Search — Theology Explorer

Philip Payne adam Gen 5:2

Payne correctly refutes a bad complementarian argument that God naming the human race 'man' (adam) in Genesis 5:2 implies male leadership.

Payne identifies a weak complementarian argument

Tom Schreiner Phyllis Trible qara

Schreiner's response to Trible: demanding both 'call' and 'name' is too rigid; the repetition of 'qara' (call) in Gen 2:19-23 links animal naming to Eve's naming.

Complementarian rebuttal on naming formula

Song 7:10 Gen 3:16 teshukah Gen 4:7

Analysis of 'teshukah' (desire): lexicons show it could mean sexual desire or desire to dominate; it appears only 3 times in the OT.

Hebrew word study on 'desire' in Gen 3:16

Eph 5 voluntary submission self-sacrificial love

Ephesians 5 as the solution to the curse: self-sacrificial love from husband, voluntary submission from wife, both acting in service to God.

NT solution to the Genesis 3 curse dynamic

husband-wife scope Gen 2-3 universal female submission rejected

Critical distinction: Genesis 2-3 is about HUSBANDS and WIVES, not men and women in general -- 'know your place' language wrongly presupposes universal female submission to all men.

Limiting the scope of the Genesis teaching

Mike Winger idea 2022-04-13

1 Timothy 3:1-7: elder requirements are distinctly masculine

Mike reads the definitive passage on elder qualifications.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 overseer elder qualifications able to teach

Mike Winger idea 2022-04-13

Belleville stretches by claiming women are 'readily labeled deacons' -- pluralizing a single case

Mike critiques Belleville's overstatement about Phoebe.

Linda Belleville Two Views on Women in Ministry Phoebe

Mike Winger idea 2022-04-13

Egalitarian contradiction: if 1 Timothy 3:11 has women deacons, it proves women are excluded from elders in 3:1-7

Mike identifies an internal contradiction in egalitarian argumentation.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 1 Timothy 3:11 women deacons internal contradiction eldership

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-09

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

Mike quotes the paper's strong conclusion.

Romans 16:7 NET Bible Romans 16:7 ESV

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

Revelation 5:9-10 — those ransomed from every tribe are made a kingdom and priests

Mike continues building the universal priesthood case from Revelation.

Revelation 5:9-10 universal priesthood of believers Revelation 5:9-10

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

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.

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

presuppositions critical theory feminism

Connection between critical theory terminology and egalitarian arguments

Mike notes the language of modern feminism and critical theory appearing in egalitarian scholarship.

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 2 eldership Galatians 2 Cynthia Long Westfall

Westfall's 'out-group status' argument: excluding women from eldership communicates they are outsiders

Mike engages Westfall's use of sociological language about out-grouping.

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.

Exodus Rabbah Beshallach 21:4 Ben Witherington III Madeleine Boucher Seder Eliahu Rabbah 7

Jewish rabbis used similar 'no male and female' language without implying role obliteration

Mike cites ancient Jewish parallels to demonstrate the phrase's cultural meaning was narrower than egalitarians claim.

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

Ephesians 5:23 — the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church

Mike presents the second key headship verse with the Christ-church parallel.

Ephesians 5:23 headship Ephesians 5:23 Christ and church analogy

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

DBL Dictionary of Biblical Languages (2001): kephale means 'superior, one of preeminent status'

Mike surveys the DBL lexicon.

1 Corinthians 11:3 Ephesians 4:15 kephale 1 Corinthians 11:3 DBL Dictionary

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Mike's assessment: egalitarian scholarship on kephale is propped up with misinformation

Mike offers his overall evaluation of egalitarian lexical scholarship.

egalitarian scholarship critique misinformation scholarly accountability

cultural double standard husband as leader

Sarah casually saw Abraham as the leader -- cultural offense of this concept today

Mike draws out the principle behind Sarah's language.

1 Peter 3:7 weaker vessel 1 Peter 3:7 physical differences

Weaker vessel refers to physical body, not lesser personhood

Mike defends the 'weaker vessel' language as referring to physical differences.

Genesis 18:12 Sarah Genesis 18:12 Peter Davids

Davids claims Peter references the Testament of Abraham, not Genesis, for Sarah

Mike examines and refutes Davids' argument about the Sarah reference.

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.

complementarianism equal value different roles

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

Mike articulates the core complementarian vision.

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Three possible reasons why 'women leaders' is negative in Isaiah 3:12: role distinctions, lack of respect, or lack of training — Mike favors the training/competence explanation.

Interpreting why Isaiah uses 'women' negatively even as metaphor

Isaiah 3:12 Deborah patriarchal culture Isaiah 3:12

Mike Winger idea 2022-11-11

Keener's response: if kephale means authority, it's purely cultural -- Mike's rebuttal

Mike challenges the 'cultural authority' escape hatch.

1 Corinthians 11:3 Craig Keener 1 Corinthians 11:3 cultural vs. transcultural

Mike Winger idea 2022-11-11

Philo uses akatakalupto coupled with kephale to refer to cloth coverings

Mike provides first-century textual evidence for cloth covering meaning.

kephale akatakalupto Philo

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

Analogy to overturned German scholarship on the Gospels and Greek myths

Mike argues that entire schools of scholarly thought can be wrong and get overturned.

German scholarship Gospel origins anti-Semitism in scholarship

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

Women as 'sons of God' — Galatians 3:26-28

Mike unpacks the 'sons of God' language as powerful status language for women.

Galatians 3:26-28 inheritance sons of God Galatians 3:26-28

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

Husbands are NOT the priests of their wives — priesthood of all believers

Mike pushes back against a common complementarian phrase.

1 Peter 2:9 priesthood of all believers husband as priest Reformation

1 Timothy 2:12 apostolic authority 1 Timothy 2:12 Philip Payne

Egalitarian argument: 'I do not permit' is Paul's personal opinion

Mike addresses the claim that epitrepo ('I permit') indicates Paul expressing a personal, non-binding opinion.

1 Corinthians 7 Mark 5:13 Acts 21:40 1 Corinthians 7 epitrepo word study

Word study on epitrepo (permit) across the New Testament

Mike examines every NT use of epitrepo to determine whether it carries authority or merely expresses personal preference.

authenteo Koine Greek Classical Greek

Koine Greek vs. Classical/Attic Greek distinction and its relevance to authenteo

Mike explains the critical linguistic distinction between Classical Greek and the Koine Greek of the NT period.

authenteo Al Wolters Koine Greek

The Atticist movement and its impact on word study

Mike explains the Atticist literary movement and why it complicates the study of authenteo.

1 Timothy 2:12 1 Timothy 1:3-4 Titus 1:10-11 1 Timothy 2:12 Ephesus female false teachers theory

Egalitarian theory: Paul was addressing female false teachers in Ephesus

Mike addresses the argument that 1 Tim 2:12 restricts only women who were teaching false doctrine, not all women.

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.