Search — Theology Explorer

Romans 16:1-2 Linda Belleville Discovering Biblical Equality Two Views on Women in Ministry

Linda Belleville's claim: no lack of women leaders in the early church

Mike introduces egalitarian scholar Linda Belleville's claims about women leaders.

Linda Belleville hosting vs. leading overseer

Central egalitarian claim: hosting a house church made you the leader/overseer of that church

Mike identifies this as a pervasive claim that recurs throughout egalitarian literature.

Acts 16:15 Lydia N.T. Wright hosting vs. leading

Acts 16:15 refutes host-as-leader: Lydia hosted Paul immediately after conversion

Mike applies the host-as-leader test to Lydia.

Acts 12:12 Linda Belleville hosting vs. leading Mary mother of Mark

Acts 12:12 refutes host-as-leader: Mary mother of Mark hosted a prayer gathering

Mike presents another counter-example.

Philippians 4:2-3 Linda Belleville Euodia Syntyche

Euodia and Syntyche: Belleville claims they were among overseers and deacons at Philippi

Mike moves to examining the case of Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4:2-3.

Philippians 1:1 Linda Belleville Two Views on Women in Ministry Euodia

Belleville's logic: Philippians 1:1 lists saints, overseers, deacons -- Euodia/Syntyche must be in one category

Mike reconstructs Belleville's reasoning from Two Views (p. 60).

Philippians 4:2-3 Linda Belleville Euodia Syntyche

Belleville's argument from Paul's public appeal: if they weren't leaders, no need for third-party intervention

Mike evaluates Belleville's second argument for Euodia/Syntyche's leadership.

Linda Belleville Euodia Syntyche

Belleville's third argument: their disagreement jeopardized church unity, proving leadership role

Mike addresses Belleville's final argument for Euodia/Syntyche as leaders.

Romans 16:3 Philippians 4:3 Tom Schreiner Two Views on Women in Ministry Mary

Tom Schreiner's refutation: co-worker/labor terms are too vague to indicate leadership

Mike reads a lengthy quote from Tom Schreiner (Two Views, pp. 280-281).

Titus 2:3-5 Titus 2:3-5 women teaching women intergenerational mentoring

Neglected biblical teaching: older people should train younger people, especially same gender

Mike draws a positive application from Titus 2.

Craig Keener letter carrier as teacher 1 Maccabees 12:23

Keener's sources examined: 1 Maccabees 12:23 does not support letter-carrier-as-teacher

Mike examines Keener's footnoted sources one by one.

letter carrier as teacher ancient letter customs Xenophon

Xenophon's Cyropaedia: Cyrus limits the carrier to the letter's content, not expanding authority

Mike examines the second ancient source.

Romans 16:1-2 1 Timothy 3:11 Acts 6 women deacons Phoebe Romans 16:1-2

Two reasons for women deacons and three counter-arguments

Mike lays out the debate structure on women deacons.

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.

Philippians 2:19-30 Linda Belleville Discovering Biblical Equality scholarly methodology

Belleville's third footnote: Philippians 2:19-30 -- all males, no women deacons

Mike checks the third footnoted passage.

1 Timothy 3:11 church history 1 Timothy 3:11 diakonos

The word 'deaconess' didn't exist yet; Paul used 'gunaikas' because no feminine term was available

Mike explains why Paul didn't use a feminine deacon term.

1 Peter 2:4-5 universal priesthood of believers 1 Peter 2:4-5 spiritual sacrifices

1 Peter 2:4-5 — all believers are a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices

Mike begins building the biblical case for universal priesthood from 1 Peter.

1 Timothy 2:5 priesthood mediation 1 Timothy 2:5

Priesthood means no one mediates between you and God; this is different from teaching

Mike now builds his positive case for what priesthood means for Christians and why it does not equate to eldership.

1 Timothy 2:5 mediation 1 Timothy 2:5 church tradition

1 Timothy 2:5 — one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

Mike cites this verse as foundational for the doctrine of no human mediators in Christianity.

Hebrews 10:19-22 priesthood mediation Hebrews 10:19-22

Hebrews 10:19-22 — believers can enter the holy places directly through Jesus's blood

Mike uses Hebrews to demonstrate that all believers have direct access to God without a mediator.

Hebrews 6:19 Roman Catholicism mediation Hebrews 6:19

No special group of Christians should serve as a bridge to God's grace for other Christians

Mike argues against any form of priestly mediation within Christianity.

headship universal priesthood of believers complementarian correction

Correction for complementarians: the husband is NOT the priest of his home

Mike disagrees with many complementarians, including pastors he has respected, on this point.

eldership priesthood mediation

Being a priest does not mean anything about being an elder; eldership is not priestly in character

Mike draws the sharp distinction: priesthood is about access to God, not about teaching or leading others.

1 Timothy 2 1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 2 1 Timothy 3 eldership qualifications

What was uniquely priestly was the mediating function, which now belongs to all believers

Mike clarifies the distinction between priestly mediation and teaching.

universal priesthood of believers complementarian correction husband as priest

Video summary — Argument 3: Universal priesthood is true but priesthood is not the only factor in eldership

Summary of the universal priesthood argument.

Galatians 3:28 Galatians 3:28 circumcision judaizers

Alternative explanation for the Genesis allusion: women do not need to marry a circumcised man to be fully in Christ

Mike offers what he sees as a better explanation for the male/female and Genesis connection in Galatians.

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 Galatians 3:26 in Christ justification by faith

Sonship benefit #2: Full participation of being in Christ — equal standing regardless of background

Mike identifies the second element of Paul's sonship teaching.

Galatians 2 Galatians 3:24 Galatians 2 justification by faith Galatians 3:24

Sonship benefit #3: Justification by faith

Mike identifies the third element Paul associates with sonship.

Galatians 2:11-16 Peter justification by faith Galatians 2:11-16

Peter's withdrawal was about soteriological status, not social discrimination broadly

Mike recontextualizes Galatians 2 to show it supports his reading, not Westfall's.

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Hippocrates: the brain, not the heart, is the cause of intelligence

Mike examines what Hippocrates, the father of medicine, actually believed about the head.

medical argument rebuttal Hippocrates Clinton Arnold

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1888): supports 'source' literally for rivers but metaphorical meanings don't apply to Paul

Mike surveys an 1888 lexicon.

kephale Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Problems with Davids' reliance on the Testament of Abraham

Mike conducts detailed analysis of the extra-biblical source Davids relies on.

Peter Davids Testament of Abraham E.P. Sanders

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Noadiah the prophetess (Nehemiah 6:14) was a false prophet hired against Nehemiah — she should not be used to establish frequency of female prophets.

Brief note on another OT prophetess

Nehemiah 6:14 Nehemiah Nehemiah 6:14 Noadiah false prophet

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Priests were teachers of the law, determined cleanness, mediated between people and God, bore the sins of the people — typologically pointing to Christ.

Functions of the priesthood and typological significance

1 Corinthians 15 Romans 5 typology priesthood 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 11:11-12 Philip Payne egalitarianism 1 Corinthians 11:11-12

Payne on verses 11-12: Paul repudiates hierarchy of man over woman

Mike presents how Payne makes the passage actively egalitarian.

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

Keener translates verse 9 as 'through' instead of 'for the sake of,' absorbing it into verse 8

Mike identifies Keener's handling of the problematic verse 9.

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.

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.

Bruce Metzger scribal alteration

Bruce Metzger's explanation for the manuscript displacement

Mike quotes Metzger's view that the relocation was a scribal attempt to improve the passage's flow.

1 Corinthians 14:28 1 Corinthians 14:32 hupotasso Pauline style 1 Corinthians 14:28

Two more key terms: 'en ekklesia' and 'hupotasso' found throughout the context

Mike continues demonstrating the passage's consistency with its surrounding context using Greek terms.

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 14:35 laleo 1 Corinthians 14:35 questions vs. ecstatic behavior

Problem 2 with the cult view: why are questions forbidden if the issue is screaming?

Mike identifies the disconnect between ecstatic behavior and the passage's content about questions.

congregational testing eldership function doctrinal guardianship

Problems with the 'everyone judges prophecy' view

Mike argues against congregational testing of prophecy.