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 women apostles Craig Keener

Belleville claims female apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists; Craig Keener agrees women held prominent roles

Mike continues presenting egalitarian scholarly claims.

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.

eldership women deacons deacons

Transition to deacons: eldership is male; deacons are the question

Mike frames the deacon discussion.

Two Views on Women in Ministry Craig Blomberg deaconess history

Craig Blomberg on early church deaconesses: common for centuries with pastoral care and baptism roles

Mike cites historical support for women deacons.

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-09

Women were missionaries in the early church; 'co-workers' means missionary partners

Mike affirms women's roles in early church missions.

co-workers in Paul women in missions Paul's missionary teams

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-09

Female deacons in the early church focused on ministry to women

Mike provides historical evidence for gender-specific ministry roles.

women's ministry female deacons Apostolic Constitutions

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-09

Pliny's letter to Trajan: early evidence of female deaconesses (c. 110 AD)

Mike provides extra-biblical historical evidence for female deacons.

Pliny the Younger Emperor Trajan Pliny's letter to Trajan

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

Argument 1 preview: The persecution argument from N.T. Wright

Mike introduces the first argument: N.T. Wright claims that Paul persecuting women (Acts 8) proves women were leaders in the early church.

Acts 8 N.T. Wright Acts 8 persecution argument

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Jew/Gentile distinctions continued after conversion: Jews kept the law, Gentiles did not

Mike demonstrates that the Jew/Gentile pair retained functional differences in the early church.

Acts 10 Acts 15 1 Corinthians 7:18-20 Peter Acts 10 Jew/Gentile distinctions

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

1 Corinthians 11:5 1 Corinthians 11:2-6 head coverings 1 Corinthians 11:5 women prophesying

Utter Silence View Hinge 2: 1 Corinthians 11 proves women could prophesy publicly in church

Mike presents the strongest challenge to the utter silence view from within the same letter.

1 John 4:1 1 Corinthians 12:10 1 John 4:1 testing prophecy 1 Corinthians 12:10

Judging Prophecy Hinge 1: Was testing prophecy a real practice in the early church?

Mike establishes that testing/judging prophecy was indeed a regular church practice.

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.

Craig Keener rabbinic literature gender-segregated seating

Refutation of the 'separate seating' theory: no evidence men and women sat separately in early churches

Mike addresses the popular online claim that men and women sat on opposite sides of the church.

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

Early church acknowledged women deacons; female Deacon-type needs were real

Mike adds historical and practical support for women deacons.

early church practice women deacons history women baptizing women

Ephesus universal application Andrew Bartlett

Bartlett's jurisdiction argument: Paul's authority was limited and temporal

Mike addresses the claim that Paul's restriction was limited to his own jurisdiction and does not apply universally today.

Chrysostom Irenaeus authenteo

Church fathers' understanding of authenteo as 'authority'

Mike surveys how early church fathers understood and used the word authenteo.

1 Timothy 2:12 1 Timothy 2:12 authenteo church fathers

Additional church fathers and their testimony on 1 Tim 2:12

Mike provides further patristic evidence for how authenteo was understood in the early church.

1 Timothy 2:15 church fathers 1 Timothy 2:15 Messianic interpretation

The Messianic view is an early patristic interpretation, not a modern invention

Mike notes that several church fathers held this view.

Mike Winger idea 2018-08-22

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.

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

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-20

Paul's letters predate the Gospels — his knowledge of Jesus is independent from them

Key methodological point: Paul's testimony cannot be derived from the Gospels since he wrote earlier.

Paul the Apostle historical reliability independent attestation

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-20

1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 — Paul identifies the Jews who killed Jesus as the same people persecuting the early church

Paul's reference to Jesus's killers as earthly, identifiable people further anchors Jesus in physical history.

1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 historicity of Jesus 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 death of Jesus

Mike Winger idea 2019-01-16

Acts 18:27-28 — Apollos vigorously refutes Jewish opponents using Scripture to show Jesus is the Christ

New Testament example of evidence-based persuasion in the early church.

Acts 18:27-28 Apollos typology evidence-based faith

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-07

Upcoming debate with Matt Dillahunty on the resurrection

Mike explains why his content schedule will shift to focus on the resurrection before returning to the Law of Moses.

Matt Dillahunty Law of Moses resurrection of Christ

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-13

Books like Job belong in the canon because Jesus accepted the Old Testament, and apostles were commissioned to teach

Viewer asking why books like Job are in the Bible if we don't know the author

Job apostolic authority biblical canon Job

Papias Hierapolis early church history

Introduction of Papias: Bishop of Hierapolis in the early second century

First major evidence: the testimony and writings of Papias.

Acts 21:8-9 eyewitness testimony Papias early church history

Acts 21:8-9 — Philip the Evangelist and his prophesying daughters

Biblical and extra-biblical verification of Philip the Evangelist's daughters as contemporaries of Papias.

Richard Bauckham Papias eyewitness hierarchy

Four categories of worthy sources in Papias's framework

Mike breaks down what Papias considered authoritative sources for Jesus tradition.

1 Timothy 1 Richard Bauckham elders (early church) apostolic appointment

Richard Bauckham's identification of elders vs. disciples and the function of elders in preserving doctrine

Scholarly framework for understanding Papias's use of "elders."

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Pre-trib rapture and early church fathers: Mike acknowledges not knowing the answer and references Brian Brodersen's book.

Ian Connolly asks whether the pre-trib rapture was a recent invention not believed by early church fathers.

Pre-tribulation rapture Early church fathers Brian Brodersen

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-03

Mark 13:9 — Jesus's prediction of persecution for his disciples as evidence that persecution was anticipated from the beginning

Biblical evidence for the normalcy of persecution

Mark 13:9 early Christian persecution Mark 13:9 Jesus' predictions

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Historical parallel: early church marginalized by accusation that Jesus wanted to destroy the temple — same dynamic as "faith is irrational" accusation today

Historical analogy for communication breakdown

early church persecution destroying the temple accusation dialogue between Christians and atheists

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

The cumulative case for the resurrection: what evidence we actually have

Mike assembles the positive evidence for the resurrection after dismantling the slogan's objections.

James the brother of Jesus Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus James the brother of Jesus

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

The Sabbath is Saturday; Gentile Christians are free to observe or not observe it; the Sabbath did not move to Sunday; early church gathered on both days for different reasons

Response to question about whether the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday and whether it matters for Gentiles

Colossians Romans 14 Colossians Romans 14 Christian freedom

hermeneutics Torah observance Jewish believers

Two analytical questions for surveying Acts: (1) Did Jewish Apostles feel compelled to stop obeying the law? (2) Were Gentile converts taught to obey the law?

Analytical framework for the Acts survey

Acts 2:46 Torah observance temple worship Acts 2:46

Key point: the 3,000 converts in Acts 2 did not take on Mosaic law as a result of following Jesus -- they were already observing it as Jews or proselytes

Analysis of early church composition

Acts 2:36 Acts 2:36 Peter (Apostle) Jewish audience

Acts 2:36 confirms Peter is addressing a Jewish audience (house of Israel), reinforcing that Acts 2 has no bearing on Gentile Torah observance

Analysis of Peter's Pentecost sermon audience

Torah observance Jewish believers early church

Church grows to ~5,000 in Acts 3-4, still entirely Jewish or proselyte. The default assumption is: continue doing what you were already doing regarding the law.

Summary observation from Acts 3-4

Acts 5:12 progressive revelation temple worship early church

Acts 5:12 -- Apostles gather at Solomon's Portico (temple area), reinforcing the entirely Jewish character of the early church. No abandonment of the law is visible.

Survey of Acts chapter 5

Acts 6:1 early church Acts 6:1 Hellenistic Jews

Acts 6: the Hellenistic Jews (Greek-speaking Jews) vs. native Hebrews dispute -- still entirely a Jewish internal matter; no Gentiles involved yet

Survey of Acts chapter 6

Acts 6:5 proselytes early church Acts 6:5

The seven deacons chosen in Acts 6 all have Greek names; one (Nicholas) is explicitly a proselyte. The Jerusalem church remains predominantly Jewish.

Acts 6:5 analysis

Acts 6:10-14 Stephen Law of Moses Acts 6:10-14

Stephen is falsely accused of speaking against Moses and the law -- the witnesses are explicitly called false (Acts 6:13), meaning Stephen is not actually teaching against the law

Survey of Acts 6, Stephen controversy