Cheryl Schatz

Kay,
You are so right! The world of hierarchy has taken Paul’s words and made them into a law without Paul’s permission. Surely Paul who understood the two or three witnesses rule for legal cases (and he quoted the rule in 1 Tim. 5:19) would have done a better job of creating a legally binding law if he had the permission to create such a law. Paul never appealed to God Himself nor did he appeal to a second witness or an original law that was in existence set up by God. Paul’s statement is a helpful comment to Timothy on how to get a job done. Paul’s authority was to be used by Timothy. It was not given to all men to restrict all Christian women for all time! Those who think this is a universal law have never been able to explain why it fails the requirements of God’s law. But they also don’t want to let it go as a situational problem because frankly they like what this so-called “law” does for them. It gives them power and authority and all kinds of “rights” that make them very special…in their own eyes. Unfortunately they have failed in the Christian way of servanthood that is to be given towards the congregation in order to lift them up to serve not push them down to stop serving. To me this is the Christian way turned upside down for the benefit of those who have a felt need to be important. I find that very sad as that has never been the Christian way.