“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” I Timothy 2 :11-14

“As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.” I Corinthians 14:33-35 

The role of women in the church, in regard to teaching and leadership, has been debated by some over the years. However, the two verses above make clear that women are to keep silent in the Church and not teach or exercise authority over a man. This view, sometimes known as complementarianism, is that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, and religious leadership. Beth More has recently apologized for and repented of supporting and teaching complementarianism in the past. While acknowledging that all Scripture is inspired of God she has noted a “tension” between the Gospels and Paul’s writings and stated that Paul is not Jesus. Noting that “Paul is not our Savior” she presumedly understands Paul’s writings to contradict the Gospels in some unspecified way and not as inspired as the rest of the Bible. This allows her to discount the clear teaching of the above two verses continuing her confused and increasingly apostate teaching.

While women should not teach or exercise authority over a man in the Church, Paul approved of women teaching women and children (Titus 2:3–5; 2 Tim. 1:5) and instructing men privately (Acts 18:26). Paul also acknowledges some women among his own fellow-workers, such as Priscilla (Rom. 16:3–5) and Euodias and Syntyche (Phil. 4:2–3). Certainly women can witness to men and perform on the mission field. In short, they can perform as important duties as the men and even hold certain leadership positions in the Church, such as in women’s ministry, as long as they remain under the direct authority of the pastor or other men in leadership positions.

The prohibition against teaching and leadership positions in the Church is not because women cannot be as knowledgeable in the Word of God or in teaching or that they are in any way naturally inferior to a man in skills or value but rather to mirror the natural order of the leadership role assigned to man by God. Man was formed first and given the leadership role. Eve was deceived by the Serpent by independently eating the forbidden fruit without consulting Adam, who was not deceived and could have potentially prevented the Fall if Eve had allowed him his assigned leadership role.

Women are to remain submissively silent in church services and let men perform their leadership roles assigned by God. In this way women will be submitting to and pleasing God, the ultimate authority for both men and women.