Recently, I was informed by a fellow blogger that since I am a female, writing about theological topics was forbidden me. The cite was probably 1 Timothy 2:12 which states "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet." (1Ti 2:12)I thought I would take a look at this. I would like to start with ‘natural authority.’
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Rom 13:1)
We are all under the authority of something. As an American, I am under the authority of the laws of the United States. And from there, the list narrows, I am under the authority of the laws of the state in which I live and then in the city in which I live. In a work environment, we are under the authority of our employer. Our authority in the work place is governed by our position. A file clerk cannot exercise authority to make determinations as to when someone will take their vacation or exercise authority when the work days starts and ends for the employees of the organization. This authority is given to certain individuals such as the HR manager.
Authority is the lawful right and power to enforce obedience. It is within this meaning that ‘authority’ is used in scripture. Only God has the power to forgive sin. Man has not been delegated that right or power. 2 Corinthians 10:8 speaks to apostolic authority while Titus 2:15 speaks to pastoral authority. Within the authority given to certain group are limitations on their authority. This authority should be differentiated from someone having an intimate knowledge on a subject matter and is therefore an authority on that subject such as someone deemed an expert by a court in their field for purposes of testimony.
The words of Paul regarding a woman’s role in the church was of a pastoral nature. The letters or Epistles from Paul regarding this subject are known pastoral letters and instructions to pastors. In fact 1 Timothy is a letter containing pastoral instruction to Timothy. Timothy was already well versed in theology and therefore Paul gave him pastoral instruction rather than theological instruction.
In Acts, Chapter 18 there was a woman named Priscilla, who along with her husband Aquila, listened to a Jewish man named Apollo preach. After the services, they took him aside and explained a great theological concept. It turns out that Apollo only knew the baptism of John not the baptism of Jesus. Priscilla along with her husband and outside of the purview of the congregation, instructed Apollo. Priscilla in no way was in violation of God’s instruction to not take a spiritual authority over Apollo. In fact, not only did Priscilla not have any authority over Apollo, neither did her husband.
As a blogger, I have no authority over anyone nor do I have any ability or power to hold anyone accountable. If I were to blog about macaw care based on the fact that I have a pet macaw, I may have knowledge that others might not have. A blog about proper care of an animal is nothing more than advice and sharing that knowledge. If I were a breeder of macaws and blogging about that subject, I would likely be an expert in proper care of macaws and could give sound advice yet that authority is one of knowledge, not holding anyone accountable to following the advice that may be provided if I had such a blog.
By the same rationale, my blog on my bible studies or my thoughts on scripture is nothing more than passing on what I have learned. Any comments or responses may be advice from someone that points out my error and I may learn from them. On the other hand, someone may learn something from my blog. Or someone may find it utterly boring and never come back. I am not acting in the capacity of a pastor or leading a flock of believers, nor am I assuming a role of authority. In fact, I have no idea who reads my blog though I know it is being read. I am not an expert in theology nor am I under some false impression that I have a means to hold anyone accountable. I am one of many bloggers on this site that writes about what interests me. Scripture has not forbidden women from speaking about matters of God.
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4 comments
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maaark
March 28, 2009 at 9:16 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
can i refer u to a writing “old hippy; autobiography” on my blog; maaark.wordpress.com it relates to my struggles with authority. It’s a lifelong struggle.
I am finding a lot f interesting blogs out here just surfin around.
BTW which theme do u use? I like having a sample of the post and choosing if I want to read it all.
later
tishrei
March 28, 2009 at 9:36 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi, first, so I don’t forget, the theme I use for my blog is titled “Sebastian Schmieg.” It’s one of the themes providedby WordPress though I used a photo from my computer.
I would be pleased to read your blog — thanks for referring me to it. I sure can understand life long struggles — boy, don’t we all have those.
mishayah
March 29, 2009 at 12:00 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Did you ever wonder why some religious men are so terrified of the wisdom of women. Come on, is not wisdom to called our sister and understanding our kinswoman. What manner of folly would deny their voice? So why does religion fear the voice of the woman? Why do religious men place the blame for all the ills of mankind at the feet of women? Seems quite antibiotic doesn’t it?
As a man I neither respect nor fear the words of female phobic religious men…including Paul.
Mishayah
tishrei
March 29, 2009 at 1:02 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I am not sure I would completely agee with you — though I certainly understand what you’re saying. As for Paul, he was speakign the inspired word of God and as such, I must accept it and honor it. What I do know is that women have been given a role that is different than the role of men. I know that I would never sit under a female clergy person — not because she is incapable — but because of the word of God forbids it. I also fully realize that people disagree with this but their argument should be directed to the Creator.
As for that blogger, his stance was that I should not even blog about the Word of God — and that’s the point that I was disagreeing with. In my view, he had a miisunderstanding did not study out what it was that God was saying.
Peace!
Women Bloggers and Christian Authority « Fruit of the Word
November 10, 2009 at 10:50 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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