Women Speaking In Church

It is in the Bible clear as a bell.  In 1 Corinthians 14:34 it states “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.”

Have you got the message here?  Is it any clearer than that?  It states emphatically that women are NOT allowed to speak in church.  No exceptions.  No speaking.  Simple.

Oh, lest I forget.  I am using this one passage only as an example of the plethora of Bible admonitions against women speaking out, their deference to men, and their total subservience to their husbands, church, and society as a whole. 

I am wont to go off on tangents and with all of the examples readily available in the Bible of these kind of admonitions; we could be discussing the reasons and values of each and every one individually and miss the point.  The point is that the Bible speaks frequently to the subservient role of women in the religious society.  With that in mind, 1 Corinthians 14:34 is a very good sampling to open the discussion on the whole issue.

Women in the Biblical Society

The writings in the Bible bespeak of women and their established role in society at the time it was written.  It shows that it was a patriarchal society and women represented a subservient role in that society.  Women were expected to marry, keep the household, and raise the children.  They were not supposed to participate in business, commerce, or anything else deemed “man’s work”.

This included the church/synagogue.  After all this goes back to the Old Testament.  I harkens back to the male-centric society that was the norm then.  As I mentioned above, this is not the only such passage.  It is not even the most egregious.  It does, however, have the benefit of being one of the most famous passages of its ilk.  As a side note: if you think this passage is bad, there are passages about women being enjoined from teaching men.  I do not know about you, but that would have wiped out most of my teachers growing up – and I lived in a time when women were still striving for the level of equality that the modern woman takes for granted.

What is its meaning to me?

To me, it is nothing more than a historical artifact of the nature of the Judeo-Christian church of the past.  It represents the feelings and teachings of the patriarchal society that existed at the time.

It does not represent society of today.  That society no longer exists, nor should it.  In my own lifetime, I have seen many of the last vestiges of that kind of thinking wiped away in this country.  It is not completely gone, but it is disappearing, as it should.

So why is it even important to bring this up? 

First, any church or religious community using this and other passages to undermine women as they grow and contribute to society.  Using these passages to justify a second-class attitude about women that even the women in the church accept and endorse.  Not only is it a form or false separation from society, it hurts society by not having the contributions of these people.

Second, using these passages as an excuse to dismiss the Bible and its relevancy.  After all, if the Bible is supposed to be the word of God and these passages are part of them, it is easy to dismiss the Bible in some people’s minds. 

Now, I know that some people have used the expediency of saying that that was the old way and it has no meaning now.  That is especially true with the “women not speaking in Church” refrain.  They come up with all kinds of justifications as to why it is no longer valid.  I agree with the validity. 

At the same time, these same people will tell you that the Bible is inviolate as it is the “Word of God!”  This is especially true when the “Word of God!” represents some belief THEY have that is counter to common sense, common practice, or modern belief.  The fall back on the Bible to justify their unpopular, often mean-spirited, sometimes heinous beliefs.  They use some passage in the Bible to give them cache for their belief but ignore passages in the Bible that either they do not believe in, that are heinous, that do not fit modern sensibilities, or are just plain inconvenient for them.

Funny how that works.  The “Word of God!” in the Bible is inviolate – unless it conflicts with your agenda. 

So Women, I beseech you – do not teach men, do not preach, do not speak in church.  After all:

It’s in the Bible.