Search — Theology Explorer

1 Corinthians 11:16 1 Corinthians 11:3 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 1 Corinthians 11:16 1 Corinthians 11:3 1 Corinthians 11:8-9

Question 6: What does Paul want women to do? Wear coverings for headship, creation order, and universal custom

Mike applies conclusions to women's instructions.

Genesis 2 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 creation order Genesis 2 1 Corinthians 11:8-9

Question 7: What is Paul's point about creation order and purpose in verses 8-9?

Mike addresses the most decisive question for the complementarian/egalitarian debate.

1 Corinthians 11:9 Philip Payne Craig Keener 1 Corinthians 11:9

Egalitarians consistently ignore or absorb verse 9 into verse 8

Mike demonstrates the pattern of egalitarian avoidance of verse 9.

1 Corinthians 11:9 Philip Payne internal contradiction 1 Corinthians 11:9

Payne on verse 9: 'woman made for man' means sexual partnership -- creates a contradiction

Mike examines and refutes Payne's interpretation.

1 Corinthians 11:9 1 Corinthians 11:9 Gordon Fee necessity interpretation

Gordon Fee on verse 9: woman is 'necessary for man' to fulfill his calling -- also creates contradiction

Mike examines and refutes Fee's interpretation.

1 Corinthians 11:9 Craig Keener translation comparison 1 Corinthians 11:9

Keener on verse 9: translates 'for' as 'through,' making it reiterate verse 8

Mike examines and refutes Keener's translation choice.

1 Corinthians 11:9 1 Corinthians 11:11 1 Corinthians 11:9 1 Corinthians 11:11 egalitarian failure

Verse 9 is the weak spot for egalitarianism: no decent interpretation exists

Mike draws his conclusion on the decisive question.

Ephesians 5 Ephesians 5 gyne aner

Question 9: Is this about men/women generally or husbands/wives specifically?

Mike examines the woman/wife ambiguity in the Greek.

1 Corinthians 11:7 Genesis 1:26-27 image of God 1 Corinthians 11:7 Genesis 1:26-27

Question 10: How is woman the glory of man and man the glory of God?

Mike addresses the meaning of 'glory' (doxa) in this passage.

Genesis 1 Genesis 2-3 dominion Genesis 1 Genesis 2-3

Genesis 1 vs. Genesis 2-3: relationship to creation vs. relationship to each other

Mike provides the key framework from his Genesis study (video 2).

Craig Keener doxa inconsistent interpretation

Egalitarian interpretations of 'glory' all use two different meanings for the same word

Mike critiques egalitarian inconsistency with the term doxa.

Philip Payne doxa inconsistent interpretation

Philip Payne's view of 'glory' also fails: man is God's glory means not-woman; woman is man's glory means sexual partner

Mike examines and refutes Payne's handling of glory.

1 Corinthians 11:15 Tom Schreiner doxa 1 Corinthians 11:15

Tom Schreiner's consistent interpretation of glory as 'honor' works for both uses

Mike presents what he considers the best interpretation of glory.

1 Corinthians 11:10 Tom Schreiner Craig Keener 1 Corinthians 11:10

Question 11: Does the woman have a symbol of authority on her head, or authority over her own head? (exousia debate)

Mike addresses one of the most debated verses in the passage.

1 Corinthians 11:10 1 Corinthians 11:7 Tom Schreiner 1 Corinthians 11:10 1 Corinthians 11:7

Schreiner point 1: verses 7 and 10 form a parallel (man uncovered / woman covered)

Mike presents the strongest argument for symbolic authority.

1 Corinthians 11:10-11 Tom Schreiner opheilei 1 Corinthians 11:10-11

Schreiner points 2-4: 'ought' implies obligation not freedom; vv.3-9 clearly about male headship; v.11 is a contrast

Mike presents additional arguments against the egalitarian reading of exousia.

Tom Schreiner exousia Morna Hooker

Even if exousia is active, it can refer to the man's authority in this context

Mike addresses the final egalitarian argument about exousia.

1 Peter 1 Corinthians 11:10 Genesis 6:2 1 Peter 1 Corinthians 11:10 angelic observers

Question 12: What does 'because of the angels' mean? Four views evaluated

Mike evaluates the four main interpretive options for this phrase.

Hippocrates Aristotle ancient medicine

Ancient medical thought: Hippocrates and Aristotle on hair and reproduction

Mike surveys the actual ancient medical views on hair function.

1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11:3 women in ministry complementarianism eldership

Final conclusions: male headship is biblical, complementarian, and to be celebrated

Mike delivers his overall conclusions for the passage.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 biblical authority 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 women's silence in church

Introduction of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 as a highly controversial passage

Mike reads the passage and acknowledges modern readers will find it offensive, but states his main concern is understanding what it actually means in context.

Beth Allison Barr The Making of Biblical Womanhood quotation-refutation view

View 2 analysis: The Quotation-Refutation View and Beth Allison Barr's promotion of it

Mike begins analyzing the quotation-refutation view, noting Beth Allison Barr as a key proponent.

Beth Allison Barr The Making of Biblical Womanhood Livy

The Livy quotation parallel does not hold up under scrutiny

Mike examines Barr's claim that 1 Corinthians 14 echoes a secular quote from Livy.

Genesis 2 1 Corinthians 11:8-10 creation order Genesis 2 appeal to the law

Paul already cited the relevant OT passages in 1 Corinthians 11

Mike explains why Paul does not quote a specific OT verse when saying 'as the law also says' in 14:34.

1 Corinthians 7:1 Pauline qualification pattern 1 Corinthians 7:1

1 Corinthians 7:1 follows the same qualification pattern, not full disagreement

Mike provides another example of Paul's consistent style.

1 Corinthians 16:19 Apollos 1 Corinthians 16:19 Priscilla and Aquila

Paul spent 18 months in Corinth teaching men and women equally

Mike emphasizes the extensive Christian education Corinthian women had received by the time of this letter.

Craig Keener universal scope women elders

Education View Hinge 2: Why ALL women in EVERY church?

Mike presses the problem of universal scope for the education view.

1 Corinthians 12:10 1 Corinthians 12:10 gift of discernment church governance

Women can have the gift of discernment but are restricted in its public exercise during church governance

Mike addresses the objection that his view means women cannot have a spiritual gift.

1 Corinthians 14:35 1 Corinthians 14:35 gune (woman/wife) women vs. wives debate

Side issue: Does this passage address women in general or wives specifically?

Mike briefly addresses whether 'women' (gunai) should be translated as 'wives.'

1 Corinthians 14:35 1 Corinthians 14:35 women's education Jewish education debates

Conclusion 2: Women have no restrictions on learning

Mike notes that Paul's instruction actually preserves women's right to pursue knowledge.

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.

role differences egalitarianism authority

Definition of egalitarianism as one of three positions in the debate

Mike defines the three sides of the debate, starting with egalitarianism.

patriarchalism women voting women in education

Hard patriarchalist positions on restricting women

Mike describes the most extreme patriarchalist restrictions.

bypassing scripture methodology sola scriptura

Scripture is king: seven ways people bypass the Bible on this issue

Mike revisits how Video 1 addressed the methodology issue.

Genesis 2 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 1 Timothy 2:12-13 creation order Genesis 2 male headship

Pillar 1: Male headship and female submission in marriage — pre-fall creational realities

Mike details the first pillar with five pre-fall evidences from Genesis 2.

1 Timothy 2:12 eldership 1 Timothy 2:12 teaching with authority

Pillar 2: Elder positions AND functions are for men only

Mike establishes the second pillar as more than just the title Elder.

1 Timothy 3:2 elder qualifications 1 Timothy 3:2 husband of one wife

1 Timothy 3:2 — 'husband of one wife' means only men can be elders

Mike argues the elder qualifications confirm male-only eldership.

Genesis 1:26-28 image of God dominion Genesis 1:26-28

Genesis 1:26-28 — both male and female are given dominion over the earth

Mike grounds Pillar 3 in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26 Genesis 1:28 Genesis 1:26 Genesis 1:28 non-interchangeability

Men and women are not interchangeable but are equal in dignity

Mike explains the practical meaning of equal dignity with different roles.

dominion Saudi Arabia women driving

Saudi Arabia driving ban as example of violating women's shared dominion

Mike uses a real-world example to illustrate Pillar 3.

Ephesians 6:1-2 parental authority Ephesians 6:1-2 women's authority over children

Three areas where the Bible speaks of women having authority: (1) over children

Mike begins listing specific biblical domains of women's authority.

1 Corinthians 7:5 qualified submission 1 Corinthians 7:5 marital dynamics

Qualified submission — not unqualified 'just submit woman'

Mike argues submission in marriage is qualified, not absolute.

1 Peter 3:7 weaker vessel 1 Peter 3:7 co-heirs

1 Peter 3:7 — mistreating wives hinders prayers; women as 'weaker vessel' but full heirs

Mike shows the practical consequences of violating Pillar 3.

Proverbs 31 Ephesians 6:1 Proverbs 31 Ephesians 6:1 women as bosses

Proverbs 31 woman as entrepreneur and boss with male employees

Mike uses the Proverbs 31 woman to address women as bosses.

1 Timothy 2:12 Proverbs 31 1 Timothy 2:12 Proverbs 31 church context

Boss teaching employees confirms 1 Timothy 2:12 is specifically about church/elder context

Mike uses the boss example to confirm the limited scope of 1 Timothy 2:12.

1 Corinthians 7:34-35 homemaking 1 Corinthians 7:34-35 singleness

1 Corinthians 7:34-35 — women can choose full-time ministry over marriage

Mike notes that homemaking is not the only permissible life for a woman.

Luke 8:1-3 Proverbs 31:16-24 Acts 16:14 Lydia Priscilla Aquila

Proverbs 31 woman, Lydia, Priscilla, and women sponsors of Jesus as examples of women working

Mike gives biblical examples of women working outside the home.

women in ministry Joanna home vs career

Joanna as married woman traveling with Jesus on ministry — patriarchalists would object

Mike highlights Joanna as a case many patriarchalists would reject.

homemaking cultural critique devaluation of motherhood

Homemaking should not be seen as offensive or lesser — cultural distortion

Mike critiques cultural devaluation of homemaking.