Should Women Be Ordained? - Part 13

This is part thirteen in a series on what the Bible says in regards to the ordination of women in the church. Again, instead of rewriting what I believe has already been well laid out, I am sharing Dr. Jim Feeney’s writings on the subject for your edification. He confronts the issue by responding to the most popular arguments made in its defense. You may disagree, and that is your right, but please be able to point to the Bible for your reasons and not the culture which is normally wrong.

Argument #15: “Sister ___ is such an anointed preacher [and/or] Bible teacher. How can we conscientiously prevent her from blessing both men and women with her anointed ministry?”

A Biblical Response:

•• The plain teaching of First Timothy 2:12 straightforwardly says, “I do not permit a woman to teach ... a man”.

•• The history of the early Church in the Book of Acts was certainly a time of anointed ministry. Yet we see not one single instance in that God-inspired historical record of a woman preaching or teaching in the capacity of an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, or elder. And that inspired historical record covered multiple cultures and countries.

•• Congregational preaching, a role entrusted by God to men (1 Timothy 2:12), has historically seen some women adopt masculine attributes and mannerisms in the pulpit. A gentle and gracious femininity rarely succeeds in such situations. So historically, many women preachers have spoken and acted with manly characteristics in the pulpit. This leads to a visible personality that is quite the opposite of the praiseworthy “gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:4). It is very difficult for a woman to “preach the word ... [and to] reprove, rebuke, exhort...” (2 Timothy 4:2, KJV) and still retain her gentle and quiet spirit.

•• One part of the duties of a preacher/teacher of the Word is to “speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority” (Titus 2:15, KJV). It is impossible for a woman preacher in the church to do this without directly violating 1 Timothy 2:12 — “I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man.”

Argument #16: “Those who do not believe in women's ordination tend to focus their arguments on 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 14:33-35.”

A Biblical Response: How is this a problem? The Bible declares that “all Scripture is God-breathed [KJV: is given by inspiration of God] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). These are inspired Scriptures and are perfectly “useful for ... correcting” erroneous teachings concerning leadership and pulpit roles for women in the Church. One never needs to apologize for using Scripture to ensure accurate teaching.