When the Bible says women are to be silent in the church does that apply to todays church services?

Answer 1

This is not a Man or woman thing, so don't take it as one, and use your mind to try to answer this question when if you are regenerated in Christ you have the human spirit to touch God who is Spirit. That said let me say this there is in spiritual terms only one man in the universe, who is that Christ, he is the husband and any believer in the Church is His corperate bride(Read Revelation). So if you are a male believer, that's not how God sees you spiritually speaking. In Genesis, God created Adam as the head of His wife Eve, this is a picture of Christ and the Church. My body has no mouth to speak, yet Eve representing the body spoke to Satan, this was Her first mistake. She should have said speak to my Husband, so because of this she was decieved when Satan misquoted God's Word's to Her.

I know very well that woman are more capable than me mentally, phisically. God doesn't look at this as much as our being obedient to His speaking. Many believe that Adam though He sinned and fell greatly, He did so not through being decieved but out of Love for the wife God had given. We have to wake up and realise that Satan is God's enermy and was suposed to be subject under man but is now stronger than man(mankind)(he is also our enermy now). Now there is still an order in the universe that was set up a long time ago, and women need to be obedient to that order as much as man. By the way men in the meeting must be subject also to their Husband(Christ). In any meeting there should only be Christs speaking, nothing from any man's natural self. In The Bible it also says that all may prophesy. What does prophesy mean? It means to speak for God and speak forth God(not really about predicting the future). And it also says that in the last days men and women will prophesy. So through praying over this I believe that a woman may speak in a meeting in regard to what she she has gained of Christ, though not really in defining doctrines. I would say out of protection for any women(spiritually) please pray that the Spirit of Christ lead you, and burden you with what to say, rather than self. Self will never build up the Church. May we the church the wife of the second Adam(and Last Adam) not be decieved though many opinions of the Self. May Christ grace be a covering to us all.

AnswerNo.Categorically NO. In fact the Bible DOESN'T say that women should be 'silent' in Church. That is a human (and a bigotted human) invention. If the case that women should be silent in church, then I would not be here writing to you today as most of my teachers in school were women - and exellent teachers they were too. Most of my Sunday school teachers were women - from whom I first learned the Bible stories. My mother was a woman from whom I first heard the name 'Jesus'. Margaret Thatcher, like her or loathe her, transformed the British economy from 'the sick man of Europe' into a thriving country - and she was a woman in authority over men. Some of the best surgeons are women and who can say that God is not working through them in healing the sick. Women have an important role to play in furthering God's kingdom on earth. Many would say their role is vital. Jesus surrounded himself with women for specific roles - Mary Magdalene (to whom he appeared first after the resurrection - not a man!), Mary and Martha of Bethany (the former being more receptive to Jesus' words than most of the 12 disciples) and Salome to name but a few. In some very fundamentalist chuches women are still shamefully 'put in their place' but as we were all created equal whether black or white, male or female, then we all have a role to play.

Most Christian churches (both in name and attitude) today recognise the role that women play - in the Anglican and Methodist churches worldwide, and many other denominations, women can become priests and ministers. Even in the RC church (very male dominated) women have a role as nuns and as lay workers and take a full and useful part in services. Even in the earliest churches women played an important role. Biblically, there are many women described as church leaders by Paul. One prime example is Lydia, who was a church leader as described in the Book of Acts. In the Roman catacombs, there are many paintings of women taking leadership roles in the earliest churches. The most famous is the "fractio panis" which depicts a woman presiding at the Eucharist (mass) dating from the first century AD.

Consequently one can quote scripture out of context to support offensive mysoginistic views but the truth of Christ's ministry (not the church's ministry) is that women are very much accepted - and only the male domination of the church since, often by sexist bigots, has meant that only in the most fundamentalist (in the most sinister sense of the word) churches the role of women has not been accepted or enjoyed.

Sadly,in many fundamentalist churches, members can hide behind scripture (or a literal, and often very poor interpretation of scripture) as a 'law' being more important than Christ's own commandments - that you should love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and you should love one another as much as you love yourself. This reduces those to the very people whom Our Lord was criticising - placing the law above the feelings and compassion of those in need. In a similar way, many fundamentalists these days are prone to do the same - putting a literal interpretation of scripture first, and putting the love of other people second. Christ always put a God of Love first, then a love for people second. No where did Christ say that scriptural 'law' must be obeyed. 'I do not come to condemn the law' he once said, 'I come to fulfil it.' If you are ever in doubt about interpretation ask yourself 'what would Jesus do' - you won't then go far wrong.

Finally, remember the words of Paul, that there is neither slave nor free, neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female - for we are all equal in Jesus Christ.

Consequently, if you are a woman, and not allowed to speak in your own church, I suggest that you look elsewhere for a truly Christian church family who will welcome you into their fellowship with love and respect, and allow you to show your love for God by taking a full part in their worship.

Regardless if they're man or woman it's rude to interrupt a service with questions & such in a normal setting. If it's a type of question & answer session then it's open to all men & women. If God doesn't have a problem with a particular arrangement then neither should the leadership. If God has a problem then obvious we all have a problem.

Answer 2

New Testament

1 timothy 2:11-13

11 Let the women learn in silence with all subection.

12 But i suffer not a women to teach, nor usurp authority over man, but to be in silence.

13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

1 corithinthians 14:34-38