I had trouble with this myself, and as I found myself looking around for "the answer," I only came into a multitude of opinions.

For instance, one friend of mine had a pentecostal minister, a woman, and so I asked her what her take was on that interesting passage in 1 Timothy.  She told me that back then, women were not educated and that for obvious reasons, it would not be plausible for them to preach on something they did not understand.  But another source later told me that neither were the apostles educated and yet they were the ones commissioned to spread the word, and that the bible says nothing about women's educational status but that this was clearly a result of women being decieved.  However, the woman I spoke to also told me that it would be a sin to waste the gifts God has given me to spread the word.  In the end, what this woman was telling me, while perhaps not perfectly footed in cement based on context, most suited God's character.

This caused me a great amount of stress, because I also felt as if I'd been being called into missions.  Now I understand that Christians who debate this view make missions as an exception, but I couldn't see why.  If a woman was not supposed to preach to men, she was not supposed to preach to men -- it did not matter to me what nation they were from or whether they knew Christ or not, to me.  Where in scripture are these forms of ministry distinguished or prioritised over one another?  Spreading the word is spreading the word; it involves teaching, and sometimes it involves teaching men.  This drove me crazy to the point where I wasn't sure I was supposed to be witnessing to Christ to male friends or helping them to know Him.  That's "teaching" you know.

 The biggest problem in all of this was the emphasis on women as wives.  It's not that I don't want to make a man happy.  It's that the night before my wedding, I had my fiance tell me he couldn't love me, he could never make me happy, and that he couldn't marry me and no -- he didn't want to give it another chance or give me some time to improve. I thought back to one of the passage in the letters to the Corinthians where Paul talks about remaining celebate so that we can more thoroughly devote ourselves to God.  Is that only for the men?  What does a single woman do in Christ's work?  Certainly we are not meant to sit around and wait for a man to keep company.  Like some men, it would even seem to me that some women are just not meant to marry.

 I'll be honest -- I still don't know how to approach this passage.  But I've made the decision that God's given me gifts and desires to do well -- and these are not things that come from Satan because why would Satan work against himself?  Therefore, I should use them.  Personally, I don't ever see myself being a minister in a church (though who knows what God wants to do with me?) and personally, I even prefer male pastors, but that's just a matter of taste.  I think it's because men are more casual and like to joke more, and I'm more comfortable with that.  But again, that's my personal taste.  I do see myself in missions.  I see myself in journalism, writing to an audience of males as well as females about God's work around the globe.  I see myself bringing people--men and women--to Christ.

Yet I have fears, sometimes, of approaching any field of ministry.  The rumour is that most women go to bible college to find a husband.  That even seems to be the idea.  I have fears that I'll be criticised for what I am and that this might take away from the Word I want to help spread.  It almost causes me, at times, to feel cheated by God because he made me a female and gave me such a desire to spread His word and evangelise -- and that's where we run into problems.   God doesn't make mistakes; He doesn't send mixed messages.  His message is clear.  I'm wondering if this mistake is our own?

 This is why I choose to see this as being posed in the context of the day, where women were not educated.  Perhaps scripture does not particularily allude to it, but I think it is because it was just so engrained into society, it was automatically understood.  It would be like reading a book on how to hunt and skin a certain animal that was written before it was known that the animal was or would become endangered.  If you didn't understand that the animal was not seen this way when the book was written, you might become deeply offended at something the author and readers of the day probably never gave it a second thought, just because of the presumption that the animal would probably always be abundant. 

...It's not a solid argument, and perhaps there never will be one.  But I cannot see how this can have anything to do with Eve's deception, since I have been reborn in Christ and am no longer under the jurisdiction of that sin.  I've been renewed -- given another chance, and my heart would simply not allow me to withhold that saving Truth from anyone, man or woman alike.

Thanks for your thoughts, Dee. Someone else recommended Keener's book to me, I plan on reading it. I don't yet have a fully vetted position on women as pastors/elders, but I do lean according to what I've read in Scripture.

I'll offer a couple thoughts on differences between roles of men and women. It is funny to me that people assign the concept of rank to roles. When roles are laid out in the Bible it is typically done according to natural ability. Men and women were not created identically, we are not carbon copies of one another, men and women have different strengths/weaknesses. If we were to empty ourselves of all our cultural preconceptions and the desire to assert ourselves, and just take God at his Word, I believe men and women would be very comfortable in the roles he has given us.

The headship of husbands is a good example of a natural role that is twisted by modern culture. Many women hate the idea that Biblically the husband is assigned this role and they chafe at the thought of their husband "ruling" over them. This is because they've assigned rank to the role of headship according to their own ideas of what headship should look like. They have an un-Bibical view of the Biblical role of headship. (The Bible does not say husbands outrank wives!)

Final thought: the bible is very clear that men are not superior to women. Anyone who makes a women feel like a second class citizen is harboring sinful attitudes, and should be lovingly called on it.

Great blog, Dee C.  God is aware that we are women, and hopefully when He calls we will respond to Him.

I must say that I am on the fence about this one.  I have learned not to judge anyone about this issue though.  We must always remember that God has different things for different people.  I was taught in the church I was saved at that women should not be Pastor's.  I read about Deborah in the Old Testament and I hear what you are saying.  I guess I would have to pray and study some more to be more concrete in my opinion.  Or maybe it's better if I stay uncertain in this "non-judgemental" state :)  Anyway my music teacher is ordained and I see nothing wrong with it.  In fact she got ordained to be better equipped with pastorial gifts to deliver the Word while leading worship.  I think this is noble and beneficial to those whom she leads. 

I do think that some take this too far, by thinking that women shouldn't do anything in leadership in the church.  I just plain think that is wrong.  We women have a lot to offer.  If a women is more qualified and God has opened the door for her....I say let her in!

This is very intersting.  I was talking with a male pastor this week about this issue.  His chuch will not have a woman for pastor but can have an associate pastor.  He was smiling and noding his head about the degree of male dominance in our city.  God moved me into ministry along with my husband but when the Lord took him to be with Him, I stepped back.  However; He (God) has taken me out of the church into the jail and prison to teach and encourage the offender.  I work in a men's facility and have many who respect me and need the mother, grandmother image.   I go  into the women's block in the county jail to teach and encourage those women.  God has given them time to think and study there.

I like the fact you talked about the women at the tomb and I used Priscilla as well to the pastor I was talking with.  We need to remind all that we were created in God's image to do His work.  True we are not the same as men and will never take the place of men in the world.  God's creation is wonderful.  Praise the Lord!!

Pastor Carolyn 

It is my understanding, taught to me by a very seasoned and MALE Church of Christ minister, that those women who were demanded to be quiet were simply being disruptive.  They had no idea what was going on in the temples because only their husband could speak the language or read.  Doesn't this just tell us that our time spent in worship together is to be held somewhat sacred and a time that deserves our utmost respect?  Respect for our Lord and respect for our brothers and sisters who are hearing from Him.  Just a thought, as I do understand the scripture addresses other things as well ...

I'm so grateful to have been raised in a church with such a wonderfully insightful, and constantly seeking minister.  I've struggled for years as I've been away from that little church family in Virginia to find that very church here in Ohio.  Well it doesn't exist.  And now I'm very happy to be part of our little church family here :)  And my minister from Virginia is glad that I am finally part of a family where I feel at peace!