Search — Theology Explorer

Matthew/tax collector Jesus' choice of apostles Matthew/tax collector Galilean fishermen

Jesus chose apostles unlikely to be culturally accepted

Mike argues Jesus did not choose apostles based on cultural acceptability.

Philip Payne moral suspicion argument women following Jesus

Philip Payne's argument: traveling with Jesus full-time raised moral suspicions

Mike presents Payne's specific cultural argument.

John 4 Philip Payne woman at the well John 4

Mike's rebuttals to Payne: practical solutions and Jesus' counter-cultural behavior

Mike offers multiple objections to Payne's cultural argument.

Luke 7:36-50 Philip Payne anointing by sinful woman Luke 7:36-50

Jesus regularly broke cultural conventions and didn't avoid suspicion

Mike builds his case that Jesus was not concerned with cultural optics.

Philip Payne married disciples women following from Galilee

Payne's argument about married women's family obligations

Mike addresses Payne's second cultural objection.

Philip Payne woman at the well cultural restriction argument

Five objections to Payne's cultural argument summarized

Mike itemizes his objections to the cultural-restriction thesis.

Matthew 27:55-56 women following Jesus Matthew 27:55-56 women supporting Jesus financially

Women traveled with Jesus and supported him financially

Mike cites biblical evidence that women were already traveling with Jesus.

Luke 8:1-3 Mary Magdalene Joanna Susanna

Luke 8:1-3: Women traveled with Jesus like the apostles but were not apostles

Mike cites a key passage showing women's proximity to Jesus.

Junia argument from silence all-male apostolate

All clear references to apostles indicate male gender

Mike addresses the argument that unnamed apostles might have been women.

1 Corinthians 9:5 Cephas/Peter all-male apostolate 1 Corinthians 9:5

1 Corinthians 9:5 implies all apostles were male with wives who were not apostles

Mike cites a passage he thinks is overlooked in this debate.

Junia cultural accommodation Pentecost

Egalitarian contradiction: cultural restriction vs. Junia's early prominence

Mike identifies an internal contradiction in egalitarian reasoning.

soft complementarianism female deacons women's roles in NT

Mike's conclusions on women's roles: high view of women but not apostles

Mike begins his summary conclusions for the video.

soft complementarianism elder restriction

Soft complementarianism is Mike's conclusion from the evidence

Mike names his overall position.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 1 Timothy 3:8-13 deacon qualifications female deacons

Pushback from previous video on female deacons and 1 Timothy 3:8-13

Mike responds to viewer objections about women as deacons.

1 Timothy 3:11 Romans 16:1 1 Timothy 3:12-13 Phoebe husband of one wife 1 Timothy 3:11

Verses 12-13 are about men, verse 11 is about women — not gender neutral

Mike clarifies the structure of the 1 Timothy 3 passage on deacons.

Pliny the Younger Emperor Trajan Pliny's letter to Trajan

Pliny's letter to Trajan: early evidence of female deaconesses (c. 110 AD)

Mike provides extra-biblical historical evidence for female deacons.

spiritual gifts prophecy argument priesthood of all believers

Preview of next video: prophecy argument, gifts arguments, universal priesthood

Mike previews the topics for part 6 of the series.

Acts 8:1 persecution argument Acts 8:1

Acts 8:1 — all believers scattered except the apostles, showing persecution targeted non-leaders

The persecution resulted in everyone fleeing Jerusalem except the apostles. If persecution targeted leaders, the non-leaders should have stayed.

Acts 8 Stephen Acts 8 deacon

Stephen was a deacon, not a high leader, yet he was stoned

Stephen's martyrdom further undermines the claim that persecution targeted only high leaders.

1 Corinthians 12:28 apostles 1 Corinthians 12:28 kubernesis (administrating)

1 Corinthians 12:28 — 'administrating' (leadership) appears as a gift distinct from the office of teacher

Mike examines another gifts list.

Ephesians 4:11-12 offices vs. gifts Ephesians 4:11-12 pastor-teacher

Ephesians 4:11-12 is about offices (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds/teachers) not about gifts applicable to the question

Mike examines Ephesians 4 but determines it is about offices, not gifts.

apostles spiritual gifts offices vs. gifts

Gifts do not seem gender-specific; leadership and teaching could be gifts women have

Mike's conclusion on the first part of the gifts argument.

1 Corinthians 12:29-30 Philip Payne teaching ministry 1 Corinthians 12:29-30

1 Corinthians 12:29-30 — Paul's rhetorical questions show not everyone is supposed to teach

Mike cites Paul's own words against the idea that all Christians should have a teaching ministry.

Romans 16:7 Romans 16:7 Andronicus and Junia female apostle debate

Andronicus and Junia — debate about whether there were female apostles

Mike briefly mentions the debate about Junia's status as an apostle.

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Series recap: Videos 5-6 and complementarians also receiving correction

Mike positions himself as correcting both sides, though more strongly opposing egalitarianism.

soft complementarianism women apostles

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Does the silver bullet argument challenge the very idea of eldership itself?

Mike presses the egalitarian position to its logical conclusion.

logical consistency eldership authority

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Jew/Gentile distinctions continued after conversion: Jews kept the law, Gentiles did not

Mike demonstrates that the Jew/Gentile pair retained functional differences in the early church.

Acts 10 Acts 15 1 Corinthians 7:18-20 Peter Acts 10 Jew/Gentile distinctions

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Principle: caring about witness doesn't make behavior merely cultural

Mike draws the general principle from the Titus 2 analysis.

Matthew 5:16 witness and transcultural commands Matthew 5:16

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Women in politics with some authority over men doesn't seem ruled out; Deborah is a shining example — application to church eldership will come later.

Application of Deborah for women in political leadership

eldership Deborah women in politics

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

The overall OT flow supports men in highest roles (by example and by priestly demand); next week covers women in the NT.

Transition to next video

priesthood Andronicus and Junia apostleship

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Preview of NT topics: Were women apostles, elders, deacons, teachers? Do female prophets mean women can be elders? Does God's gifting of women mean no role restrictions?

Preview of upcoming content

spiritual gifts prophetess women apostles

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

Additional evidence: Titus 1:6, male-only apostles, biblical rules about NT prophecy

Mike stacks additional scriptural evidence for Pillar 2.

1 Corinthians 14 Titus 1:6 1 Corinthians 14 apostleship Titus 1:6

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

OT pattern of male priests, apostles, elders, and husbands — but also male kings with no clear command

Mike examines the pattern of male leadership in scripture.

kings male priesthood male apostles

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

Definition of pastor: a shepherding/caretaking leadership term synonymous with elder

Mike defines how he uses the word 'pastor' based on scripture.

Ephesians 4:11 1 Peter 2:25 Hebrews 13:20 Ephesians 4:11 1 Peter 2:25 Hebrews 13:20

Mike Winger idea 2023-11-22

Conclusion 1: Complementarian position does not depend on 1 Timothy 2

Mike begins his final conclusions for the entire video.

1 Timothy 2 complementarianism 1 Timothy 2 cumulative case

Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bill Johnson considers himself an apostle, though he never explicitly claims the title — the structure and vibe of Bethel communicates it implicitly

Mike examines the apostolic self-understanding of Bill Johnson

Bill Johnson Kris Vallotton apostle

Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Bill Johnson misinterprets Acts 2:42 — 'the Apostles' teaching' — to mean fresh contemporary apostolic revelation, not the New Testament

Mike analyzes a specific Bill Johnson teaching on Acts 2:42 and its theological implications

Acts 2:42 Bill Johnson hermeneutics Acts 2:42

Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

Q&A — Did Jesus ever say no to healing? Mike: Not in the three-and-a-half years of recorded ministry, but Jesus did say no through Paul's thorn and other NT instances

Q&A question from Elizabeth Hernandez

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 2 Timothy 4:20 Acts of the Apostles 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 healing theology 2 Timothy 4:20

Mike Winger idea 2018-04-18

Preview of next livestream: How long did Jesus expect it would be until his return? Examining parables and Second Coming teachings

Mike closes the main presentation and previews the follow-up topic.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Second Coming eschatology Matthew 24

Mike Winger idea 2018-04-18

Q&A: Can someone who made false prophecies be restored to vocational ministry after genuine repentance?

Question from Ryan Tanner.

church leadership false prophecy repentance

resurrection William Lane Craig historical method

Five historically-accepted facts about the resurrection summarized as the acronym ALIVE

Mike introduces his mnemonic framework for presenting the resurrection evidence

apostles resurrection apostolic martyrdom

Fourth fact (V): Violence endured by the Apostles — dramatic transformation from hiding to dying for their message

Fourth point of the ALIVE acronym

James brother of Jesus resurrection Paul the Apostle James brother of Jesus

Fifth fact (E): Enemies of Christ converted — specifically James the brother of Jesus and Paul the Apostle

Fifth point of the ALIVE acronym

resurrection empty tomb wrong tomb theory

Wrong tomb theory refuted by facts I, V, and E: independent appearances, violence endured, and enemy conversions cannot be explained by a navigational error

Systematic refutation of the wrong tomb theory

resurrection apostolic martyrdom missing body theory

Missing body and conspiracy theories both fail to explain facts I, V, and E; conspiracy adds knowingly dying for a lie

Systematic refutation of the missing body and conspiracy theories

resurrection ALIVE acronym inference to best explanation

The resurrection is the one rational explanation that accounts for all five ALIVE facts

Conclusion of the evidence survey section

1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection Paul the Apostle

Carrier teaches that in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes events that occurred in outer space — a cosmic/celestial resurrection rather than an earthly one

Carrier's interpretation of the Pauline resurrection kerygma

apostolos the Twelve New Testament

The word 'apostle' has two meanings in Scripture: one who walked with Jesus, and the broader sense of a sent-out missionary

Q&A — response to George Cook's question about which apostles met Jesus in person

1 Corinthians 15 James brother of Jesus Cephas/Peter 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:3-7 is the earliest resurrection record — within five years of the crucifixion and agreed upon by over 90% of scholars

Q&A — response to George Cook's question about the earliest scriptural record of the resurrection