Paul
The gender discussion in the church today is captured succinctly by New Testament scholar Gordon Fee in
In a recent post examining the biblical qualities of a leader, I considered the similarity betw
Does it seem curious to you that when the issue of leadership in the church is discussed, gender is frequently cited as a primary element to consider?
In last week's post, I argued that because the apostle Paul commended the work of Phoebe-a deacon (Romans 16:1-2)-the tradition of female deacons continued throughout the early centuries, as noted both by the archaeological evidence and also in Christian literature preserved from this period.
As you may know, the question of whether women can serve as deacons has been recently debated among many evangelicals. Since scripture makes clear that Phoebe served as a deacon in the church in Cenchrea, there is an abundance of historical and archeological evidence that women deacons were upheld by the apostles. Both Clement of Alexandria and John Chrysostom recognize Phoebe was a deacon.
I enjoy addressing the contributions of women in history at Christian colleges or universities.
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.