How could Paul say that, ...there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28), and then turn around a say, ...let a woman learn in silence with all submission. I believed that there must be a interpretation or translation problem, since God has given so many women the gift of teaching, preaching, and various ministries. Furthermore, the harvest is plentiful and the laborers a few. Why insist that half the Christian population on earth keep silent when there is so much kingdom work to do on earth?

by Joy Banks

Danger: This essay was written by an educated Christian sista to all Christian women who have considered choking their Pastors when told to sit down and shut-up. In reference to 1 Tim 2:11-14, I propose that we re-examine its translation and interpretation. 1 Tim 2:11-14 has kept Christian women in subordinate positions in the church and is the first scripture many Christian men present to tell a woman that she cannot preach the word of God or pastor a church. Unfortunately, there are still pastors who will not let a woman preach in their pulpit. Women are still forbidden to enter the ministry in about 80 Christian denominations, including Roman Catholicism, Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, and the Seventh Day Adventist. On one hand, Paul is the man who says that men and women are equal in the eyes of God (“...there is neither male nor female in Christ Jesus,” —Gal 3:28), yet, on the other hand, he tells women to shut-up and be submissive. My heart sank every time I read, “let the women keep silent”. I assumed that Paul was obviously dictating the prevailing traditional, religious, and social place of woman in his day or was conforming to the practice of discrimination and subordination of women like most Jewish men of that time. To give a clear illustration of women's degraded position, the orthodox Jewish prayer of thanksgiving was a prayer thanking God the he had not been born a woman.

Jewish men blamed Eve for eating the forbidden fruit and consider her transgression the cause of the downfall of mankind. “For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” Many people believe that, since Eve was deceived by Satan and cursed by God when she ate of the fruit, the curse translates to all women today. This is comparable to Adam bringing sin and death into the world by his disobedience, which affected all generations after him, thus giving us all sinful nature. Therefore, those that believe that women are subordinate to men, and should keep silent, may also believe that women are still under a curse.

But what about the work JESUS did on the cross and His resurrection? Where Adam brought sin and death into the world, Jesus brought righteousness and life. Jesus' blood has covered the transgression of Adam and Eve, and me and you for that matter. Because of Jesus, humankind is free from sin. So why do women have to keep suffering with religious subordination by keeping silent in the Church? Didn't Jesus paid the price for us ALL?

How could Paul say that, ...there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28), and then turn around a say, ...let a woman learn in silence with all submission. I believed that there must be a interpretation or translation problem, since God has given so many women the gift of teaching, preaching, and various ministries. Furthermore, the harvest is plentiful and the laborers a few. Why insist that half the Christian population on earth keep silent when there is so much kingdom work to do on earth? Also, why would the impartial God that I know want women to be silent (Acts 10:34)?