XeeleeFlower wrote:1 Timothy 2:12 "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
Is this something that bothers you?
The passage in question doesn't do justice to Paul's view of women and their role in ministry, which was actually very high (see
Romans 16 for example), and Christianity has always stressed the ontological equality and infinite worth of every human being, whether male or female. The reason you find the passage so disconcerting is precisely because you've inherited a Christian understanding of the equal worth of men and women, whether you consciously realize it or not.
While genuine male or even female supremacists exist, that's not a mainstream position. On gender relations, most Christian views can be subsumed under two broad schools of thought: complementarianism and egalitarianism. Neither side is motivated by anti-female animus, and both sides can find ample support for their views in Scripture. The Biblical scholar N.T. Wright presents an egalitarian interpretation of 1 Timothy 2 in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRbYXILFeBAHere's also an article about it from an egalitarian perspective:
5 reasons to stop using 1 Timothy 2:12 against womenThere's no consensus on the meaning of the passage, and there's liberals and conservatives on both sides of the debate. As with any other passage, it's common for people to read into it not what it actually says, but what they want it to say, so two people with diametrically opposite understandings of gender roles could read this passage and reach different conclusions about its meaning.
Often people will have a preordained conclusion in mind -- whether on gender relations, politics, or any other issue -- and will then delve into Scripture in search of passages to support their views, but these passages are little more than post-hoc rationalizations and not what actually grounds their beliefs. That said, most people on both sides of the debate are likely well-intentioned and possess no animus toward women.
Ultimately, issues of church order and the like aren't essentials of the faith, so whether or not you believe women can teach men in church or what have you, it doesn't necessarily take you out of the faith. Christianity isn't a matter of affirming this or that proposition, as if the more educated you are about obscure doctrines the more Christian you are. Christianity is fundamentally a matter of faith (i.e. trust) in Christ, and most other issues that people get worked up about are really non-essentials, so long as you have a clean conscience.
So, it could be that God's will is for women not to be leaders in the church, but someone who affirms a correct doctrine for the wrong reasons (like anti-woman animus), is in worse shape than someone who adheres to an incorrect doctrine but possesses a clean conscience; that is, he believes in the false doctrine purely out of ignorance, not willful rebellion against God. That's why we say, "salvation is by faith, not by belief that salvation is by faith." As the Bible says, "even the demons believe", but it won't save them.
