Lewis
Member
It is time to tackle this again.
What Does the Bible Say About Women Preaching?
The role of women in the church is perhaps one of the most controversial topics that anyone could tackle. Denominations have divided over whether or not women can preach, give sacraments, teach or even speak out in a service. The debate is complicated even more by the cultural shifts in the roles of women that have occurred in the past 2000 years. There are only a few Bible verses that actually speak to the question of whether women can preach. They seem somewhat contradicted by the Bible's portrayals of women.
Significance
1. An essential Biblical concept is that God made both male and female and that there is no distinction between the spiritual worth of either. According to Galatians 3:28, once a person is "in Christ" their gender does not determine their value or their position. This idea clashed with some of the ancient cultural traditions as they wrestled with the message of the Gospel.
Identification
2. Paul's letters contain the most problematic verses about the role of women in the church. Since one verse, 1 Corinthians 11:5, forbids women to pray or prophesy in meetings unless they have covered their heads, it seems to suggest that women could participate in authoritative public speech within a Christian meeting. However, a later verse in the same book, 1 Corinthians 14:34 demands that women remain silent, not speaking at all in church. The two verses seem to be in direct contradiction. Paul's bias against women preaching seems to be clarified in the letter he wrote to Timothy, a young pastor that he was mentoring. He counseled Timothy that women should not be granted the right to either teach men or be in positions of authority over them. See 1 Timothy 2:12.
Considerations
3. This leads you to wonder if the Bible restricted women from preaching at all or if it allowed women to preach to other women. Paul mentored another young pastor, Titus. In his letter to Titus, he recommends that older women be used to teach younger women. Did this also involve preaching? The record is silent on that issue. See Titus 2:4.
Theories/Speculation
4. There are examples of women who preached in the New Testament. The first one is the woman that Jesus met at the well in Samaria. This story is recorded in John 4. She was so impressed with Jesus that she left her pitcher, assembled a crowd, preached about the encounter she had had and returned with the crowd following. Another woman preacher is Priscilla. She and her husband, Aquilla, were powerful teachers. Since Priscilla's name is mentioned first, biblical scholars believe that she took the primary role. Other women who perhaps preached are the Old Testament prophet, Deborah, the apostle, Junias and Lydia, a widow, who started a church in her home.
Potential
5. The question of whether the Bible permits women to preach is not easily addressed. One translation of Psalm 68:11, a prophetic song of victory, indicates that there will be a large "company" of women who will proclaim, or preach, God's word after he makes an announcement. We do know that women joined the male disciples in the upper room in the ten days between when Jesus ascended into Heaven and when the wind and the tongues of fire initiated the first street preaching in Jerusalem. We also know that women were among the people who were commanded by Jesus in Mark 16:15 to go into all the world and "preach the Gospel."
http://www.ehow.com/about_4577569_does- ... ching.html
What Does the Bible Say About Women Preaching?
The role of women in the church is perhaps one of the most controversial topics that anyone could tackle. Denominations have divided over whether or not women can preach, give sacraments, teach or even speak out in a service. The debate is complicated even more by the cultural shifts in the roles of women that have occurred in the past 2000 years. There are only a few Bible verses that actually speak to the question of whether women can preach. They seem somewhat contradicted by the Bible's portrayals of women.
Significance
1. An essential Biblical concept is that God made both male and female and that there is no distinction between the spiritual worth of either. According to Galatians 3:28, once a person is "in Christ" their gender does not determine their value or their position. This idea clashed with some of the ancient cultural traditions as they wrestled with the message of the Gospel.
Identification
2. Paul's letters contain the most problematic verses about the role of women in the church. Since one verse, 1 Corinthians 11:5, forbids women to pray or prophesy in meetings unless they have covered their heads, it seems to suggest that women could participate in authoritative public speech within a Christian meeting. However, a later verse in the same book, 1 Corinthians 14:34 demands that women remain silent, not speaking at all in church. The two verses seem to be in direct contradiction. Paul's bias against women preaching seems to be clarified in the letter he wrote to Timothy, a young pastor that he was mentoring. He counseled Timothy that women should not be granted the right to either teach men or be in positions of authority over them. See 1 Timothy 2:12.
Considerations
3. This leads you to wonder if the Bible restricted women from preaching at all or if it allowed women to preach to other women. Paul mentored another young pastor, Titus. In his letter to Titus, he recommends that older women be used to teach younger women. Did this also involve preaching? The record is silent on that issue. See Titus 2:4.
Theories/Speculation
4. There are examples of women who preached in the New Testament. The first one is the woman that Jesus met at the well in Samaria. This story is recorded in John 4. She was so impressed with Jesus that she left her pitcher, assembled a crowd, preached about the encounter she had had and returned with the crowd following. Another woman preacher is Priscilla. She and her husband, Aquilla, were powerful teachers. Since Priscilla's name is mentioned first, biblical scholars believe that she took the primary role. Other women who perhaps preached are the Old Testament prophet, Deborah, the apostle, Junias and Lydia, a widow, who started a church in her home.
Potential
5. The question of whether the Bible permits women to preach is not easily addressed. One translation of Psalm 68:11, a prophetic song of victory, indicates that there will be a large "company" of women who will proclaim, or preach, God's word after he makes an announcement. We do know that women joined the male disciples in the upper room in the ten days between when Jesus ascended into Heaven and when the wind and the tongues of fire initiated the first street preaching in Jerusalem. We also know that women were among the people who were commanded by Jesus in Mark 16:15 to go into all the world and "preach the Gospel."
http://www.ehow.com/about_4577569_does- ... ching.html
Hear is where I am at, God uses who he wants, and he does. Now you can hear and see the anointing on many women when it comes to preaching. We have a God who will use who ever He wants. The Bible has women who lead men in it. It was a women who saw the risen Christ first, and a women who first told the good news of that event. Paul was mostly talking to certain cultures of people. 
) The jury is probably still out on woman preachers, but I wouldn't say the Bible says they cannot preach, Paul said they cannot preach, lest they become a stumbling block to other Corinthians!