; Adam came first, then Eve. It was Eve who was first deceived not a man like their story told. Get it right, Ephesians, before you teach an erroneous and twisted story.

Verse: “But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety.”

Interpretation: The Ephesians believed that worshiping Diana/Artemis would save them during childbirth. Paul was teaching them that it was not Diana, but God who kept them. They should not hold on to the teachings of a false goddess but believe that in Christ they now had a better hope.

So, you see, this verse applies to us today only in teaching us that we too should be set apart from the world and live our lives in such a way as to adorn the gospel. If a woman is new to the faith, she should become fluent in the Word so that if she desires to teach, she should do so with effectiveness and without error, each gender respectful of the other.

I will write more on this, expounding on more troublesome verses another time. For now, let me just end with this: If women should not cut their hair, men should shave theirs. If women should cover their heads, men should sit on the other side of the room apart from women.

My point is, that the Bible should be interpreted in context. Not everything written then applies to us today. It was written for us, not to us; written by leaders to a particular people for a particular reason, we interpret it through the lens of the Spirit.