Search — Theology Explorer

women's ministry female deacons Apostolic Constitutions

Female deacons in the early church focused on ministry to women

Mike provides historical evidence for gender-specific ministry roles.

Burer-Wallace paper (2001) Richard Bauckham Gospel Women

Bauckham's key criticisms of Burer-Wallace

Mike summarizes Bauckham's main points.

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.

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.

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

Titus 2:3-5 — older women are to teach younger women; a biblical case for women's teaching ministry outside eldership

Mike provides a scriptural example of women teaching in appropriate contexts.

Titus 2:3-5 Titus 2:3-5 women's ministry women teaching

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

Mike invites substantive, detailed critique rather than vague pushback

Mike asks critics to provide specific claims, sources, and evidence when challenging his arguments.

methodology

Galatians 3:28 Genesis 1:27 Galatians 3:28 kai Genesis 1:27

Greek construction difference: 'kai' instead of 'nor' for male and female, alluding to Genesis 1:27

Mike provides grammatical background on the Greek text of Galatians 3:28.

Ben Witherington III Rite and Rights for Women What's in the Word

Ben Witherington III changed his position between 1981 and 2009 without building a bridge

Mike traces the evolution of an important egalitarian scholar's views.

Galatians 3:28 Galatians 3:28 role distinctions sonship status

Final conclusions: what Galatians 3:28 does and does not mean

Mike provides his summary conclusions.

Southern Baptist Convention women in leadership debate contemporary relevance

Contemporary relevance: SBC debate on women in leadership

Mike notes the timing of his series coincides with a major denominational debate.

Ephesians 4:15-16 Colossians 2:19 Good News for Women Rebecca Groothuis medical argument

Rebecca Groothuis claims the head was not seen as the seat of reasoning; the heart governed the body

Mike presents Rebecca Groothuis's medical argument from her book 'Good News for Women.'

kephale Discovering Biblical Equality Lynn Cohick

Lynn Cohick claims seeing authority in headship 'violates Paul's intention in metaphor'

Mike presents Lynn Cohick's argument from Discovering Biblical Equality.

kephale LSJ (Liddell-Scott-Jones) source meaning for rivers

LSJ lexicon (1996 supplement): lists 'source' as possible meaning (for rivers) and 'noblest part' — does not cite any NT passages

Mike arrives at the one lexicon egalitarians rely on most.

Linda Belleville Wayne Grudem The Meaning of Kephale: A Response to Recent Studies

Wayne Grudem's response articles — thorough rebuttal of egalitarian lexical claims

Mike recommends Grudem's scholarly responses.

kephale Wayne Grudem LSJ revision needed

Grudem argues the LSJ should be revised and provides extensive Greek examples of kephale meaning authority

Mike presents Grudem's broader argument about the LSJ's inadequacy.

headship submission definition head-body analogy

What submission DOES mean according to Mike Winger

Mike provides his positive definition of submission.

Craig Keener Josephus Against Apion (Contra Apion)

Keener's only example of defensive household codes: Josephus' Against Apion

Mike examines the sole concrete example Keener offers.

Ephesians 5 self-sacrificial love Ephesians 5 Paul's cultural distinctiveness

How Paul IS different from his culture (complementarian distinctives)

Mike distinguishes Paul's teaching from both Roman culture and egalitarianism.

Titus 2:1-10 word of God not reviled Titus 2:1-10 cultural vs transcultural

Titus 2 as test case: 'that the word of God may not be reviled' doesn't make things merely cultural

Mike provides extended analysis of whether evangelistic purpose equals cultural binding.

Craig Keener Aristotle household codes

Keener gives only one ancient source (Aristotle's Politics) for slavery-marriage connection

Mike investigates Keener's evidence from ancient household codes.

Ephesians 5-6 Ephesians 5-6 wives vs slaves comparison slavery objection refutation

Comprehensive list of differences between wives and slaves in Scripture

Mike provides a systematic comparison.

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Rebuttal: there is no textual indication they chose Huldah over other prophets; proximity in Jerusalem is a better explanation.

Mike's pushback on the Huldah argument

2 Kings 22:14 hermeneutics Huldah 2 Kings 22:14

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Egalitarian view #1: women couldn't be priests because of ceremonial uncleanness from menstruation and childbirth (Keener, Belleville).

First egalitarian explanation for the priesthood restriction

Linda Belleville Craig Keener priesthood

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

What women were NOT in the OT: not kings (no positive examples of approved female rule at the highest level), not military leaders.

Final summary of women's absence from certain roles

Deborah military leadership kings

Genesis 2 1 Corinthians 11:7-10 creation order primogeniture Genesis 2

Paul's second argument: creation order supports head covering (verses 7-10)

Mike identifies the creation-based argument for head coverings.

1 Corinthians 11:9 egalitarian scholarship 1 Corinthians 11:9 scholarly critique

Egalitarian scholars consistently ignore verse 9 of 1 Corinthians 11

Mike critiques the egalitarian handling of this passage.

Galatians 3:28 Romans 8 creation order complementarianism image of God

Two relationships: humans to creation (equal) vs. humans to each other (different roles)

Mike provides the framework for understanding how image and role differences coexist.

kephale akatakalupto Philo

Philo uses akatakalupto coupled with kephale to refer to cloth coverings

Mike provides first-century textual evidence for cloth covering meaning.

Juvenal Ovid Roman hairstyles

Other ancient sources on hairstyles (Juvenal, Ovid) don't refute head coverings

Mike addresses evidence sometimes cited against head covering customs.

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).

Revelation 12:3 Revelation 19:11-12 Revelation 12:3 Revelation 19:11-12 symbolic headwear

Revelation examples: diadems and crowns on heads are symbols of authority

Mike provides biblical parallels for symbolic things on heads.

1 Corinthians 11:10 1 Corinthians 11:10 exousia kalumma

Early textual variant substitutes 'covering' (kalumma) for 'authority' (exousia) in verse 10

Mike provides additional evidence from manuscript tradition.

textual criticism manuscript 88 A.C. Wire

Manuscript 88 is a 12th-century copy and carries little weight

Mike addresses the outlier manuscript 88 which does not fit the same connected manuscript tradition.

1 Corinthians 9:8-11 Deuteronomy 25:4 1 Corinthians 9:8-11 Deuteronomy 25:4 ministerial support

Paul appeals to the law in 1 Corinthians 9:8-11 as a direct counterexample

Mike provides a clear example of Paul using the OT law to establish principles for Christian behavior.

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.

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 14:35 education view 1 Corinthians 14:35 asking husbands at home

Advantage of the education view: it explains the 'ask husbands at home' phrase well

Mike acknowledges the education view has one genuine strength.

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 testing prophecy 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 prophecy vs. scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 confirms testing prophecy was standard practice

Mike provides additional scriptural evidence for the practice of testing prophecy.

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.

Mormonism questions as manipulation group dynamics

Personal examples of questions being used to control meetings

Mike provides real-world illustrations of how questions can be used to control group discussions.