6 Discipleship and Women

The role of women in the church has been a debated issue for a long time. The debate centres on two particular texts and their interpretation: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15. The key to understanding these two passages is keeping in mind the particular situations the author was addressing. One major issue being addressed in the Corinthians passage is a disorderly church worship service where some of the women were being obnoxiously loud. In the Timothy text, the major problem is the wayward elders teaching false doctrine, which had been widely embraced by certain younger widows.  The biblical evidence does not suggest that the texts in 1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Timothy 2 are meant to be taken as universal laws that apply to all women everywhere at all times. In reality, the New Testament presents us with a very positive view of women and the role they played in the early church and can still play in today's church.