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Pulpit sermon 2026-03-22

"Does the Bible Permit A Woman to Preach?" - Jonny Ardavanis

A question that is both sensitive and significant within the life of the church — examining God's design, the effects of the fall, qualifications for church leadership, and relevant passages.

1 Timothy 2:12-14 Genesis 1 Genesis 1:26 Women in Ministry Complementarianism 1 Timothy 2:12
Pulpit sermon 2019-09-01

Women in Ministry - Prof Craig Keener

Paul's letters stand at the centre of the dispute over women's role in church ministry, with each side of the dispute championing texts from the Apostle. How do we understand the text in 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul instructs women to be silent, or the 1 Timothy 2 passage where women are forbidden to teach or exercise authority over men? Are these texts addressing a specific cultural situation or should they be treated as universal prohibitions? Craig Keener delved deeply into the world of Paul and wrestled with these thorny texts in his book [*Paul, Women and Wives: Marriage and Women's Ministry in the Letters of Paul*](/library/25) (Hendrikson, 1992). In a public lecture at Laidlaw's Henderson campus in September 2019, Professor Keener looked at the arguments for both sides of the question: 'are women allowed to be in ministry?', and the approaches various theologians and church traditions have taken throughout the centuries. He gave insights into the culture at the time Paul wrote his letters, and of the way false teachers were targeting women. He notes the importance of considering the original situation of Paul's letters, and that Paul does affirm women's ministry which helps us to see that Paul himself did not prohibit women from teaching the Bible always.

Exodus 15 Numbers 2 Kings 22-23 Women in Ministry Complementarianism egalitarianism
Pulpit research note

Gender-Segregated Seating — No Historical Evidence

The sermon's claim that men and women sat on opposite sides in the Corinthian assembly, with wives shouting questions across the room to husbands, has no credible historical or archaeological support.

1 Corinthians 14:33-35
Pulpit research note

"The Others" (hoi alloi) Judging Prophecy — Discernment Belongs to the Whole Body

In **1 Cor 14:29,** Paul says "let two or three prophets speak, and let the others (*hoi alloi*) weigh what is said." A key interpretive question is whether "the others" refers to a small group of pro

1 Corinthians 14:29
Pulpit research note

Podcast Q1: The "Law" That Doesn't Exist (Impact 9/10, Reconsideration 7/10)

"Brett, verse 34 says women should be silent 'as the Law also says.' You mentioned this was about order, but which law is being referenced here? There's no Old Testament passage that commands women's

1 Corinthians 14:34
Pulpit research note

Podcast Q3: What Happens When You Read Verse 36? (Impact 9/10, Reconsideration 6/10)

"One thing I noticed you didn't address was verse 36, which starts with the Greek particle eta — 'Or did the word of God come from you? Or are you the only ones it has reached?' Greek lexicons like [F

1 Corinthians 14:36
Pulpit research note

Podcast Q4: The Segregated Seating Problem (Impact 7/10, Reconsideration 8/10)

"You described a scenario where men and women sat on opposite sides and wives were shouting questions across the room. I looked into this and couldn't find archaeological or historical evidence for ge

1 Corinthians 14:33-35
Pulpit research note

Commentary: Membership Interviews as Doctrinal Gate

Ardavanis says: > "It is a question that comes up frequently in our member interviews." He doesn't explicitly state agreement is required for membership, but the framing is revealing — he preaches a

1 Timothy 2:12
Pulpit research note

Commentary: Image and Glory — The 1 Corinthians 11:7 Avoidance

Ardavanis says: > "Both are made in the image of God and bring profound glory to God. Males do not reflect God's image more than females." Yet he never addresses **1Co 11:7:** "For a man ought not t

1 Corinthians 11:7
Pulpit research note

Commentary: The Format That Silences Correction — 1 Corinthians 14:30-31 and Church Authority

**1Co 14:30-31** says: "If a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first must be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be encouraged." Paul's model

1 Corinthians 14:30-31
Pulpit research note

Commentary: "Priest and Protector" — What Was Adam Protecting the Garden From?

Ardavanis claims Adam was called to be the "priest and protector" of the garden. Grant that for the sake of argument. The question he never asks: protect it from WHAT? **Ge 2:15** says God placed Ada

Genesis 2:15
Pulpit research note

Children's Minister vs. Pastor — The Self-Contradiction

At 13:52, he claims that a pastor is an elder and an elder is a pastor, and says this is why they do not call a children's minister a "children's pastor" — because a pastor is an elder. Words really