Biblically has God ever used a woman to teach men His truths?

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Stephen63

Stephen63

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These sects also supported female preaching for deeper theological reasons. They believed that religious authority came from heartfelt religious experience, not from formal education, and they feared that established churches had “quenched the spirit” by requiring ministers to be college educated. Insisting that ordinary people could read and interpret the Bible for themselves, they argued that a farmer or a blacksmith could be as much of a biblical expert as a Harvard-educated minister. In addition, because of their conviction that God could communicate directly with people through dreams, visions, and voices, they argued that it was possible for God to inspire women as well as men to proclaim the gospel. Education, wealth,social position, gender—all of these were meaningless to God.
 
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Ariel82

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trofimus said:
Thanks. Christianitytoday is for the registered members only, so I cant read the article.

Do you know what would be the best? If you just give me the references to the first Church historians or other works so I can read it myself and decide if it is what the article wants it to be :)

For example Clement of Alexandria you mentioned - what work, which chapter etc.
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Yeah I don't have a membership either so don't know why you can't read it but the article is a jumping off point.I was resarching it's statements.

Not sure to,the sources quoted from the article are online.

Will post if I find some.

Sorry fell asleep. Tiring day.
 
Stephen63

Stephen63

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Since many members of these sects feared that the apocalypse might be imminent, they also sanctioned female preaching as a sign of the approaching millennium. According to the Millerites—who took their name from William Miller (1782-1849), a farmer who became famous for his millennial predictions—the world was destined to end in 1844. Disdaining the faith in human progress, they believed that they were living at the end of human history, and they urged every convert, whether male or female, to spread the gospel before it was too late. Influenced by Joel’s promise that at the end of the world, “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (Joel 2:28),they invested female preaching with transcendent significance. Whenever a woman stood in the pulpit, she was a visible reminder that Christ might soon return to earth.
 
Stephen63

Stephen63

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Evangelicals not only cited Joel’s words, but many other biblical texts that authorized female preaching. When they read the Bible for themselves, they discovered that instead of keeping silence, biblical heroines like Mary Magdalene, Philip’s four daughters, Priscilla, and Phoebe (or “Phebe” in the KJV) had spread the good news of Christ’s resurrection as witnesses and evangelists. According to Rebecca Miller, for example, a popular preacher for the Christian Connection, Phoebe had been the first recorded female preacher. Despite Paul’s description of her as a “servant” of the church, she had not been simply a maid or a housekeeper, but an evangelist (Romans16:1). Quoting other passages in the Bible, she illustrated that the word “servant” was typically used in the Bible as a synonym for minister. Miller also argued that Paul’s warning to “keep silence in the churches” had been directed only at the disorderly women of Corinth, not at all Christian women. Pointing out the inconsistencies in his words, she argued that if he had meant to forbid female preaching, he would not have also instructed women to cover their heads when “praying or prophesying” in public (1Corinthians 11:5).
 
Stephen63

Stephen63

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continued from http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/98759.pdf

Women like Rebecca Miller caused controversy because of their spirited defense of female evangelism, but they also became immensely popular within their own sects. Abigail Roberts, for example, a well-known Christian Connection preacher, often spoke outdoors because such throngs of people gathered to hear her sermons. Although it seems likely that some of her listeners were attracted by the sheer novelty of seeing a woman in the pulpit, others reported being genuinely moved by her passionate, heartfelt sermons. “Many thousands have listened with breathless attention to the heavenly story, as it fell from her lips,” a male minister wrote, “and many hundreds will date their religious experience from the time they heard her preach.”
 
Stephen63

Stephen63

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Since female preachers prided themselves on speaking extemporaneously,we do not have any copies of their sermons, but based on newspaper reports, spectators’ accounts, and their own letters and memoirs, we know that they usually preached on the traditional evangelical themes of repentance,conversion, and salvation. Indeed, a favorite text was “Ye must be born again” (John 3:3). Although some of their listeners may have expected them to preach a distinctly “feminine” or sentimental message (the early nineteenth century was the great age of the sentimental novel), they mixed soothing words of comfort with fiery warnings to repent. On one hand, they were particularly attracted to biblical passages that described God as a mother as well as a father, and they insisted that women, like men, had been created in the image of God. Salome Lincoln, for example, a Freewill Baptist,preached on a passage from Deuteronomy that describes God as an eagle who “stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings” (Deuteronomy 32:11-12,KJV).5 On the other hand, female preachers did not hesitate to portray God as angry, vengeful, and all-powerful. During a devastating cholera epidemic in 1832, Nancy Towle preached a hellfire sermon on a text from Ezekiel, “Go ye after him through the city and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women” (Ezekiel 9:5b-6a, KJV). According to her memoir, her listeners responded by crying out in fear.
 
Stephen63

Stephen63

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By the very fact of speaking in public, female preachers appeared dangerously radical, but they shared little with the women who supported the early women’s rights movement. With the notable exception of Sojourner Truth, who was both a feminist and an abolitionist, none of them participated in the first Woman’s Rights Convention at Seneca Falls in 1848. Although they used the Bible to defend their essential dignity and humanity, they did not challenge the fundamental sexual inequalities within their churches.Even Zilpha Elaw, an African Methodist who disobeyed her husband’s commands to stop preaching, claimed that her act of defiance was justified only because of her marriage to an “unbeliever.” In general, as she explained,“Woman is dependent on and subject to man. Man is not created for the woman, but the woman for the man.” Most female preachers were single when they began their careers, and those who decided to marry usually left the pulpit unless their husbands supported them. (Several female preachers married clergymen who encouraged them to serve as “helpmates” in their ministry.)
 
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Ariel82

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Thanks for all the 19th century resources on women preachers.

Do you have any for the 2nd century women in the Christian church?
 
Stephen63

Stephen63

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[video=youtube;rWQ_8Ncbhgc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWQ_8Ncbhgc[/video]
 
wolfwint

wolfwint

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Ariel82 said:
Nope that would be Anna the prophetess or Miriam or one of those women in the Bible because they preached the word of God.

But who was the first woman to "lead a church" not sure depends on if folks believe deaconess lead or not.
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Ariel, I have a question. What do you understand under the word / term : preaching?
 
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Ariel82

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wolfwint said:
Ariel, I have a question. What do you understand under the word / term : preaching?
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Proclaiming God's word to the masses.

What do you believe preaching is?

Teaching is back and forth dialog and is part of discipling.

Discipleship is when a person is mentored until they are fully mature in Christ and established in His Body, the Church. (Paul spent 3 years learning before he preached/started his evangelist mission)
 
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pottersclay

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Jesus said to go preach, teach, and baptize in his name. Now we know that back in the day women were considered second class citizens due to the culture.
Yet scripture says there is neither Jew, greek, etc but all are one.
Considering the times until modern day women had to struggle with equality. Even to this day women struggle in this area.
Now once again back in genesis a women was created to be man's helper. Therefore if a preacher was needed or teacher was needed and there was a female that was willing and able to add to the kingdom why would it not be scriptural to add her to the count.
Now I'm not talking about a pastors office but I'm saying scriptually speaking it's God who adds to the church.
 
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Ariel82

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Stephen63 said:
[video=youtube;rWQ_8Ncbhgc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWQ_8Ncbhgc[/video]
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I like this video.,thanks for,sharing it.

The concept of "practical divinity: that you don't just go to church to hear a religious message, but that the religious message you hear changes your life and the lives of those around you."

Don't know much about the temperance movement (except it didn't last because folks liked their alcohol), but women's right to vote, 8 hour work days and raising the age of consent to 16 are all worthy causes to spend a life time preaching about.
 
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Ariel82

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#360
Stephen63 said:
https://godswordtowomen.org/pastors.htm
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Ephesians 4v11

English Standard Version
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

Berean Study Bible
And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

***so people use minister, shepherd and pastor to translate the Greek word

4166. poimén ►
Strong's Concordance
poimén: a shepherd
Original Word: ποιμήν, ένος, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: poimén
Phonetic Spelling: (poy-mane')
Short Definition: a shepherd
Definition: a shepherd; hence met: of the feeder, protector, and ruler of a flock of men.

Strong's Greek: 4166. ποιμήν (poimén) -- a shepherd


Still reading but was looking up scripture references.

Just glad the term pastor/shepherd is used in the Bible and not just a made up office....now to see if women were forbidden to that role biblically...is it the same as Bishop?

Does it matter?

Why doesn't it say Bishops and deacons?

Are pastors, bishops and teachers used to refer to deacons?
 
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