I agree. There's an entire Bible context, a decent list of women prophets, who obviously were given a leading role in spiritual matters of God, God not opposed to His inspired voice coming from a woman. If all women are to sew their mouths shut over the sin of Eve, this is a terrible contradiction. On the other hand, Paul's teaching seen in light of the established order of the congregation he was addressing, that there were men to preach, perhaps some uppity women in that congregation, as we know there was a problem with chatty women in the services at Corinth, things begin to make more sense.
You're right. Lifting verses out of context is a problem, error, very often. 1 Timothy 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. This verse, lifted out of context, somebody could claim Adam wasn't the transgressor, just the woman the transgressor, therefore shutup, and this would not be true! Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. Paul could not have been speaking to the woman being a lone transgressor. And in that passage Paul is talking about usurpation of the man, the order to be maintained in that congregation, used the order in the Garden as an example, but what of my earlier question, of that rural church? Can you actually cop to such verses in this case? What man is usurped? There is no man to pastor, no man to usurp.
I know I'm as spiritual as other Christians. If I heard a woman proclaiming the gospel, speaking truth of scripture to people, the last thing, as in never, would be to tell that woman to shutup.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. So what am I supposed to do with this? Are the words of the Lord tainted, coming out of the mouth of somebody with the "wrong" genitalia, and in light we are all one in Christ? Again, why did God appoint some women prophets, to prophesy, then? The Lord has them prophesying, but some of you talk as if a woman shouldn't read the Bible out loud? In any event, it's bad exegesis to claim a couple verses negate the rest of the Bible context and teachings.
Paul spoke of not usurping the man leading the church, and this is good. In that church, the woman was not to teach. But I see his whole context one of usurpation of the man, of usurping church authority, again, what about that rural church, with no man to pastor? Close the doors, do something that would make any liberal atheist and the devil cheer? The answer is to remove that presence of Christ, destroy that congregation?
I could only see a Pharisee thinking this way, and the resulting world a little more Godless. Just my opinion, but I don't think the absence of God in the population can be outweighed by gender. If there's a man to preach, good, but if not? Just my opinion, but God speed to any voice of His truth. Call me a heretic, then. Catholics do. And I like being called a heretic.
