Putting Women In Their Place In Church

I Corinthians 14:34-36

Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God’s Book of the law guides our manners and customs here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking. Do you—both women and men—imagine that you’re a sacred oracle determining what’s right and wrong? Do you think everything revolves around you?

34-35 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak;.....for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Now, the KJV is the most widely quoted, or in this case mis-quoted translation of this verse so I have included it for your reading pleasure.

To those who are so dogmatic about the interpretation of scriputure I strongly suggest you study it along with the historical setting of the times and the culture. At first reading the old hard liners appear to be right. Women, keep silent in church, for you are not permitted to speak, so what that means is you can not teach, preach, or hold a leadership office. That is what some demoninations hold this to mean. Wake up people. Paul certainly did not mean this. If that were the case he would have stated it in that fashion. That would also make Phoebe a sinner because she is a deaconess. That would put her in a leadership position and give her the right to speak in a church and certainly teach.

Let’s understand what is being said here. When the service is being conducted, women, as well as men, do not disrupt the worship by talking when you should be listening. And if that is not plain enough, it is a suggestion, not a commandment from God. The guideline here is God’s Book of the law, this is common courtesy.

Now to the present. It is a fact, that in most churches, the women out number the men. If, women are not permitted to speak then I can say with certainty that many a class room would go un-taught. Every church that I have attended or pastored has had this in common. 95% of the classes were taught by, yes you guessed it, women!

So if women are to be silent in church, then many a child will go untaught the bible lesson from Sunday School. But I guess that is O.K. if the men are too few or too lazy to step up and teach them. (I speak tongue and cheek here).

There are worse things in the church than this. But that is a different message.