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Are women allowed to preach?

I know there are some verses in the Bible that say women should keep their mouths shut and receive guidance from men, or their husbands. but what about in our culture now, are women still supposed to just "keep their mouths shut"?

I also know it says that women should not teach men? I don't understand really. Is it okay for us to teach a women's sunday school class, or even children? I guess I just don't understand the concept.

Include some Bible verses please.

Thank you!

19 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    I've never read a scripture that said women should "keep their mouths shut". In fact, Jesus himself taught and spoke to women of different nationalities when he was on earth. (John 4:21-24, 39-41) Women are not taken for granted in the Bible (Proverbs chapter 31). Phoebe was a Christian sister of the first-century congregation in Cenchreae. Paul, in his letter to the Christians at Rome, ‘recommends’ this sister to them and calls on them to render her any needed assistance as one who “proved to be a defender of many, yes, of me myself.” (Ro 16:1, 2) It may be that Phoebe delivered Paul’s letter in Rome or else accompanied the one who did.

  • 1 decade ago

    1 Timothy is a good place to go for information on this subject, 1 Timothy 3:2 specifically. The word "bishop" here is the same as pastor or elder. It means a minister of a church.

    "A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife" -- "a one-woman man" is literally the Greek, "a one-woman man." Now it’s very hard for a woman to be a one-woman man; very difficult. So here you have the husband of one wife, indicating that an elder would be one who was a man totally devoted to his wife.

    Now backing up to verse 11 of 1 Timothy 2, it says, “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. I permit not a woman to teach nor to take authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman.” In other words, because Adam was made first and because the woman was the first to sin, confirming the priority of man in terms of leadership, God says this is an age-old principle that the man is in authority and the woman takes the place of submission.

    In 2 Timothy I think it most interesting that 2 Timothy 2:2 gives us a pattern for leadership in the church: “And the things that thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” The teachers within the church are to be men, who have the responsibility to teach others also.

    Titus 1:6, again, “The husband of one wife,” -- or a one-woman man, again implying that women are not in a position of being ministers.

    Men are to minister. Now that is not a chauvinistic statement, that is a biblical statement. And I’m not here to advocate a chauvinistic viewpoint or anti-woman or any of that, I’m just echoing what the Spirit of God has said in the scripture. And so it is not right for the woman to be in the role of a pastor.

    Now there are some people who say, “Well that was just cultural.” No, it wasn’t just cultural, and that’s why Paul pointed back to Adam and Eve. It was from the beginning that way, it was not just a Corinthian culture or a culture around the time of the apostle Paul. So I think it’s wrong, and of course if it’s wrong, then I don’t think that we ought to associate with such a church because I think that is in very obvious defiance of the word of God.

  • 1 decade ago

    The Bibles verses all come to this.

    Women are not to usurp the authority of their husbands.

    Keeping silence in the church was an admonishment to a specific church(s) because of disorder in the church.

    Women are supposed to teach (not preach) to other women, particularly the old women are to teach the younger women how to love their husbands, and to be good keepers of the home.

    Source(s): There are always exceptions: When no male was present to lead a church, Lydia took it upon herself in Philippi to hold prayer meetings at the riverside for her maidens.
  • dobby
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    in the catholic religion women are not alowed to preach. when you read the bible verses you have to remember to take it in the concept or text in which it was written back then, many words in the bible have different meaning than what you might think based on the language that was used and the subject matter in which it was spoken. for example if I were to say that girl is my sister, do I mean she is my biological sister or is she a sister in christ who goes to my church is she my african american "sister" or a very close friend? usually at the bottom of the bible there are refrences to the text explaining what is meant.

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  • 1 decade ago

    The most ridiculous thing about so-called Christians who teach that women can't preach is the fact that the new testament shows just the opposite.

    Women have the mandate from Christ himself to preach, in my opinion. Who did Jesus first show himself to after his resurrection and say "Go tell the good news?"

    Women.

  • 1 decade ago

    I don't know of any places in the Bible where it says these things. It's possible that it shows up in the Old Testament, but remember... The Old Testament is a mix of the word of God and of the secular law at the time. Leviticus is a good example of the latter.

    As for the modern world -- some Christian denominations allow women to preach. Some don't.

  • JonB
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    Women are to remain silent in the Church 1Cor 14:34-35. Current culture does not change the meaning of God's Word.

    The head of every women is man. 1Cor 11:3. It is my believe that God has set these gender roles in place for a reason. It is not meant to be a completely dominating role. For the man is to treat his wife as Christ treats him. As gender roles disintegrate (AKA the women's movement) we have seen a complete destruction of the American family.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Corinthians 14:34 Timothy 2:12 . They can teach other women or children

  • Bruce7
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    That is a matter of debate within the church. I personally prefer the Head Pastor to be a man. Women can teach. I don't have time to give verses. Oh and Christ is head of the Church. As the husband is the head of the family.

  • 1 decade ago

    If you read the Bible, there are NO instances of women preaching. NOWHERE!

    Read Titus.

    There is an outline in Titus on what they can teach. I believe it is young children only.

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