Search — Theology Explorer

women in ministry debate biblical values

Warning against fence-sitting on divisive issues

Mike urges viewers not to default to neutrality just because the women in ministry debate is heated.

Junia Tom Schreiner women's ministry

Tom Schreiner's view: Junia as missionary focused on women's ministry

Mike introduces Schreiner's nuanced addition to the discussion.

women's ministry ancient gender roles missionary partnerships

Ancient gender-separated society created distinct need for female missionaries

Mike develops the historical-cultural argument for gender-specific ministry.

Craig Keener women in ministry debate cultural acquiescence argument

Egalitarian response: cultural reasons prevented women apostles

Mike presents and critiques the standard egalitarian counter-argument.

Philip Payne moral suspicion argument women following Jesus

Philip Payne's argument: traveling with Jesus full-time raised moral suspicions

Mike presents Payne's specific cultural argument.

Junia cultural accommodation Pentecost

Egalitarian contradiction: cultural restriction vs. Junia's early prominence

Mike identifies an internal contradiction in egalitarian reasoning.

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

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.

misogyny in the church cultural influence on theology

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

There is no select group of priests within the body of Christ in the New Testament

Mike explains that the concept of a special clerical priesthood arose from culture and church history, not from the NT or apostolic teaching.

presbyter priesthood Roman Catholicism

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

Mike argues for obedience even if God's reasons seem offensive to culture

If one of the elder qualifications is being male, that may be offensive to our culture, but God has the right to set up His church as He sees fit.

divine authority cultural offense

Galatians 3:28 Galatians 3:28 Cynthia Long Westfall hermeneutical method

Westfall's analytical categories for interpreting Galatians 3:28

Mike outlines Westfall's methodology as presented in her chapter.

Galatians 3:26 sonship status Galatians 3:26 inheritance rights

Why 'sons' should not be translated 'sons and daughters' in Galatians — the sonship status concept

Mike explains the cultural significance of 'sons' language in the passage.

Galatians 3:29 Galatians 3:29 heirship Abraham's offspring

Sonship benefit #1: Being an heir — equal inheritance in the kingdom

Mike begins listing what Paul specifically says sonship status means.

Galatians 2 equivocation fallacy Galatians 2 out-group status

Equivocation in the term 'out-group': from 'not in Christ' to 'not eligible for eldership'

Mike identifies what he sees as a crucial logical fallacy in the egalitarian argument.

Cynthia Long Westfall cultural change entitlement and discrimination

Westfall's claim: Galatians indicates 'similar scope of change' needed in culture, social practices, and authority structure

Mike engages another broadening claim from Westfall.

Galatians 3:28 Galatians 3:28 cultural context original audience understanding

The culture would not have read 'no male and female' as abolishing role distinctions

Mike draws the conclusion from the Jewish parallels.

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Richard Cervin's article — the source behind egalitarian lexical claims; problematic methodology

Mike identifies Richard Cervin as the key source behind egalitarian lexical arguments.

BDAG Wayne Grudem Richard Cervin

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Cervin's own conclusion undermines egalitarians: kephale means 'preeminence,' not source — and he connects it to male dominance

Mike reveals the irony that Cervin's conclusion does not support the egalitarian position.

kephale preeminence Richard Cervin

Sarah obedience in marriage Western individualism

Submission involves a 'sense of obeying' but not micromanagement obedience

Mike nuances what Sarah's obedience looked like practically.

Galatians 3:28 1 Peter 3:7 Galatians 3:28 1 Peter 3:7 equal inheritance in Christ

Wife as precious vessel and co-heir -- equal inheritance in Christ

Mike explains the vessel analogy and spiritual equality.

1 Peter 3:7 1 Peter 3:7 husband accountability prayers hindered

Threat to husbands: prayers hindered if they fail to honor their wives

Mike emphasizes the seriousness of the husband's obligation.

Ephesians 5:21-24 headship Christ and church analogy Ephesians 5:21-24

Ephesians 5:21-24 -- instructions to wives including headship analogy

Mike teaches through the major passage on marriage.

Ephesians 5:31-32 Genesis 2:24 creation order Ephesians 5:31-32 Genesis 2:24

Marriage grounded in creation (Genesis) and salvation (Christ and church), not culture

Mike argues the passage's own grounding prevents culturally-bound interpretations.

1 Corinthians 7 Proverbs 1:8 1 Corinthians 7 wife's authority Proverbs 1:8

Wife has real authority: over home, children, and can make demands on husband

Mike addresses whether complementarianism denies all authority to the wife.

husband's authority limits Jesus on divorce women's religious education

Conclusions: husband's authority is real but limited compared to cultural expectations

Mike draws broader conclusions before the egalitarian rebuttal section.

1 Peter 3:5 Peter Davids holiness terminology 1 Peter 3:5

Davids sees 'holy women approved by God' as merely cultural approval, which contradicts the text

Mike identifies internal contradictions in Davids' reading.

Colossians 3:19 Colossians 3:19 Lynn Kohick assuming the conclusion

Kohick's self-contradiction: 'no authority' but also 'don't use domination and power'

Mike identifies a logical inconsistency in Kohick's argument.

Colossians 3:18 argument from silence Colossians 3:18

Alternative egalitarian argument from silence on Colossians rejected

Mike briefly addresses the view that Paul only commanded submission in certain cultural contexts.

Craig Keener Roman cultural setting women's upward mobility in Rome

Keener's cultural background argument: Romans feared women's advancement threatening social order

Mike presents Keener's case about the Roman cultural setting.

Craig Keener household codes Roman persecution

Keener's four steps: household codes, perceived threat, defensive writing, Paul's strategy

Mike summarizes and critiques Keener's chain of reasoning about cultural context.

1 Peter 3 Craig Keener Christianity seen as Judaism Plutarch

Christianity was seen as Jewish -- household codes were not the primary cultural threat

Mike adds another historical argument against the cultural-defense theory.

Ephesians 5 Ephesians 5 cultural bowing Josephus parallel

Multiple problems with reading Ephesians 5 as cultural defense

Mike lists remaining issues with the cultural-bowing interpretation.

Craig Keener redefinition of submit love as submission

Keener redefines 'submit' to mean self-sacrificial service

Mike critiques Keener's redefinition of submission.

hermeneutical principle Talmud word meaning in cultural context

Red flag: claiming Paul uses a word differently than everyone in his culture understood it

Mike offers a hermeneutical principle about word redefinition claims.

Ephesians 5 Craig Keener Ephesians 5 space devoted to instructions

Paul devotes more space to husbands loving than wives submitting -- what does this mean?

Mike evaluates the significance of the imbalanced space given to each instruction.

complementarianism equal value different roles

Complementarian heart: different roles, unequal authority, equal value, focused on serving Jesus

Mike articulates the core complementarian vision.

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.

original audience understanding hypotasso hermeneutical principle

How Paul is NOT different from his culture: submit meant authority imbalance to everyone

Mike identifies where Paul aligns with cultural understanding.

love in ancient culture love as command wife abuse in ancient world

Both Paul's culture and Paul valued love in marriage and opposed wife abuse

Mike corrects the misconception that love and non-abuse were Paul's innovations.

internal contradiction Craig Keener cultural binding

Alternative egalitarian view: Paul meant authority imbalance but only for that culture

Mike addresses the 'cultural binding' interpretation of Ephesians 5.

Matthew 5:16 witness and transcultural commands Matthew 5:16

Principle: caring about witness doesn't make behavior merely cultural

Mike draws the general principle from the Titus 2 analysis.

Craig Keener slavery objection Paul, Women and Wives

Introduction to the slavery objection

Mike introduces the final major egalitarian argument.