04/19/2026
Long read, but so much value in learning and understanding Scripture contextually. đź“–đź’›
Dismantling The Patriarchy With The Bible.
Part 2: “Women must keep silent in church” & “I do not permit a woman to teach or assume authority over a man.”
There are few things more damaging to the body of Christ than when Scripture, which is meant to bring life, freedom, and truth, is used to bind, silence, or wound.
Let’s begin by doing a little thought exercise and reverse the roles here.
Imagine if Luke 1:18-25 were used as “proof” that God doesn’t permit men, especially clergy, to speak when women are speaking and prophesying.
The words of Paul are given a lot of weight when it comes to the role of women in the church, but here in Luke, God’s very own messenger, the angel Gabriel, strikes the priest Zechariah mute as a consequence of his unbelief when told his aged wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son. He then had to sit there in silence as Elizabeth and Mary spoke freely and rejoiced about their pregnancies. Then Mary prophesied about the dismantling of the empire (Luke 1:46-56).
Can you even imagine what it would be like in our churches today if whenever a male pastor was “skeptical” about God’s call on a woman, he then had to practice “holy muteness” and listen to her call from God? What a church that would be!
So, if we would push against Luke 1:46-56 being applied to all male clergy, as that would contradict other parts of the Bible, then we must do the same with the claims that “women must keep silent in church” (1 Corinthians 14:34) and that a woman “cannot hold authority over a man” (1 Timothy 2:12).
These passages have so often been lifted out of their historical and literary context and turned into universal prohibitions, but when we read these passages carefully, within the whole counsel of Scripture, and with attention to the original language, they tell a far more nuanced and pastoral story.
Let’s begin with 1 Corinthians 14:34–35:
“Women should keep silent in the churches…”
At first glance, this seems absolute. But just a few chapters earlier, Paul assumes that women are speaking in church:
“Every woman who prays or prophesies…” (1 Corinthians 11:5)
Paul is not contradicting himself within the same letter. In 1 Corinthians 14, he is addressing disorder in worship, people speaking over one another, interrupting, creating confusion (see 14:26–33). The Greek word for “keep silent” (sigao) is used multiple times in this same chapter, not just for women, but for anyone who is speaking out of turn (14:28, 30). It is not a permanent silence, but a call for order.
Many scholars note that the specific issue in Corinth likely involved disruptive questioning, perhaps uneducated interruptions during the evaluation of prophecy (14:29). In that context, Paul instructs certain women to refrain from interrupting and instead ask questions in a more appropriate setting. This is not a universal ban on women speaking; it is a pastoral correction for a specific situation of disorder.
Now consider 1 Timothy 2:12:
“I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man…”
Here again, the Greek matters. The word translated “assume authority” (authentein) is rare and does not carry the normal sense of healthy, servant leadership. It can imply domineering, abusive, or self-appointed authority. Paul is not forbidding all forms of teaching or leadership by women; he is addressing a harmful kind of authority, likely in response to false teaching spreading in Ephesus (see 1 Timothy 1:3–7).
This fits the broader context: women in that culture were often denied formal education, and some were being drawn into false doctrines (2 Timothy 3:6–7). Paul’s instruction is corrective and temporary, aimed at restoring sound teaching, not a timeless ban on women in leadership.
And we must not ignore the overwhelming testimony of the rest of Scripture.
Women are not silent in God’s story, they are central to it.
We see Priscilla teaching alongside her husband and helps instruct Apollos, a learned man (Acts 18:26). Notably, her name often appears first, suggesting prominence.
We see Phoebe is called to be a deacon (diakonos) of the church in Cenchreae and a patron (Romans 16:1–2), a term indicating leadership and support.
We see Junia is named as great among the apostles (Romans 16:7). Early church fathers universally recognized her as a female apostle.
We see Philip’s daughter’s prophesy (Acts 21:9), fulfilling the promise of Acts 2:17: “Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.”
This is the outworking of the Spirit poured out on all flesh. The new covenant does not restrict gifting by gender.
Historically, the early church did not uniformly exclude women from leadership either. In the first three centuries, we have evidence of women serving as deacons, house church leaders, patrons, and in some regions even holding titles associated with episcopal or priestly functions, though the terminology and structure were still developing and different from how we understand church leadership today. This was not rebellion against Scripture, rather it was faithfulness to the Spirit’s gifting and the apostolic witness.
So what changed?
As Christianity became more institutionalized, especially after its legalization under Constantine in the 4th century, it began to mirror the hierarchical and patriarchal structures of the surrounding Greco-Roman world. Cultural norms increasingly shaped church offices. Over time, leadership became more formalized and restricted, and women were gradually excluded, not because of a clear biblical mandate, but because of external social pressures and evolving institutional concerns.
But when we return to Jesus, we see something radically different.
Jesus consistently dignified, listened to, and elevated women:
He receives instruction from his mother at the wedding in Cana and responds to her request (John 2:1–11).
He welcomes Mary of Bethany to sit at his feet, a traditional posture of a disciple, and affirms her choice (Luke 10:39–42).
He engages the Samaritan woman in deep theological conversation and entrusts her as a witness to her community (John 4:7–30).
When a Syrophoenician woman challenges him, and he even used language shaped by the ethnic tensions of the day towards her, he listened to her rebuttal, commends her faith, and heals her daughter (Mark 7:24–30; Matthew 15:21–28).
He and his ministry was also is supported by wealthy women business owners and leaders within their communities (Luke 8:2-3).
Women are also the first witnesses to the resurrection and are commissioned by Jesus to proclaim it in all four gospel accounts.
Again and again, Jesus does not silence women or reject their authority. He listens to them, treats them as equals, and affirms God speaking through them.
So when we read Paul, we must read him as a servant of this same Christ, not in contradiction to him. His letters address real communities with real problems. They require discernment, context, and humility.
The gospel does not shrink the voice of women, it releases it.
And any teaching that results in silencing the hurting, excluding the gifted, or diminishing the image of God in women is not aligned with the trajectory of Scripture. For in Christ: “There is neither male nor female, for you are all one” (Galatians 3:28)
The church is healthiest when every voice God has called is heard, when every gift is welcomed, and every wound is given space to be named and healed.
Some of the most influential theologians, pastors, and leaders in my life have been women, who followed God’s call on their lives, even in spite of having that call constantly questioned, challenged, and criticized. Simply because of their gender. 
Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created humanity in God’s image, both male and female. When we refuse the voice and leadership of women, we are not only refusing to witness the fullness of humanity, but the fullness of God.
-Rev. Benjamin Cremer
