What role can a woman have in the church?

This is another question raised by Peter Wiig and the context is the well know verse in I Corinthians 14:34-35. Many churches based on these verses have denied any leadership role in the church for women. They cannot teach men, only children. They cannot preach or even pray but be silent.

In I Corinthians 11:5 it says "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven." This shows that women did pray and prophesy in the church, and the covering of their head showed they were married.

Prophesying as defined by Paul in I Corinthians 14:3 "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort." This is more preaching and forth saying than foretelling and therefore it means that women did preach in the early church.

Mind you that all these references are from I Corinthians, the same epistle which has the controversial passage that silences women!! So what does I Cor 14:34f mean?

This passage needs to be understood in the cotext in which it is written. Chapter 14 is dealing with the confusion in the church caused by the speaking in tongues of people. Paul is maintaining that God is a God of order and does not like disorder. So our worship needs to be orderly. In this context Paul says that women need to keep quiet. We really do not know what was happening with the women in Corinth that made Paul make this suggestion that they be quiet and discuss with their husbands at home instead of arguing in the church. This was more in this context and I take it as not being an universal principle since if it is, it contradicts the rest of the epistle.

We see Priscilla's ministry described in Acts of the apostles and I would say that there were a few women who ministered in the leadership of the church.

I Cor 11:14 “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”

Peter Wiig asked the question "Why is it shameful for a man to have long hair?" There are two verses that deal with this issue in I Corinthians.

I Cor 11:7 “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.”

I Cor 11:14 “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”

Paul gives two arguments – one theological in vs 7 and one from nature in vs 14. But what does “cover his head” mean? Hair? Apparently not, since Paul did not advocate shaving ones hair off but rather not having long hair.

Theological

“Cover his head” means to “show a symbol of authority over him on earth” through having his hair uncut. The woman on the other hand is to show a symbol of authority over her since she comes under man’s authority. Hence in vs 6 he says if she is not showing the symbol of authority on her, then she should show that she is a widow by shaving her head.

I Cor 11:6 "For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered."
Since man is the theological head of the house he must nor wear a symbol of submission to anyone apart from God.

Nature

Peacocks have fancy tails, peahens don’t. Paul says that by nature women keep long hair and men don’t. It is therefore a shame for a man to have long hair since he is making himself a woman. In today’s term it would read it is shameful for a man to wear a skirt.

To a large extent this is cultural and depends on the culture of the people. Nature here is the culture of the people.

Today’s application

Christians do not have a message apart from Christ. Hence in all things cultural we conform except where the values of Christ are being trampled on. The idea is to avoid needless confrontation since the gospel is enough of a confrontation as it is. Man does not submit to women and so do not carry any symbol of submission on him.