Cheryl Schatz

Holly to continue,
You said:

If not wearing a veil would have culturally caused such shame to the woman’s husband (1 Cor 11), then surely a woman teaching a man would also have caused the same cultural status of shame?

Although the culture said that a man was not to talk to a woman, off the bat I can’t think of any reference to a “shame” of having a woman teach him. And removing the veil was in a far different category. Removing the veil was a cultural sign of indecency about the same as lifting up her dress and showing off…ahem….well, showing off her private parts. The Talmud says that teaching your daughters the Torah is a shame, it doesn’t say that having a woman teach a man is a shame. After all most of their women didn’t have enough education to teach the men so it wasn’t even on their radar to think that way.

Are there any Scriptures that specifically say “let a woman teach”?

The Bible specifically commands those who have been gifted to use their gift:

1 Peter 4:10–11 (NAS)
10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In essence these verses are saying that “let every man or woman who is gifted use their gift so that God will be glorified in them”. Should woman who are gifted by God to teach, teach and not be prejudiced against men by withholding God’s gifts from them? Absolutely! The gifts aren’t ours. They belong to God as a gift to the church. When we don’t use our gifts and we withhold God’s gifts from some people because of their gender, God’s gifts are held back in prejudice rather than allowing God to choose whom He wants to gift. God’s gifts are meant for the church as those who have been gifted have no right to without what God has given.