Woman's Ministry

Is it unscriptural for a woman to preach?

There is no verse which says a woman must not preach. Three things are forbidden to women: (1) They must not interrupt meetings where the Holy Spirit is at work, by asking questions (1 Cor. 14:23-35); (2) A woman must not “teach.” The word didaskein here means, as defined by Thayer, “to deliver didactic discourses’” — 1. e., to teach doctrinally by authority, — as we would say, dogmatically. It is the same word used of the apostle of himself in 1 Timothy 2:7. A woman must not set herself up as an authority in matters of doctrine, like an apostle (1 Tim. 2:12); (8) A woman must not be put in a place of authority in the church, such as the office of elder would be (1 Tim. 2:12, 18). The ordination of women is an abomination. It should be remembered that two great principles govern the relation of subordination in marriage (Gen. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:18). The second is like, but has special reference to marriage as a type. The wife is to be in subjection to her husband “as the church is unto Christ.”” It is obvious that 1 Corinthians 14:34, 35, relates to married women, as also do 1 Timothy 2:12 and Ephesians 5:24. The prohibition to “teach” is, however, general. “I suffer not a woman to teach (authoritatively). So far all is negative. What a woman clearly may do is (1) to “prophesy” (1 Cor. 11:5; Acts 21:9). The gift of prophecy is not exclusively nor even chiefly, foretelling, but forth-telling — speaking to edification, and exhortation, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3). Such speaking, therefore, is permissible to women. A word as to covering the head in 1 Corinthians 11:5: Nothing could be more contrary to the whole spirit of this dispensation than to use the casual mention of an ancient custom in a Greek city as fastening a legal and, so to speak, Levitical ceremonial upon Christians in all ages. The point is that “the head of the woman is the man.” It is the divine order. The angels know this. To them any inversion of that order would be disorder. In Corinth a shorn or “uncovered” head in the presence of men was a badge of harlotry, and a harlot is not only a woman who sells her body, but she is a woman who has thrown off the restraints of subordination — of the divine order. In a mixed assembly, therefore, a spiritually-minded and biblically-taught Christian woman who speaks or prays would do so in a modest and womanly manner, keeping her place in the divine order. It will be obvious, therefore, that, within the limits expressly fixed, and with the spirit of modesty and subordination, a Christian woman may exercise a wide and varied ministry. (2) She may teach, in any sense not involving dogmatic declaration of doctrine; (3) she may speak “‘to edification and comfort’’; (4) she may also pray (1 Cor. 11:5); and, (5) since “him that heareth” is commanded to say “Come,” she may evangelize.