Q: Bronwen, I notice that twice in Genesis 3, God addresses Adam about the broken commandment, but doesn’t mention it to Eve. This seems to imply that God doesn’t hold her accountable as the leader, but instead holds Adam responsible as the spiritual leader. Looking forward, just as Eve was not trusted with the responsibility… Continue reading Q&A: Do Genesis 3 and Ephesians 5 make men spiritual leaders? (Part 1)
Category: Q&A
Q&A: Is a Feminist Reading of the Bible Possible?
This question was asked in an online group I am a member of, by a person who describes herself as a “healthy sceptic” about religion. This is a somewhat expanded and edited version of my answer to her question in that forum. Q: Bronwen, after reading the Bible (King James version) please explain how it… Continue reading Q&A: Is a Feminist Reading of the Bible Possible?
Q&A: Do Egalitarians Bend to Culture?
Q: Bronwen, when I tell my Christian friends that I believe in the equality of men and women, they say that egalitarians are just bending to culture, rather than being shaped by Scripture. Is this true? A: In my previous Q&A post, I looked at whether egalitarians twist Scripture to ignore or change the passages… Continue reading Q&A: Do Egalitarians Bend to Culture?
Q&A: Do egalitarians use convoluted arguments to interpret the Bible?
Q: Bronwen, when I try to explain my egalitarian views to my Christian friends, some of them say we are just turning clear and simple biblical texts into something unnecessarily convoluted. Is there any truth to this, and how do I respond to this objection to my views on the equality of men and women… Continue reading Q&A: Do egalitarians use convoluted arguments to interpret the Bible?
Q&A: What’s with women having to be silent in church in 1 Corinthians 14?
This article was originally presented as a brief talk at the Christians for Biblical Equality Perth chapter gathering on 2 September, 2017. One thing that is commonly claimed by complementarians is that they simply follow the “clear meaning of the text” (with the inference that egalitarians are making up difficulties that distract from the text’s… Continue reading Q&A: What’s with women having to be silent in church in 1 Corinthians 14?
Q&A: Are Husbands to Lead Their Wives?
Q: Bronwen, my friend says that husbands are created by God to be leaders of their wives and families. When I asked for her biblical evidence of this belief, she said 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. These passages do seem to say quite clearly that men are to manage their families (which is the same as… Continue reading Q&A: Are Husbands to Lead Their Wives?
Q&A: Should Women Be Silent in Church? Part 4
Priscilla and Aquila were not just learners – but having drunk deeply at the well of Paul’s theological knowledge, they became competent and reliable teachers of the truth.
Q&A: Should Women Be Silent In Church? Part 3
We have already seen, in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series on 1 Timothy 2:11, that Paul has indicated that some in the Ephesian church are promoting controversial speculations, turning to meaningless talk, and blaspheming (not in the sense of swearing, but in the sense of speech that goes against God’s truths –… Continue reading Q&A: Should Women Be Silent In Church? Part 3
Q&A: Should Women Be Silent In Church? Part 2
In the previous post of this Q&A on 1 Timothy 2:11, we looked at the context of the Ephesian church at that time – a church disrupted and divided by many false teachers. One of Paul’s main concerns in this epistle to Timothy is to turn the situation around by encouraging the Ephesians to replace… Continue reading Q&A: Should Women Be Silent In Church? Part 2
Q&A: Should Women Be Silent In Church? Part 1
Q. Bronwen, I read in 1 Timothy 2:11 that women are meant to be silent and submissive in church. This seems kind of hard to take! And while our church uses this as part of the reason why women can’t preach, they are allowed to do things like lead the congregation in prayer, read the… Continue reading Q&A: Should Women Be Silent In Church? Part 1
God's Design - Perth 