Craig

Hi Kristen,
Just thinking aloud, about the universal command thingy.
You said today on the Sola Panel blog

Either Paul’s words are universal, or they are time/place specific.

You also said

But if we decide that Paul meant these words universally, then we must infer that there is a reason that all women, everywhere and for all time, need to hear these words more than men do.

Maybe the word “meant” is key to my problem in following you? You are saying that there are only two alternatives. Paul either “meant” to be time/place specific or “meant” to be universal. You are arguing that he “meant” to be time/place specific in v8-12. I agree with you on this.
Possibly my problem was that I was looking at a third alternative. Paul meant his words to be time/place specific, but they are actually applicable universally. So the men in the church at Ephesus had a particular problem with anger during prayer, and Paul was addressing this, but it is always applicable that men should pray without anger. I was including this third alternative as universal where as I think you would see it as still time/place specific.
Am I making sense?
I never was much good at English at school. Maybe I need to do that University English study that you and David have done 🙂 .