Cheryl Schatz

Kay,

I think you have hit the nail on the head. It appears to me also that Mark sees the big picture as inspired, but the individual words are not really necessary or necessarily meaningful. So in place of authenteo in 1 Tim. 2:12 a switch to exousia is not a big deal. At a word here and there, who cares? If it changes the meaning, oh well, at least it keeps within the big picture.

But I believe that the big picture is made up of of accurate smaller pictures. If the smaller pictures are distorted then how can we trust that the big picture that demands male hierarchy is accurate? Honestly, this seems to look like what egalitarians are always charged with – a bait and switch.

Accurate handling of the Word of God will not disregard the inspired words. For if the exact words are not necessarily inspired or necessarily accurate and the grammar is not necessarily accurate then it will be left to each one to decide for oneself what feels best. I don’t operate that way. My emotions are not to be a part of the truth. All of God’s word needs to fit together without contradiction and then we will know that we have understood God’s truth accurately.