Search — Theology Explorer

A question that is both sensitive and significant within the life of the church — examining God's design, the effects of the fall, qualifications for church leadership, and relevant passages.

1 Timothy 2:12-14 Genesis 1 Genesis 1:26 Women in Ministry Complementarianism 1 Timothy 2:12

Pulpit sermon 2019-09-01

Women in Ministry - Prof Craig Keener

Paul's letters stand at the centre of the dispute over women's role in church ministry, with each side of the dispute championing texts from the Apostle. How do we understand the text in 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul instructs women to be silent, or the 1 Timothy 2 passage where women are forbidden to teach or exercise authority over men? Are these texts addressing a specific cultural situation or should they be treated as universal prohibitions? Craig Keener delved deeply into the world of Paul and wrestled with these thorny texts in his book [*Paul, Women and Wives: Marriage and Women's Ministry in the Letters of Paul*](/library/25) (Hendrikson, 1992). In a public lecture at Laidlaw's Henderson campus in September 2019, Professor Keener looked at the arguments for both sides of the question: 'are women allowed to be in ministry?', and the approaches various theologians and church traditions have taken throughout the centuries. He gave insights into the culture at the time Paul wrote his letters, and of the way false teachers were targeting women. He notes the importance of considering the original situation of Paul's letters, and that Paul does affirm women's ministry which helps us to see that Paul himself did not prohibit women from teaching the Bible always.

Exodus 15 Numbers 2 Kings 22-23 Women in Ministry Complementarianism egalitarianism

Where Mike Winger Went Wrong on Women

Why Mike Winger is Wrong About “Authenteō” in 1 Timothy 2:12 – and Why It Matters

What Winger Presently Gets Wrong: Women Apostles

1 Corinthians 12:28

Romans 16:1-7

Judges 4:4-9

Acts 1:16-26

Joel 2:28-29

ἐν ἐπισήμῳ (en episemo)

Two egalitarian claims: Mary as apostle to the apostles, and Junia in Romans 16

Romans 16:7 text and the translation debate on Junia

Scholarly consensus favors inclusive reading (Junia as apostle)

Translation survey: inclusive vs. exclusive renderings of Romans 16:7

When translations disagree, it signals genuine difficulty

Craig Keener's three arguments for Junia as apostle

Keener's first argument: Paul never elsewhere appeals to 'the apostles' as a group

Keener's second argument: most natural reading of 'among' implies group membership

Keener's third argument: Greek church fathers and modern scholars agree Junia was an apostle

The word apostolos has a range of meanings in Greek

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

Option 1: Junia as highest-sense apostle (like Peter or Paul)

Keener's argument: no qualifier on 'the apostles' suggests highest sense

Counterargument: 'well-known among the apostles' proves too much given their obscurity

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

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

Burer and Wallace 2001 paper defending exclusive reading of Romans 16:7

Lexical evidence: episemos can mean either 'well-known among' or 'well-known to'

Key distinction: inclusive vs. exclusive reading of episemoi en tois apostolois

Burer-Wallace syntactical argument: dative = 'well known to,' genitive = 'well known among'

Burer-Wallace conclusion: 'almost certainly' means well known to the apostles

Michael Burer's 2015 response paper with new evidence

Burer's 2015 paper brings 71 new supporting texts

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

N.T. Wright's claim: Mary Magdalene as 'apostle to the apostles'

Andronicus and Junia — debate about whether there were female apostles

"Does the Bible Permit A Woman to Preach?" - Jonny Ardavanis

Women in Ministry - Prof Craig Keener

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