Are Women Prohibited From Speaking in the Church?

I was in a home meeting recently where my wife began to point out how women had been oppressed by the misuse of scripture.  As she continued to share it was obvious that the men in the room became more and more uncomfortable.  Finally one of the younger men in the group announced he was going to open a can of worms but really had to leave after he did it. He opened his Bible and read the first half of 1 Corinthians 14: 34, which says, “Let the women keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak…” It was certain he didn’t appreciate my wife sharing and supposed he had scriptural basis to validate his feelings. And he wasn’t the only man in the room that felt the same way. Since this is a prime example of how scripture is misrepresented to keep women quiet, let me share an abbreviated comment on the cultural context and scriptural context of this verse to show what was happening and why Paul made such a statement.

Corinth was a major city on a major trade route. It was a city with two harbors and a thriving economy. It served as a crossroad between the East and West, bringing together Jews, Greeks, Romans and a mixed multitude of sailors and merchants. Only Rome, Alexandria, and Athens had a greater population. This melting pot brought together both the best and the worst you might expect in any cosmopolitan center, and Corinth had built a reputation as one of the most wicked cities of its time. Immorality and heathen customs were rampant.  Paul bypassed Athens and chose Corinth to establish a church during his second missionary journey because of its strategic location and influence. He spent about 18 months there before moving on.

Later while Paul ministered in Ephesus, he received word that there were major problems in the church at Corinth. It seemed the negative influences that pervaded the local culture had crept into the church as well.  Although he commended the church for the positive things it possessed, Paul was also compelled to address issues that were detrimental to its survival and positive influence. There were many issues of practical Christian living Paul had to address. There was immorality in the church, believers suing each other in sight of unbelievers, abuses in taking the Lord’s Supper, order in the public worship service, marriage problems, questions concerning women’s roles in the church, and heresies concerning the afterlife.

Some of these issues were very specific to cultural influences at Corinth. The scripture in question, verse 34, is right in the middle of a passage beginning in verse 20 and ending in verse 40, the end of the chapter, where Paul is dealing with lack of order in public worship in the church of Corinth.

The Corinthians church had been gloriously filled with the Holy Spirit and manifestation of

gifts was in abundance. Exuberance in the manifestation of gifts was beginning to disrupt the public worship services, especially it seems the gift of prophesy and tongues and interpretation, along with the misuse of tongues in prayer as if they were a prophetic tongue.

Paul sites several problems related to the church’s close proximity to Delphi. Delphi was across the bay from Corinth and the Delphic oracle was the most famous of the Greek oracles. It was run by three priestesses. Men who wished to consult the oracle would first sacrifice a sheep, goat, boar, or other animal. (We see Paul’s injunction in chapter 8 against eating meat sacrificed to idols, probably referring to this practice at Delphi.) If the omens were favorable, the man was admitted to a waiting area inside the shrine to await his turn which was decided by casting lots.  No women were allowed, except the priestesses. The man would ask a question by writing it on leaden tablets and when his turn came, a priestess would cleanse herself and position herself on a tripod placed over a chasm which emitted intoxicating fumes. As she sat there becoming more and more inebriated, the priestess, a peasant woman over 50 years of age,  would begin to utter incoherent sounds that were interpreted in hexameter verse by a waiting poet. The answers that came forth were always unclear, leaving the recipient more confused than satisfied.

If we go back one verse to verse 33, Paul says, “For God is not a God of confusion but as peace as in all the churches of the saints.” Confusion here means commotion, unsettledness.  The fact that women were being filled with the spirit to the same extent as men was something new and exciting to them. They had been so persecuted under Jewish custom and practice that they were overenthusiastic about this gift of tongues and had not learned what it was all about yet. Therefore they were apt to speak out at an inopportune time in their prayer language, thus interrupting the service. This resembled, in Paul’s mind, something too much akin to the women giving the Doric oracles, for him to be comfortable. Again, what might unbelievers think in observing this? In verse 35, he instructs wives to learn at home by asking their husbands so that the confusion, especially of the unbeliever who might join them in a service, would be minimized. He was admonishing them for restraint while they were learning more of the gifts and the proper operation of them.

Paul had the same concerns over men who spoke out in a tongue publicly without an interpretation. If you go back to verse 20 and begin reading it is clear to see that this wasn’t a man versus woman thing, but an order versus disorder thing. Paul put a premium on words of prophesy as opposed to tongues and interpretation. He saw prophesy as the better gift.  He also wanted to distinguish between the tongues of personal prayer and the prophetic tongue partnered with interpretation. Thus in verse 39-40 in this section Paul says, “Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues, but let all things be done properly, and in an orderly manner.” Paul was not issuing a decree against any woman speaking in any church. He was calling for a time of quiet observation and restraint on their part while learning about spiritual gifts and their operation, specifically at Corinth.

In conclusion, my own experience has been in seeing much more interruption by male leadership in the church than by women. Anytime the spirit is hindered by the need to maintain an order of worship or time schedule, I see that as a problem.  I’ve heard anointed prophesies come forth and no time given the Holy Spirit to establish that word in the hearts of God’s people. Unfortunately it seems to happen most often when a woman is the one who prophesied.

Abrasive Grace

When I was seventeen years old I got into trouble with the law. Influenced by a boss who was willing to pay for my participation in stealing goods for resale, I ended up in jail with a felony charge hanging over my head. This was a traumatic experience for a young man who had never even been cited with a traffic ticket. But the events that led to my release and hearing laid a foundation that is still evident in my life today.

I was born and raised in a small country community about 20 miles outside of Seattle, Washington. It was an idyllic life and up to that point I had spent probably less than two weeks total outside my comfort zone. After my arrest and the impounding of my father’s car, which I had used in the crime, I spent 48 hours in the King County Jail in downtown Seattle.  Because of the nature of my crime, I was placed in a large cell with about 15 other accused felons. The lights were on 24 hours a day, the cots rock hard, and one toilet with no privacy served us all. Worse than the physical conditions was the fear I felt being housed with older men I knew in some cases had done violent acts against other human beings.  Yes, this jail experience was way outside my comfort zone!

When my parents came to visit me the day after my arrest, the hurt in my mother’s eyes as she asked me, “How could you do this?” was like a laser beam directed at my heart. My parents, although not outwardly religious, were hard working business owners, moral people whom others in our small community trusted. I had not only brought shame on myself and them, but cut deep into the very fiber of what they stood for. The hardest part for me was knowing my current actions were not portraying the young man they had raised me to be. This very conviction was the start of a deep work of repentance in my life.

I got out of jail the next day which I assume, thanks to my dad, was 24 hours longer than I needed to be there. I don’t remember much conversation on the way home that day. Dad, being 40 years older, wasn't always sure what cards to play with me. I am now just a little older than he was then and can’t imagine having a 17 year old child at this time in my life. His love I never questioned, but gaps both generationally and culturally seemed to hinder what I was supposed to glean from him by osmosis. He was a hard worker and excellent provider, but not much of a guide for my budding masculine soul.  Mom was the dominant and somewhat domineering influence in the home and my life. She didn't come that day to pick me up and for that I am eternally grateful. The quiet ride with dad was torture enough.

I can’t remember much of the interval between my release and my day in court. I was obviously now out of a job and spent as little time at home as possible, instead choosing to be with my girlfriend.  I do remember having to go to the county courthouse to make a statement about my involvement in this criminal activity and what place my boss played in influencing me to participate. I didn’t realize when I went into that small room with my lawyer to make my statement that my ex-boss and his lawyer would be there also. I can still picture the harassing look he gave me as I fearfully told my story.

   

My day in court finally came. I can remember walking in before the judge with my lawyer and dad by my side. The charges were read and I was asked to plead guilty or not guilty. At this point I felt almost like I was leaving my body. In fact I was shaking like a leaf. As everything went into slow motion, with my head hung low, I finally stammered guilty to the charges.  That was my part in the hearing; admitting my guilt. Now came the judge’s turn to sentence me. The judge ordered restitution paid, a letter of apology to those I had stolen from, and keeping out of trouble for a specified time, after which my record would be cleared.

 

Shortly after this I was hired by another local business in the same industry I had previously worked, the owner well aware of what had transpired with me. Here again, I’m sure my dad was instrumental in me getting hired, having known the other businessman for many years. I was soon in a management position which I held until moving from the area.

I want to share some of the spiritual lessons I learned from my experience, lessons I believe the church can benefit from.

1.    Grace is always amazing but sometimes abrasive.  It was God’s grace that I was arrested. No one in my inner circle of workplace thieves was speaking into me that what we were doing was wrong. We were smug in our own hearts and minds that we were getting away with it. As hard as that time was for me, if I had not been confronted and brought face to face with my own weaknesses and sinfulness, I may have continued into deeper and darker crime. Does God work on behalf of those who have not yet accepted Him? He sure did for me.  He did for Saul of Tarsus, too  (Acts 9:3-4).

2.    Conviction is good! Thank God I was still pliable enough in my heart to be convinced what I was doing was wrong. Conviction always calls for a response (Acts 9:6). If I had hardened myself to just be sorry for getting caught and not sorry for my sinful actions, an entirely different outcome may have come about. My conscience knew stealing was wrong, but external factors around me reinforced the internal lusts for money, power, and prestige that fought against my conscience. It’s so easy to make excuses for sin.

3.    Confession is powerful. Confessing my guilt before the judge was at once excruciatingly hard and exceedingly freeing. It was good to speak truth about my actions without excuse. I’m sure Paul made confession before his baptism after having his eyes opened (Acts 9:18). Confession opens the door for grace-filled justice to be executed in your life. Grace is free on the receiving end but very costly on the giving end.  I never knew what it cost my dad for lawyer fees, court fees, and restitution, but on my eighteenth birthday he gave me a card that simply read, “Received in full, God only knows how much.” The Father bankrupted heaven for us.

4.    Repentance opens the door for blessing.  I embraced the grace given me, changed my mind and heart, and turned in a new direction (Acts 9:20). God’s grace leads to repentance. Grace opens the front door, and conviction, confession, and repentance are the rooms the Holy Spirit will lead us through to blessing.

I’ve witnessed this same process many times in my life. God doesn’t initiate the process just for the big blunders we make, but lovingly for the small rebellions, too.  We all have them, that’s for sure. Failure to embrace the process of restoration in its fullness opens the door to hardness of heart and further rebellion. Agreeing with God about both our weaknesses of the flesh as well as our great potential in Him allows God to initiate His full counsel in our lives. Don’t sabotage His best for you.