on women in ministry
Both Cornerstone and the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others are fully supportive of women serving as pastors, teachers and in other leadership capacities in the church. We believe Scripture teaches that men and women have been created equal, though distinct, in the likeness of God. We also believe Scripture demonstrates that throughout history both men and women have been mutually gifted to lead and serve the local church.
In the Old Testament, women played vitally important leadership roles throughout Israel’s history, in spite of their place in overwhelmingly patriarchal societies. For example, the prophetess Miriam was one of the first to lead Israel, along with her two brothers, during the wilderness journey (Micah 6:4). During the pre-monarchial period, Deborah fulfilled the most prestigious role of leadership in Israel acting as prophetess, judge and military commander (Judges 4:4). Although her male contemporaries are much more well known, it was the prophetess Huldah’s counsel to King Josiah that gave rise to one of the greatest religious reforms in Israel’s history (2 Kings 22:11-14).
Following a similar trajectory, the Gospels attest to the ways in which Jesus’ ministry served to redeem and redefine social mores regarding women. Jesus defied cultural convention by allowing Mary of Bethany to sit at his feet and learn as a disciple (Luke 10:39). Jesus also disregarded legal taboos in his offer of healing and renewal to women who were social outcasts, such as the woman at the well (John 4) and the woman with a bleeding disorder (Mark 5:25-34).
In spite of strong cultural suspicions against their testimony, a group of women were the first commissioned to report the good news of Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24:10 and John 20:17-18). Given this redemptive trajectory, it is no surprise that Paul’s letters to the early church reflect the active ministries of women serving in various positions of leadership. Phoebe served as a deacon in the church in Rome (Ro. 16:1-2). Mary, Lydia, and Nympha were overseers of house churches (Acts 12:12, 16:15; Col. 4:15), and it was Priscilla along with her husband Aquila, who instructed the famed Apollos (Acts 18:25). Euodia and Syntyche served as deacons in the church in Philippi (Phil. 1:1), and Paul specifically names Junia as a prominent apostle (Ro. 16:7).
It is our conviction that those verses traditionally interpreted as universal prohibitions against women holding positions of leadership in the church are rather unique inhibitions addressing particular pastoral concerns. For example, in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses the common practice of women prophesying in the church not to condemn the practice, but rather to ensure that women are wearing the appropriate attire when they do publicly prophesy (1 Cor. 11), meaning that when they offer inspired words of exhortation to the church they should be dressed appropriately.
It is, therefore, exegetically inconsistent to read the admonition to certain women to remain silent (1 Cor. 14:34-45) as a universal prohibition against all women in every place. It is most likely that Paul was addressing a cultural taboo specific to a first century Roman context in which it was considered inappropriate for married women, and particularly those who were uneducated, to publicly question or even engage other married men or unmarried men to whom they were not related. Paul does careful work to negotiate between honoring accepted cultural norms and challenging those norms when they are in violation of the work of the Holy Spirit in a post-resurrection world.
Similarly, in 1 Timothy 2:11, Paul admonishes women to learn “in full submission,” which many have taken to mean that women are meant to be subservient to the leadership and authority of men at all times and in all circumstances. However, given the role women played in the early church and Paul’s stated belief that men and women ought to be mutually submitted to one another for the sake of the Gospel (Eph. 5:21), it is most consistent with Paul’s broader teaching to assume that he is commanding women not to abuse the newfound freedoms available to them in the church. Likewise, the following verse, “I do not allow a woman to teach or hold authority over a man”—is, according to some scholarly opinions, an attempt to combat the worrisome cultural side effects of the famed female-only cult in Ephesus. (There is much to be said on the translation of this verse. See Wright.) [1] This letter makes clear that women were not to exercise a kind of domineering authority over men, which may have been encouraged given their context, but rather they should serve as partners for the sake of the Gospel.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul expresses the redemptive spirit of the Gospel by insisting that in the renewed creation of Christ’s kingdom all are one in Christ, equals before him, and heirs according to promise—not according to race, sex, or social status.
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
(Galatians 3:28)
Paul, like Jesus, was counter-cultural in certain situations, and yet, he strategically accommodated the local culture in others. Therefore, while we are admonished by Scripture to honor authority and social mores across cultures, we are not required to institute the same social structures or to observe the same cultural practices reflected in ancient historical contexts. In the spirit of humility, and for the sake of hermeneutical integrity, we believe that these texts are best interpreted in light of the full of witness of Scripture.
Finally, in agreement with Anglicans around the globe, it is our desire to uphold the maxim of the great reformers, “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, and In All Things Charity.” We understand that Christians hold differing views on this topic, and request charity and a non-contentious spirit among all who join the church who may think differently.
Sources
[1] https://ntwrightpage.com/2016/07/12/womens-service-in-the-church-the-biblical-basis/
For further insight into differing perspectives on this issue, we recommend the following resources:
Why Arguments against Women in Ministry Aren’t Biblical
Women’s Service in the Church: The Biblical Basis
Books