Should women be silent in the church?
This passage has caused confusion to readers since the time of the early church because it follows directly after Paul’s exhortation to the “brothers and sisters” to pray and prophesy aloud in the church. How can women be silent and pray and prophecy in the church at the same time (1 Cor. 14:26, 1 Cor. 14:34)? This type of passage, with two contradictory statements, requires a careful solution. Thus, many people have taken a deep dive into the context, the language, and the issues in Corinth to make sense of the apostle’s words. Explore the resources below to learn a variety of interpretations and consistent conclusions. Enjoy!
What to Say When Someone Says Women Should be Silent in the Church
Andrew Bartlett Explains Scribal Insertions
Should Women Keep Silent? 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
Learning How to Minister From 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
PRISCILLA PAPERS
1 CORINTHIANS 14
CONTEXT AND WORDS MATTER
A TIME TO SPEAK
WAS LOVE A MOTIVE?
1 CORINTHIANS 14
1 Corinthians 14
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire the spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy! But those who prophesy speak to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort” (1 Cor. 14:1, 3). Many of us were raised in churches that taught that women should be silent in the church because of the teachings of Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:34.
CONTEXT AND WORDS MATTER
Context and Words Matter: Reexamining 1 Corinthians 14
Editor’s note: This is a CBE 2020 Writing Contest honorable mention. Enjoy! For forty-five years I believed women should not be pastors. After changing my position, I wrote a book to describe my journey and to analyze every relevant Bible passage.1 Many of my friends refused to read it because they confidently asserted that “the Bible is unmistakably clear that women cannot be pastors.”
A TIME TO SPEAK
A Time to Speak
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace-as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.
WAS LOVE A MOTIVE?
Was Love the Motive for Women’s Silence in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35? A Lawyer’s Study
My professional career as a lawyer has influenced the way that I read the Bible. Lawyers investigate human behavior like scientists investigate the natural world, looking for the explanation that best fits all the available data. What happens when we apply that approach to the puzzle of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35?