A Post-1 Timothy 2 Woman
A Post-1 Timothy 2 Woman
By Carolyn B. Edwards, Bandara, TX
More people filled the pews than usual for a Sunday evening service at my little country church. A visiting preacher had started a series of revival sermons that morning, and had stirred enough interest to garner a good turn-out at 6 p.m.
"We Baptists have gone soft on doctrine," he asserted, promising to clarify some foundational doctrine for us.
He selected 1 Timothy 2 as his text. Of the 40 minutes he spoke, he spent at least 20 explaining what doctrine was and why it was important not to deviate from it. Then he got into the text.
He briefly touched on the first few verses of the chapter, even making jokes about the dress code and hair style restrictions presented by Paul in verse 9.
Soon, he reached the meat of his message, verse 12. For 15 more minutes he hammered home the dangers of allowing women to "teach or have authority over men." This is important "doctrine," he said, "and we are ignoring it to our peril."
The clincher? "This is the way it is in my house," he said, smiling, "and I want to tell you, my wife is glad that`s so! God would bless women who set their hearts on being good wives and mothers," he added.
His wife was not present, so I couldn`t check with her, but I did wonder how he took Paul`s suggestions to a young preacher as to how to lead a church body and apply that to his marital relationship. I didn`t spend a lot of time worrying about that question however, since I was almost paralyzed in my pew by his main point. All around the church I heard hearty "Amens," and saw supportive nods.
My problem with the message? For almost 10 years, I had been teaching a Sunday School class for adult women and men. If 1 Timothy 2:12 was doctrine, I had been in serious disobedience to God`s will for almost a decade. For over half of those years, I had been team-teaching with another woman, older and wiser than I in Bible knowledge with a history of mission service in South America and the Middle East and a heart for carrying out the Great Commission. We had taken over the class after the former teacher, also a woman, decided to be the church music leader. None of us had ever questioned God`s leading us to teach that class.
The class grew. We regularly reached the capacity of our classroom and had to move to a larger space or send some of our people out to teach or start new classes. I believed that was God blessing the work.
Teaching led to my own personal growth as a Christian. My students motivated me to dig deep into God`s Word, and I found joy in developing a loving closeness with my Lord. Again, I believed it to be God pouring out His blessing.
But that Sunday evening, I listened to a man say my work violated biblical doctrine! Surely, God would not so bless or the Holy Spirit so lead, a work that was not part of the Truth. I worship a great God who can use any tools to accomplish divine purposes, but this message struck me to the core as absolutely wrong! If not God leading, then who?
As I listened to the preacher expound on his point, I got to thinking of other ways my church violated this doctrine. Do we not learn from music? Then surely we violate Paul`s teaching if we have women leading the music or singing in church when there are men present. I believe people over 13 should be treated in many cases as adults. Therefore, I would have to concede that any Sunday School class or youth group containing males 13 or older should, to be doctrinally correct, be taught only by men, right? What about committees? Would we be biblical only if we had no women serving as chairs, especially of committees that included male members? I looked around my church and wondered where we would find all the men willing to step into the shoes currently filled so capably, creatively and joyfully by women.
Emotionally rocked by this revelation from the preacher, I wondered, too, what my role really was in this church. He had emphasized that women should serve as wives and mothers. I had been widowed for almost 10 years, eliminating that role. My children were grown, so my mothering talents were scarcely needed. Having reached my 50s and lived through the hot flashes of menopause, I felt free for the first time in my life to devote more time to expanding my spirituality beyond those two important areas of service.
God gave me the gift of teaching and I believe He called me to teach this particular class. What work could I now do?
I wondered, too, why verse 12 on female submission was doctrine, but, according to his presentation, not verse 9 that dealt with clothing and jewelry?
I went home that night too stunned to speak with anyone. I lay awake for hours, trying to understand what I had heard preached as doctrine in my church and reconcile it with my experience as a teacher and worker in that church.
I did not attend any more of the services led by this guest preacher.
On Wednesday, I slipped into our regular mid-week service. Our pastor mentioned briefly that he had a few problems with what the visitor had said and promised to speak on them the next Sunday night. I felt a weight move off of my heart. OK, I thought, we`ll get this cleared up!
Much to my dismay, on Sunday evening, my pastor stated his agreement with the visitor`s view of women`s service in the church.
Well, who am I, a lay person not saved until I was almost 30, to question two seminary graduates raised in the church? I called the church secretary and said that because I had been in violation of God`s will for so long, I would no longer teach the Sunday School class. I also dropped out of the Easter cantata preparation and transferred my Sunday School membership to an all-female class. In trying to be obedient, I felt terribly disobedient, but I know feelings are not always a good standard for judgment.
As the news spread through our small congregation, my phone began to ring. Why? They asked. Well, they had heard the two sermons, too. Did they not hear what I heard? Well, yes, they reluctantly agreed, that is what the two men said. I asked the music leader how she could continue to teach men in the church through music. "It`s something I really love to do," she shrugged.
My pastor called wanting to know if he had offended me in any way. "Well," I replied. "I`ve just been told that my work as a teacher of a mixed-gender class is a violation of biblical doctrine, so in good conscience I couldn`t see how I could continue in disobedience to God."
"Oh, I didn`t mean for you to quit teaching," he said.
"You know," I said, "it`s either doctrine or it`s not doctrine. Which is it?"
He mumbled something along the lines of if my husband said it was OK for me to teach, I could do it. Of course, he knew I had no husband to give that permission. Did I need to be married to follow or know the will of God?
Within a short time, I left that church and began searching for another church home. I haven`t found it yet.
And in the dark hours of the night, Satan laughs in my heart and tells me he misled me for almost 10 years while I thought I was held in the palm of God`s hand doing His work for His good purposes. It is the hardest spiritual battle I have ever fought.
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