Search — Theology Explorer

Gen 2 primogeniture original audience

Conclusion on primogeniture: early readers of Genesis would very likely have understood Adam as having higher authority due to being made first; Genesis 2 is the rule, not the exception.

Mike's tentative conclusion on creation order

Linda Belleville ezer Ezek 12:14

Egalitarian overreach on 'ezer': Belleville claims it implies 'help that only God can provide' -- Mike refutes this with Ezekiel 12:14 where 'ezer' refers to military helpers.

Egalitarian overreach on the meaning of 'ezer'

Discovering Biblical Equality Mary Conway ezer

Mary Conway and R. David Freedman's etymology argument: 'ezer' derives from a root meaning 'strength/power,' making Eve 'a power equal to man.'

Alternative etymology for 'ezer'

Rescuing the 'helper' argument: it's not the word 'ezer' but the whole flow of Genesis 2 -- Eve is made FOR Adam, which Paul interprets as implying leadership in 1 Corinthians 11:7-10.

Reframing the helper argument via the narrative flow

Gen 2 Paul 1 Cor 11:7-10

Gen 3:16 the fall Gen 3:1-20

Reading of Genesis 3:1-20 covering the serpent's temptation, the fall, God confronting Adam first, the curses on serpent/woman/man, and the proto-evangelium.

Genesis 3 text reading

Song 7:10 Gen 3:16 teshukah Gen 4:7

Analysis of 'teshukah' (desire): lexicons show it could mean sexual desire or desire to dominate; it appears only 3 times in the OT.

Hebrew word study on 'desire' in Gen 3:16

Mike Winger idea 2022-04-13

Craig Keener claims Priscilla and Aquila instructed ministers (plural) and led a house church

Mike examines Keener's specific claims about Priscilla and Aquila.

Acts 18:26 Priscilla Aquila Craig Keener

Mike Winger idea 2022-04-13

'Paranoid masculinity': over-regulation of gender roles in complementarian circles

Mike coins a term for a problem he sees in complementarian practice.

John Piper John Piper complementarian overcorrection Pharisaical over-regulation

Mike Winger idea 2022-04-13

Philip Payne's claim: Phoebe was Paul's personal leader based on 'prostatis' in Romans 16:2

Mike examines an extraordinary claim about Phoebe's role.

Romans 16:2 Philip Payne Phoebe prostatis

complementarianism elder qualifications missionaries vs apostles

Complementarian views on women apostles

Mike summarizes the complementarian positions on the question.

apostolic authority apostolos

Apostle must mean highest leadership for egalitarian argument to work

Mike emphasizes a key logical requirement of the egalitarian argument.

Romans 16:7 apostolos Romans 16:7 semantic range

The word apostolos has a range of meanings in Greek

Mike explains the semantic range of 'apostle' as groundwork for the next argument.

Romans 16:7 Junia Romans 16:7 apostolic office

Majority of scholars who affirm Junia as apostle think she was not highest-rank apostle

Mike makes a crucial distinction within the scholarly consensus.

Romans 16:7 Philip Payne apostolos Romans 16:7

Option 2: Junia as missionary/church planter (lower sense of apostle)

Mike explores the second option for interpreting Junia's apostleship.

Acts 2 Linda Belleville Junia Pentecost

Linda Belleville thinks Junia was a missionary saved at Pentecost

Mike cites another egalitarian scholar's view.

soft complementarianism Two Views on Women in Ministry Craig Blomberg

Craig Blomberg's soft complementarian view: missionaries with temporary authority

Mike presents Blomberg's nuanced position from Two Views on Women in Ministry.

co-workers in Paul women in missions Paul's missionary teams

Women were missionaries in the early church; 'co-workers' means missionary partners

Mike affirms women's roles in early church missions.

Junia Tom Schreiner women's ministry

Tom Schreiner's view: Junia as missionary focused on women's ministry

Mike introduces Schreiner's nuanced addition to the discussion.

women's ministry ancient gender roles missionary partnerships

Ancient gender-separated society created distinct need for female missionaries

Mike develops the historical-cultural argument for gender-specific ministry.

Romans 16:7 Acts 2 Linda Belleville Junia Romans 16:7

Mike's conclusion assuming Junia was an apostle: she was a missionary, not highest-rank

Mike summarizes his 'fallback' position if Junia was indeed an apostle.

Romans 16:7 Junia women's ministry Romans 16:7

Mike's conclusion: Junia was probably not an apostle; if she was, she was a missionary

Mike states his overall conclusion on the Junia question.

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

A third option Wright did not consider: learning theology deeply without becoming a rabbi

Mike rejects Wright's binary (learning for information vs. becoming a rabbi) and proposes a middle option.

N.T. Wright discipleship

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 — there are 'varieties' of gifts, service, and activities; not all gifts are expressed the same way

Mike uses Paul's own language to show gifts are meant to be expressed in diverse ways.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 varieties of ministry

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Jewish rabbis used similar 'no male and female' language without implying role obliteration

Mike cites ancient Jewish parallels to demonstrate the phrase's cultural meaning was narrower than egalitarians claim.

Exodus Rabbah Beshallach 21:4 Ben Witherington III Madeleine Boucher Seder Eliahu Rabbah 7

male headship oppression claim husband leadership

The stakes: either husbands shirk responsibility by not leading, or they oppress by trying to lead

Mike frames the binary that emerges from the debate over male headship.

The debate centers on one specific thing: the meaning of kephale

Mike narrows the focus of this video to the definition and usage of kephale.

kephale lexical debate

medical argument rebuttal popular ancient belief Galen

Galen: the brain dwells in the head 'like the great king' in an acropolis; most people believed the head contained all senses like guards of a king

Mike presents Galen's own words about the head's function and what ordinary people believed.

kephale Word Study Dictionary of the NT chief/subordinate

Word Study Dictionary of the NT (1993): kephale means 'head, chief one to whom others are subordinate'

Mike surveys the second lexicon.

1 Corinthians 11:3 Ephesians 4:15 kephale 1 Corinthians 11:3 DBL Dictionary

DBL Dictionary of Biblical Languages (2001): kephale means 'superior, one of preeminent status'

Mike surveys the DBL lexicon.

Ephesians 5:23 kephale hierarchy Ephesians 5:23

Exegetical Dictionary of the NT (1990): kephale refers to 'hierarchy of God, Christ, man, woman' — sovereignty in Eph 5:23

Mike surveys the EDNT.

kephale Greek-English Dictionary of the NT lord/superior rank

Greek-English Dictionary of the NT (1993): kephale means 'lord, head of superior rank'

Mike surveys the GED.

kephale TDNT determinative member

TDNT (1964): kephale means 'first, supreme, prominent, outstanding, determinative'; acknowledges source for rivers but includes subjection

Mike surveys the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Biblical justifications for wifely submission vs slave obedience are completely different

Mike lists the actual biblical reasons for each and compares them.

Titus 2:5 1 Corinthians 14:34 1 Corinthians 11:3 creation order Titus 2:5 1 Corinthians 14:34

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

God views slavery as bad throughout Scripture; marriage as good and God-ordained

Mike contrasts the biblical evaluation of slavery vs marriage.

Exodus narrative Exodus narrative slavery in Scripture marriage as God-ordained

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

A female leader may indicate preference for male leadership but not exclusion of female leadership; both egalitarians and complementarians stretch Deborah.

Framing the Deborah debate

Deborah complementarianism egalitarianism

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

In their culture it was embarrassing that a woman beat Sisera — glory to Jael, shame to Barak — but this is not God's commentary against women leaders.

Interpreting the shame in the Barak-Jael narrative

Barak Jael male leadership

John 15:25 Psalm 35:19 Psalm 69:4 law as scripture John 15:25 Psalm 35:19

Jesus also uses 'law' to refer to Psalms, not just the Pentateuch

Mike provides additional evidence that 'the law' was used broadly in the NT.

Craig Keener education view modern application

Keener's modern application of the education view

Mike shows how Keener applies the passage today, removing gender from the application entirely.

submission Anthony Thiselton marriage authority

The scenario of a wife judging her husband's prophecy illustrates the authority problem

Mike illustrates why judging prophecy creates a specific submission/authority issue.

Acts 14:23 Titus 1:5 Acts 14:23 Titus 1:5 elder/overseer/bishop

Elders as the only universal biblical ongoing office with authority

Mike provides scriptural evidence for the elder/overseer role as the primary authority structure in the church.

church order pastoral ministry as entitlement Western cultural bias

Cultural pushback: eldership is not a bucket list item or self-fulfillment role

Mike addresses the Western cultural tendency to view pastoral ministry as a personal entitlement.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 1 Timothy 2:11-15 women in ministry practical questions series overview

Preview of upcoming videos: 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and final overview/application

Mike previews the next two videos in the Women in Ministry series.

women in ministry eldership application

Overview of application questions this video will address

Mike introduces the video as the culmination of his 2+ year Women in Ministry project, listing specific questions about women's roles.

soft complementarianism patriarchalism application spectrum

The big question: how far do we draw the application beyond marriage and eldership?

Mike frames the central application question of the video.

women in ministry church roles elder definition

Transition to detailed guidelines for women in ministry — defining church roles

Mike shifts to the church ministry application section.

seminary education Calvary Costa Mesa School of Ministry

Women in seminary classes — depends on the seminary's purpose

Mike addresses whether women should attend seminary.