Women in the church (1 Cor 14:34-38)

This was a question asked by one of my former youth group students. I hope it helps...

Danielle to JD:

So I haven't talked to you in like forever, but me and a friend were talking about this one random verse, and I didn't know exactly what to say, and I though who else to ask about complicated theological issues than JD? so yeah. Anyways, we were talking about 1 Corinithians 14:33, which says that women shouldn't speak in church, and yeah. I just wanted to know what you thought about that.

JD to Danielle:

Good to hear from you! Sorry, I have been off of facebook for awhile so I just went on and saw your question. So I will do my best to give you a thorough answer and I apologize if it is long. This is one of those things that can't be answered in a simple way.

So the question is, "What does 1 Cor 14:34-38 mean in today's context?" I think that is the gist of what you are asking.

There are several contexts that have to be addressed if we are to understand the text correctly. They are:

1. The context of what the bible tells us as a whole.
2. The cultural context of the NT church at that time.
3. The context of the entire book of Corinthians.
4. The context of that specific group of verses, specifically referring to prophecy.

An honest try at answering this question must deal with ALL of these... hence, why this is a long answer.

1. The bible declares that there is an order of creation. (Gen 2) This order is not just a birth order but an order of responsibility. The man, created first, is to be responsible over his household. Notice in Gen 3 that God went looking for the man after both he and his wife had sinned. This does not relieve the guilt of Eve, but simply shows that Adam is responsible. The very weighty theological way of saying it is that husband has ontological equality (meaning they are equal in being) with his wife, but functional superiority. Paul picks up on this theme in the NT, writing about multiple types of submission: husband to wife, church member to church leader, citizen to government, etc.

2. This brings us to the NT, and the culture of that time. The gospel had been taken beyond the realm of Israel to the Greeks, who did not share the Jewish view of family. The women of that day had a reputation of being boisterous, haughty, and insubordinate. Peter would later write to the Asia minor churches (made up of many Greek women) "Do not let your adornment be merely outward... rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." (1 Pet 3:3-4).
In Corinth, this was especially true. A "Corinthian" of that day was a person given completely to debauchery or lewdness. As I am sure you know, there was a large temple to the goddess of Aphrodite which employed 1000 temple prostitutes. When Paul started the church there, many people got saved, but many did not. They remained a part of the church services, but they were by no means orderly. To make matters worse, it was a cultural norm at that time for the men to sit on one side of the room and the women to sit on the other during the services. If a woman wished to speak to a man during the service, she would have to practically yell across the room. It seemed that this was at least part of the problem because Paul says, "if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home." (1 Cor 14:35a)

3. The book of Corinthians not a stand-alone letter that Paul decided to randomly write to the church of Corinth. It was a response to a previous letter written by the Corinthian elders to Paul. We know this because, throughout the book, Paul makes implicit reference to certain questions they had asked him. Paul's main premise is to answer these questions so that there will be order in the church. Inevitably, someone asked him about the problem with the loud, insubordinate women in the church. This was his answer to that situation, for that church. What we can glean from the passage is to apply the principle to our lives. The main principle is that the times when God's people gather together to learn about and worship Him must be ORDERED. Whether men or women... no one should be annoying and loud while people are trying to hear the word of God.

4. The previous few chapters to these verses deals with spiritual gifts, with the last few dealing specifically with prophecy. Some have said that this reference to women being silent was directed specifically toward prophecy, but I don't believe that to be the case. In other portions of scripture, women are given complete freedom to prophesy. In Acts 21:9 we are told that Phillip had four virgin daughters that prophesied. In 1 Corinthians 11:5, Paul, speaking about head coverings, says women prophesy.

In conclusion, there are two issues at stake here. #1 - The gatherings of the church need to be ordered. Paul did not want women or men speaking out in the church during the preaching of God's word. #2 - When married women speak out boisterously, questioning things they have just been taught, they miss an amazing opportunity for their husbands to study and teach them. If this were a perfect world (and I am well aware it is not) then every man would be a pastor of his own home. He would seek God for direction and strength to lead his family with wisdom. If a woman goes "around" her husband to get her question answered, she makes him feel less than adequate and/or allows him to take the lazy road and continue to sit on the couch. Paul makes it clear that a woman is to be consistently encouraging her husband by asking him biblical questions even if she knows more than he does! Her question may not provoke an immediate response, but that man will most likely secretly go to his bible and seek to answer that question.

This is not a verse put forth by a "man-centered" religion as some contest. It is a plea from a pastor (Paul) who loves his church and wants what is best for them. What is best for the family is what the Creator of family says is best.

I hope this helps!

Thanks for the question,

JD