Search — Theology Explorer

Priscilla Aquila women evangelists

Women were church planters and evangelists; laboring 'in the gospel' points to evangelism

Mike draws positive conclusions about women's ministry scope from the terminology.

1 Timothy 3 1 Timothy 3 elder vs. deacon distinction diakonos

Definition of deacon: can mean generic servant or official church position

Mike defines the semantic range of 'diakonos.'

Philippians 1:1 Romans 16:1 Romans 13:4 Phoebe Cenchreae Philippians 1:1

Is Phoebe a deacon? Analysis of Romans 16:1 and the word diakonos

Mike examines whether Phoebe held the official office of deacon.

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.

1 Corinthians 16:15-18 Linda Belleville diakonia 1 Corinthians 16:15-18

Belleville's footnote 61 sources examined: 1 Corinthians 16:15-18 -- no women deacons found

Mike checks Belleville's first footnoted verse for her 'readily labeled' claim.

1 Corinthians 12:7 Discovering Biblical Equality Stanley Grenz 1 Corinthians 12:7

Grenz argues the Spirit's sovereign call and gifting, not gender, determines who can be an elder

Grenz's more detailed argument: since the Spirit calls believer-priests to ministry, gender cannot be an overriding disqualifying factor.

Romans 12:6-8 spiritual gifts teaching gift leadership gift

Romans 12:6-8 — teaching and leading are listed as spiritual gifts alongside gifts women clearly have

Mike examines the gifts list in Romans 12 to determine whether women can have teaching and leadership gifts.

Romans 12:6-8 spiritual gifts Romans 12:6-8

Romans 12:6-8 revisited — women were in every gift category except teaching/leading; it is arbitrary to exclude them from those two

Mike restates the argument from Romans 12 more explicitly.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 varieties of ministry

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 — there are 'varieties' of gifts, service, and activities; not all gifts are expressed the same way

Mike uses Paul's own language to show gifts are meant to be expressed in diverse ways.

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Church leadership is service, not a prize for personal fulfillment

Mike addresses a pastoral concern about how leadership is framed in the debate.

servant leadership eldership pastoral theology

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Full Chrysostom quote: 'thou art the head of the woman... let the head regulate the rest of the body' — Chrysostom strongly supports headship as authority

Mike reads the full Chrysostom passage that Kroeger selectively quoted.

John Chrysostom John Chrysostom head commands the body steersman metaphor

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Mark 10:42-45 parallel: Jesus redefines authority as service, not its elimination

Mike uses Jesus' teaching on servant leadership as a hermeneutical key.

Mark 10:42-45 Linda Belleville servant leadership Mark 10:42-45

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Keener redefines 'submit' to mean self-sacrificial service

Mike critiques Keener's redefinition of submission.

Craig Keener redefinition of submit love as submission

Mike Winger idea 2022-11-11

Women's participation in early church was countercultural but distinctly Christian

Mike discusses the contrast with Jewish and Greco-Roman culture.

women in early church Greco-Roman context Jewish context

education view clatter view Dionysus cult

Introduction of View 3: The Education/Clatter View

Mike introduces a cluster of related views that shift the focus from women per se to education or disruptive behavior.

Livy political lobbying learning vs. requesting

Extended analysis of the Livy passage shows different concepts than 1 Corinthians 14

Mike reads the broader Livy context to show it concerns political lobbying, not learning.

1 Corinthians 11 1 Corinthians 11 Corinthian church practices internal consistency

The refutation view creates internally contradictory beliefs about the Corinthians

Mike argues the refutation view requires believing contradictory things about Corinthian church practice simultaneously.

education view social decorum view Dionysus/Bacchus cult view

Three species of the education/clatter view explained

Mike breaks down the three sub-views within this interpretive category.

Craig Keener Paul, Women and Wives education view

Craig Keener's version of the education view

Mike presents Craig Keener's more balanced version of the education interpretation.

1 Corinthians 10:1 1 Corinthians 12:1 Plutarch agnoeo idiotes

Education View Hinge 1: Why only women? Why not uneducated men too?

Mike presents the first critical hinge point that undermines the education view.

congregational testing eldership function doctrinal guardianship

Problems with the 'everyone judges prophecy' view

Mike argues against congregational testing of prophecy.

Ephesians 4:11 pastor title church role confusion Ephesians 4:11

Confusion of 'pastor' title across churches — example of 8 different pastor titles

Mike shows how the word 'pastor' has become muddied in modern church usage.

Romans 16:1 Phoebe diakonos Romans 16:1

Women can be deacons — Phoebe in Romans 16:1 as evidence

Mike argues for women deacons with Phoebe as the primary example.

women in ministry deacon title practical church advice

If you reject women deacons, reserve the title for roles you believe only men can do

Mike offers practical advice to those who reject women deacons.

Michael Heiser non-elder teaching Bible college teaching

Teaching Christian doctrine at conferences and Bible colleges — probably permissible

Mike addresses women teaching theology outside Sunday services.

elder-like function conference speaking practical advice

Advice to women conference/college speakers: take steps to ensure it doesn't become elder-like

Mike gives practical advice to women in teaching roles.

Sunday teaching elder's role midweek services

Sunday teaching as the elder's place — strongest case for restriction

Mike addresses the regular Sunday service as the most protected territory.

Romans 14 Romans 14 non-elder teaching test Christian liberty

Wednesday/off-service teaching: if a non-elder man could do it, probably a woman could too

Mike offers a practical test for non-Sunday teaching slots.

Mike Winger idea 2023-11-22

Conclusion on hesychia: women should not be kept from speaking in church

Mike applies the meaning of hesychia to practical church life.

1 Timothy 2:11 1 Timothy 2:11 hesychia women's participation

Mike Winger idea 2023-11-22

Sacrificing elder authority to support egalitarianism is theologically dangerous

Mike warns about the theological cost of denying that elders have authority.

servant leadership elder authority theological cost

Mike Winger idea 2023-11-22

Conclusion 7: 'Quiet' does not mean total silence

Mike restates the meaning of hesychia for practical application.

hesychia women's participation church practice

Mike Winger idea 2018-02-14

'You lost your healing' — Bethel reframes failed healings as loss rather than non-occurrence, requiring a program on 'how to keep your healing'

Mike discusses how Bethel's theological framework handles apparent healing failures

Bethel Church anointing healing theology

Mike Winger idea 2018-02-21

Luke 6: Jesus endorses David eating the bread of the Presence as evidence that preserving life can override ritual law.

Mike cites a second Sabbath/law-violation precedent from Jesus to reinforce the greater-good principle.

Luke 6 1 Samuel 21 greater good principle Jesus Luke 6

Mike Winger idea 2018-04-18

Q&A: How should Christians prepare for the end of the world?

Question from Bethany Cole Baum. Mike answers from a premillennial perspective.

eschatology readiness premillennialism

Acts 20:7 1 Corinthians 10:16 Lord's Supper Sabbath Acts 20:7

The early church gathered on both the Sabbath and Sunday (first day of the week) — Acts 20:7 shows Sunday communion; Kim tries to explain this away as a once-a-year event

Mike presents early church gathering patterns; Kim's rebuttal in his book.

1 Corinthians 11:24-26 Lord's Supper World Mission Society Church of God information control

CoG's 'Passover' is identical to ordinary Christian Communion — the only differences are calling it 'Passover,' requiring women to wear veils, and holding it on a secret date

After two months of research and speaking with former members, Mike determined what CoG actually does at Passover.

false gospel Joo-Cheol Kim Christmas

Kim identifies heretics by three criteria — not observing Passover, celebrating Christmas, and having a cross — none of which relate to Jesus or the gospel

Chapter 4 of Kim's book. Pages 113, 115, and 117.