Mark

Hi Kay,

Now i will answer your other question about the teaching on widows being enrolled. Long stro short- no it doesn’t. And personally i see this passage more culturally applicable than anything. Sure we should learn to look after those in need, but our Aussie culture has governmental options to support those in need, such as a widow.

Seemingly the ‘enrollment’ Paul is talking about no one can be certain. Most probably it relates to financially assisting widows since this seems to be the main issue at hand. Paul says ” Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are really widows.” in verse 16, so this seems to suggest the reason for the instruction on widows.

Now i am no expert on the historical background of the NT but i think the fair presumption would be that widows were not properly cared for in those days. If a husband died, a wife could well loose all her financial support and home etc. So it seems that Paul is making sure that only the widows who were godly and needed the help of the church were cared for. Those younger who had ‘strayed after Satan’ should not be cared for or made as a burden for the church.

Hope this answers what you were after. No our church doesn’t have an ‘enrolment’ with certain age restictions because our society is very different to Paul’s. Women are cared for now in a way that they were not in the NT era. Although our church does still administer pastoral care to those who need it. Why the question about this passage?