When I was young, I had women teachers in Sunday School until I was 12. They couldn't teach after 12 because I had "come of age". They couldn't pray in front of me at 12 and I had the authority. BUT I better not try anything. (Timothy 2:12.)
1 Timothy 2 also tells women to be silent and not wear braided hair, gold, pearls or expensive clothes.
They were to be modest, quite and submissive. This part of 1 Timothy has never been followed in my life. When I teach, you think I am going to make an announcement that women are to be silent. How about I walk around the church building and tell women to unbraid their hair, cover their head, and take off those pearls and gold. "Holy Crap, are you wearing Lauren? That looks expensive."
Paul wouldn't like that. We have to speak where the Bible speaks.
When I was Baptized, the thing that I looked most forward to was getting to "Wait on the Lord's Table." I had arrived in my new life. I know no female that has had that experience. Here is the irony: There are many examples of women attending and serving Jesus. We even have examples of Jesus blessing and passing the bread, the wine, the loaves and the fishes. Not many men mentioned.
Serving Communion is a servant task and a silent task, but old I Timothy 2 raises PART of its head.
A big thing in my teen years was being taught that I couldn't have long hair because of I Corinthians 11-14. It's a disgrace. Of course it also said that women should have their heads covered. That one was passed. But in the 1950's when I was young, Women wore hats to church or at least scarves.
That passage also says Women CAN NOT shave their heads. Cancer was invented yet.
Women don't pray out loud in worship and men do only when assigned. Many men only come to Worship when they get the letter that they are up for prayer or Communion. Isn't that strange? They don't want to worship, but they will perform a service when asked.
I have always worshiped with deeply spiritual woman (my definition of spiritual) and have been robbed of not having the benefit of their prayers. You say, "But Mike, they would be having authority over you." I understand that in prayer, we address the AUTHORITY- The Almighty. We are but vessels.
Paul does say in I Corinthians11 that women can prophesy in worship with their heads covered. What does that look like? I have never witnessed it.
Speak where the Bible speaks and be Silent when we get uncomfortable.
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