Search — Theology Explorer

image of God Gen 1:27 human dignity

Male and female are both made in God's image -- the highest statement about human value, foundational to the debate.

Genesis 1 analysis -- imago Dei

Linda Belleville Gen 2 order and source

Linda Belleville's argument: Genesis 2 speaks of order and source, not authority -- Mike's rebuttal: these aren't mutually exclusive; primogeniture is precisely about order implying authority.

Egalitarian counter-argument from Belleville

Gen 2 primogeniture original audience

Conclusion on primogeniture: early readers of Genesis would very likely have understood Adam as having higher authority due to being made first; Genesis 2 is the rule, not the exception.

Mike's tentative conclusion on creation order

Rescuing the 'helper' argument: it's not the word 'ezer' but the whole flow of Genesis 2 -- Eve is made FOR Adam, which Paul interprets as implying leadership in 1 Corinthians 11:7-10.

Reframing the helper argument via the narrative flow

Gen 2 Paul 1 Cor 11:7-10

Philip Payne Tom Schreiner Gen 3:9

Schreiner's point 6: God approached Adam first after the sin (Gen 3:9) even though Eve sinned first, implying greater responsibility -- Payne counters with a chiastic structure argument.

Complementarian argument #6: God confronts Adam first

Gen 3:16-19 scope of curses Adam's greater representation

Combining Schreiner's points 2 and 6 with Mike's additional argument: Adam's curse impacts all creation while Eve's only impacts women, implying different scopes of representation.

Mike's additional argument from the different curses

bad complementarian arguments Gen 3:17 listening to wife

Bad complementarian argument #2: Adam's sin was 'listening to his wife' -- Mike refutes this; the problem was the content (eating the fruit), not the act of listening to a woman.

Bad complementarian arguments

Mike Winger idea 2022-04-13

Belleville's third argument: enrolled widows were paid for ministry like elders -- refuted

Mike addresses the compensation argument.

1 Timothy 5:9-10 Linda Belleville 1 Timothy 5:9-10 enrolled widows

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 2022-05-30

Argument 2 preview: Jesus training women to be rabbis, not just disciples

The claim that Mary sitting at Jesus's feet (Luke 10) is a technical phrase meaning rabbinical training, implying Jesus intended women for eldership-level leadership.

Luke 10:39 N.T. Wright Luke 10:39 Mary and Martha

Mike Winger idea 2022-05-30

1 Corinthians 11 gives rules for how women should prophesy in public gatherings; Acts 2 / Joel 2 declares sons and daughters shall prophesy

Key NT evidence that women prophesied publicly in church gatherings.

1 Corinthians 11 Acts 2 Joel 2 1 Corinthians 11 Acts 2 women prophesying

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Hypothetical: if Scripture required Jewish elders, would you accept it?

Mike uses a thought experiment to test whether people are truly following Scripture or presuppositions.

1 Timothy 2 Galatians 3:28 thought experiment 1 Timothy 2 elder qualifications

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

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.

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

medical argument ancient Greek medicine head-body metaphor

Medical argument introduced: ancient Greeks believed the heart, not the head, controlled the body

Mike introduces the first egalitarian argument — the medical claim.

Clinton Arnold Jesus of Nazareth: Lord and Christ medical argument conclusion

Conclusion on medical argument: ancient medical views support head implying authority, not the egalitarian position

Mike summarizes the medical argument section.

kephale Discovering Biblical Equality Lynn Cohick

Lynn Cohick claims seeing authority in headship 'violates Paul's intention in metaphor'

Mike presents Lynn Cohick's argument from Discovering Biblical Equality.

John Chrysostom John Chrysostom head commands the body steersman metaphor

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.

kephale complementarianism male headship

Five conclusions: (1) medical thought supports authority; (2) Paul's context implies authority; (3) church history supports authority; (4) lexical study strongly supports authority; (5) egalitarian claims are often problematic

Mike presents his five summary conclusions for the video.

research methodology footnote verification scholarly accountability

Mike's research journey: initially open to egalitarianism, checking footnotes revealed bad information

Mike describes the process that solidified his complementarian position.

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Davids applies different standards to wife commands vs husband commands

Mike identifies a methodological inconsistency in the egalitarian approach.

Peter Davids interpretive double standard

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Craig Keener's addition: Abraham also 'obeys' Sarah (Genesis 16:2, 21:12)

Mike examines Keener's argument for mutual submission in the Abraham-Sarah relationship.

Genesis 21:12 Genesis 16:2 Craig Keener Genesis 21:12 Genesis 16:2

Plutarch Roman funeral customs Roman head covering practices

Textual evidence: Plutarch on Roman head covering customs

Mike moves to literary evidence about cultural practices.

Philip Payne Plutarch Cynthia Thompson

Defense of Plutarch: he's speculating about funerals, not about the norms themselves

Mike counters the egalitarian dismissal of Plutarch's evidence.

1 Corinthians 11:16 1 Corinthians 11:3 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 1 Corinthians 11:16 1 Corinthians 11:3 1 Corinthians 11:8-9

Question 6: What does Paul want women to do? Wear coverings for headship, creation order, and universal custom

Mike applies conclusions to women's instructions.

1 Corinthians 11:9 1 Corinthians 11:11 1 Corinthians 11:9 1 Corinthians 11:11 egalitarian failure

Verse 9 is the weak spot for egalitarianism: no decent interpretation exists

Mike draws his conclusion on the decisive question.