“Suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man”

Last updated on: September 2, 2012 at 5:45 am by Libby Anne

“Suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man” 2012-08-29T11:49:45-04:00 Libby Anne

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Friendly Atheist recently posted an the results of a survey on women in the church, and was shocked to find that some churches don’t allow women to teach men. Frankly, I was surprised that the number was so low – only 3%. Because, well, growing up that was just how things were.

I remember that there was a woman who wanted to teach my high school AWANA group at a fundamentalist church across town. Thing is, there were, well, teenage boys in the class. The elders had to discuss whether it was appropriate for a woman to teach high school boys like that. Just girls, that would have been fine. Elementary boys, also fine. But a mixed class of high school girls and boys? Definitely iffy. In the end, they let her teach, but only as co-instructor with a man.

As with many large churches, the evangelical megachurch I attended broke the congregation down into “small groups” which met in people’s homes. My dad led our small group. He was male. The idea that a woman could lead a small group wouldn’t have occurred to any of them. Now sure, a woman could lead a female Bible study, that happened all the time. But not a mixed group. A woman couldn’t teach men.

Our church had a women’s ministry, and women could be hired there, and they could also work in the administrative staff as secretaries. Women ran the preschool program. Women were the majority of Sunday School teachers. Women ran many operations of the church like taking food to those who were sick or running the phone chain. But women were not eligible to be elders or pastors or even to be ushers. The church had a lot of classes – missions classes, Bible classes, classes that went through devotional books, etc. – and women were allowed to be co-leaders of those classes if they taught alongside a male colleague. A woman couldn’t simply run a class on, say, young earth creationism on her own.

If you didn’t grow up this way, you may be wondering why. Well, it comes from this passage (KJV):

I Timothy 2: 11-15

11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

And as is the modus operendi for evangelicals or fundamentalists, the Bible says it, so that’s that.

(Although the ironic thing is that the passage immediately before this passage – “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array” – is taken much less literally.)

So in churches like the ones I grew up involved in, women bringing casseroles was a-okay, but women teaching men was absolutely not.

Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism

Previous Post

September 1, 2012

In Defense of Susan Pevensie

Next Post

September 3, 2012 The Merger: Evangelicalism and the GOP

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atheism Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism Family Feminism Homeschool Meta Parenting Patriarchy Politics Purity Quiverfull Social Justice Uncategorized Worthwhile reads

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was healed of leprosy after washing seven times in the Jordan River?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ben-hadad Hazael Naaman Hezekiah