Cheryl Schatz

Sheryl,
I listened to the audio and the speaker is correct in that many translators have been biased in the verses that refer to females and instead of freeing women (Paul say ‘let her learn’) the passage is used to restrict women. This is a biased view that has hurt women and the church throughout the years.

That said, I do have a problem with his view that he brings out from the Kroegers because there is no adequate connection between all the verses. It is my understanding that verse 15 which is connected together with verses 11-15 is the expected good outcome from the restriction that exists in verse 12. So while he explains what the restriction means, how is it connected to verse 15? There is no explanation of why there is a singular “she” and a plural “they” in verse 15 or why women are saved through giving birth to children. The verse that is the hardest to understand (verse 15) is not adequately explained.

It is my belief that any view that is the truth about this passage must bring the grammar and the precise words of verse 15 to a logical conclusion of the prohibition. I have heard this explanation before and it just doesn’t fit in my head. If this is really what Paul meant to say, it would have been better to say “I am not allowing the teaching that the woman authored the man”. That would be understandable. But why say that only women are not allowed to teach this? Are men allowed to teach that the woman authored the man but women are not allowed to teach this? There are so many unanswered questions in this view if one believes that the passage is written exactly as God wanted with the correct grammar and the correct words being used with no mistakes. I have been told that the view that I hold that accounts for the singular “she” and the plural “they” makes the entire passage make sense. I can understand that I could be wrong and the Kroeger’s could be right but then there would need to be shown me where the holes are in my view and the holes in their view would need to be answered for it to make proper sense.

But I do appreciate anyone sticking up for women’s ability to serve God in the gifts that He has given them. When all of us are gifted as God wills and empowered to use these gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ, the church will be equipped as she should.