Search — Theology Explorer

Tom Schreiner Phyllis Trible qara

Schreiner's response to Trible: demanding both 'call' and 'name' is too rigid; the repetition of 'qara' (call) in Gen 2:19-23 links animal naming to Eve's naming.

Complementarian rebuttal on naming formula

Tom Schreiner Gen 2:23 Phyllis Trible

Trible's second objection: 'woman' is a common noun (gender classification), not a proper name -- Schreiner's reply: Adam classified animals the same way (types, not personal names).

Complementarian rebuttal on naming as classification

Gen 2 false dichotomy naming as authority

Mike's four problems with Ramsey's paper: (1) ignores Genesis 1-2 context, (2) confuses WHY a name was chosen with WHY Adam does the naming, (3) argues against magical naming instead of actual complementarian claims, (4) ignores that namers consistently have authority over the named.

Critique of Ramsey's paper on naming

limited authority dominion over creation complementarian abuse

Adam's leadership is limited: Eve shares dominion over creation; the authority difference is only in relation to each other, not in relation to creation.

Limiting the scope of Adam's leadership

Tom Schreiner serpent tempts Eve Gen 3:1

Schreiner's point 5: the serpent subverted God's pattern of leadership by tempting Eve rather than Adam -- Mike thinks this is the weakest complementarian argument.

Complementarian argument #5: serpent targeting Eve

Philip Payne Tom Schreiner Gen 3:9

Schreiner's point 6: God approached Adam first after the sin (Gen 3:9) even though Eve sinned first, implying greater responsibility -- Payne counters with a chiastic structure argument.

Complementarian argument #6: God confronts Adam first

Philip Payne Eve's sin against God Gen 3:1-6

Bad complementarian argument #1: Eve usurped Adam's authority by eating of the tree -- Mike refutes this; Eve's sin was against God, not Adam.

Bad complementarian arguments identified by Payne

bad complementarian arguments Gen 3:17 listening to wife

Bad complementarian argument #2: Adam's sin was 'listening to his wife' -- Mike refutes this; the problem was the content (eating the fruit), not the act of listening to a woman.

Bad complementarian arguments

complementarianism Gen 2 Gen 3

Full summary of Genesis 1-3: Genesis 1 = equal image/dominion; Genesis 2 = different roles with husband's limited leadership; Genesis 3 = the fall makes these roles much harder and introduces abuse.

Comprehensive summary of the video's conclusions

women in OT leadership husband-wife scope series preview

Mike limits his analysis to husbands and wives, not all men and women; he will disagree with many complementarians on this. Preview of next video: women in OT leadership positions.

Scope limitation and series preview

women in ministry complementarianism egalitarianism

Introduction to the Women in Ministry series part 4

Mike introduces this as part 4 of his exhaustive series on women in ministry, covering everything the Bible says and engaging every egalitarian argument he can find.

1 Timothy women in ministry complementarianism egalitarianism

Complementarian vs. egalitarian views on women's roles summarized

Mike recaps the two major positions before diving into the evidence.

women in ministry Priscilla Aquila

Priscilla and Aquila: six NT passages, Priscilla's name first in four of six

Mike transitions to examining Priscilla and Aquila, acknowledging complementarians sometimes don't look closely enough.

Critique of the 'husband as covering' concept; why was Aquila present?

Mike examines three explanations for Aquila's presence during the teaching of Apollos.

Priscilla Aquila Apollos

Priscilla women and theology complementarian overcorrection

Women should talk about theology; stunting them from it stunts understanding and causes harm

Mike draws a conclusion from Priscilla's example for complementarian churches.

Priscilla Craig Keener women teaching men

Conclusions on Priscilla/Aquila: Keener overstates, but women can teach men theology

Mike balances his critique with a positive complementarian conclusion.

women in ministry mutual edification informal teaching

Balance: all believers should be open to learning from one another, including across genders

Mike offers a balanced complementarian application.

John Piper John Piper complementarian overcorrection Pharisaical over-regulation

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

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

women in ministry complementarian overcorrection spiritual gifts

Women gifted for ministry hold back in complementarian churches due to fear

Mike describes a pastoral observation.

eldership women deacons deacons

Transition to deacons: eldership is male; deacons are the question

Mike frames the deacon discussion.

Romans 16:1 Tom Schreiner Craig Blomberg Phoebe

Phoebe likely was an official deacon because of the phrase 'of the church at Cenchreae'

Mike concludes Phoebe was a deacon based on the qualifying phrase.

complementarianism egalitarianism women as apostles

Series overview: Were women apostles in the New Testament?

Mike introduces part 5 of the Women in Ministry series, focused on the claim that women were apostles.

complementarianism elder qualifications missionaries vs apostles

Complementarian views on women apostles

Mike summarizes the complementarian positions on the question.

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.

soft complementarianism Craig Blomberg elder restriction

Soft complementarianism restricts only the elder role to men

Mike defines the soft complementarian position.

Craig Blomberg elder restriction the Twelve

Negative data: all twelve apostles were men

Mike presents the complementarian argument from the composition of the Twelve.

complementarianism egalitarian scholarship critique research methodology

Mike's experience researching egalitarian scholarship: layers of confusion

Mike shares his personal intellectual journey through the literature.

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.

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.

complementarianism egalitarianism

Introduction: Mike feared he had not heard the best egalitarian arguments

Mike explains why he avoided answering women-in-ministry questions for years — he worried he had not been exposed to strong egalitarian arguments due to his complementarian upbringing.

soft complementarianism complementarianism egalitarianism

Five egalitarian arguments previewed; first two are weak, last three are stronger

Mike previews the five arguments he will cover: persecution, rabbi-training, universal priesthood, prophecy, and spiritual gifts. He says the first two are weak but the last three challenged him and offer corrections for complementarians.

misogyny in the church cultural influence on theology

Historical chauvinism and negative attitudes toward women have affected the church

Mike acknowledges that negative attitudes toward women exist in complementarian circles, rooted not just in biblical teaching but in broader cultural attitudes historically hostile to women.

Acts 8 N.T. Wright Acts 8 persecution argument

Argument 1 preview: The persecution argument from N.T. Wright

Mike introduces the first argument: N.T. Wright claims that Paul persecuting women (Acts 8) proves women were leaders in the early church.

Luke 10:39 N.T. Wright Luke 10:39 Mary and Martha

Argument 2 preview: Jesus training women to be rabbis, not just disciples

The claim that Mary sitting at Jesus's feet (Luke 10) is a technical phrase meaning rabbinical training, implying Jesus intended women for eldership-level leadership.

eldership universal priesthood of believers

Argument 3 preview: Universal priesthood of believers means women can hold any ministry role

If all Christians are priests (including women), then women should be able to serve in any ministry role including eldership.

eldership Craig Keener prophecy argument

Argument 4 preview: If women can prophesy to the whole church, they can also teach and be elders

Since women prophesied at mixed-gender gatherings and prophecy is a high role involving authority, women should also be allowed to teach and serve as elders.

spiritual gifts argument teaching gift leadership gift

Argument 5 preview: God gifts women with teaching and leadership, so they should be able to use those gifts fully

Mike says this argument challenged him the most. If the Holy Spirit gives women gifts of teaching and leadership, restricting those gifts contradicts God's purposes.

Acts 8 N.T. Wright Surprised by Scripture Acts 8

Argument 1 detail: N.T. Wright's persecution argument from 'Surprised by Scripture'

Wright quotes Kenneth Bailey's cultural analysis to argue that women being targeted by Saul's persecution proves they were leaders and influential figures in the community.

N.T. Wright Kenneth Bailey scholarly sourcing

Mike spent 12 hours searching for Kenneth Bailey's source material and could not find it

N.T. Wright's citation of Kenneth Bailey has no footnotes or bibliography. Mike tried to find Bailey's original argument in his books, papers, and Google Scholar.

N.T. Wright persecution argument

Wright's claim that women were persecuted 'equally' with men is an overstatement

Mike analyzes Wright's specific wording. While both men and women were imprisoned, we have no data on whether persecution was truly equal in degree or severity.

Acts 26:9-11 persecution argument Acts 26:9-11 Paul/Saul

Acts 26:9-11 shows Paul persecuted 'many of the saints,' not leaders specifically

Mike reads Acts 26:9-11 where Paul describes persecuting 'many of the saints,' punishing them 'in every synagogue,' and compelling them to blaspheme.

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.

Acts 8:3 persecution argument Acts 8:3

Acts 8:3 — Saul went house to house dragging off men and women; this was general persecution, not targeting leaders

Mike reads Acts 8:3 which is the actual text Wright bases his argument on. Paul went to every house interrogating whether people were Christians.

Conclusion on persecution argument: being persecuted proves you are a Christian, not a leader

Mike's conclusion: the NT context never says persecution implies important leadership. It just implies being a Christian.

persecution argument

Mike covers N.T. Wright because many viewers said Wright influenced their egalitarian views

Mike explains he is covering Wright's arguments not because many scholars make them, but because viewers told him Wright was the reason they became egalitarian.

N.T. Wright

Luke 10:39 Acts 22:3 N.T. Wright Luke 10:39 Mary and Martha

Argument 2 detail: N.T. Wright claims 'sat at the feet' is a technical phrase meaning rabbinical training

Wright argues that Mary sitting at Jesus's feet (Luke 10:39) means she was being trained to become a rabbi/teacher, not merely learning as a disciple.

Acts 22:3 Acts 22:3 sat at the feet Gamaliel

Acts 22:3 — Paul 'at the feet of Gamaliel' does not prove everyone who sat at a teacher's feet became a rabbi

Mike questions whether the phrase necessarily means rabbinical training for every person who used it.