Women Preachers: Are They Ordained Of God?

The once controversial issue of women as preachers and church leaders is no longer a controversy, but an accepted part of church organization. Because of society's paranoia of sexism in mainstream lifestyle and the forced hand of government policy, women have taken on many more leadership positions in the church in every denomination, despite what the Bible says on the issue. This is a classic case of the church's transformation to the standards of the world. Those who have infiltrated the church with such beliefs have twisted the words of the Bible to fit society's standards and their own desires.

The Bible gives two direct rules concerning women and their ordained positions in the church and several implications to a woman's authority in the gospel, including various concepts that clearly explain a woman's duty to Christ, to the church, and to their family. However, each of the above areas are also defined by society concerning a woman's position, authority, and duty to Christ, to the church, and to their family, and we will compare the two using both the Word of God and its concepts, and the concepts, rules, and laws of society.

First, we must understand that this new movement of women's leadership in the church erupted from society and not from within the church. The church - which includes all believers of God - did not suddenly one day decide to protest the rights of women feeling that the men in the church were sexist, no, it was the women in the world, outside of the church, who brought this mentality to the church.

For years, religion and church organization has continued as it was from the days of old concerning men's roles and women's roles. Only in the past 50 years, have these traditions changed because of the gender battles that changed society, which gave women more power in the operation of society. Therefore, this mentality spilled into the church from society and did not stem from the church thus proving that the church has conformed to the world's ways.

When this mentality seeped into the church, church leaders sought out scriptures from the Bible that would supposedly support the women's upward positioning in the church. They not only used scripture, but they used concepts and theoretical reasoning to back their positions. To argue these theories, we will use scriptural and biblical reasoning that will uphold God's will: beginning with scripture.

The most popular scripture used by the women's movement and supporters to convince church-goers that God has no problem with women preachers comes from Galatians 3:28, which reads, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

This scripture supposedly proves that it does not matter what race, status, or gender a person is if they believe in God that determines what a person can do for God. They argue that this scripture gives women the right to occupy any position in the church they want so long as they believe, and that it makes no difference to God. Along with this scripture they use Romans 2:11, which reads, "For there is no respect of persons with God."

Neither scripture directly says that women can take authoritative positions in the church, yet the scriptures are the only two in the Bible that the women's movement use as solid doctrine to support their claims. The scriptures are mere implications because neither scripture directly speak about the position of women, but about anyone concerning anything.

For instance, if the subject were race these scriptures would serve to integrate discriminated people into the gospel of Christ and into the kingdom of God. Furthermore, if the issue were on master-slave relationship the scripture would apply, as far as the slave being permitted the right to seek after the salvation of God and of His kingdom. God does not have respect of persons where it pertains to anyone being included into the gospel of Christ and His kingdom.

The scripture in Galatians 3:28 follows a concept of the Bible that discusses judgment against certain people, not about church position. The concept is a broad general statement that speaks on the rights of people to have access to the kingdom of God. If read from the beginning of Galatians chapter two, one would see that the discussion is about judgment and not church organization, therefore, no one can rightly and justly conclude that the scripture supports the women's rights to take authoritative positions in the church. As so, with the scripture explaining God's respect of person's in Romans, God does not discriminate against who can enter the kingdom and who cannot. If every scripture were read about God's ability to be fair towards people, none would refer to a woman's position in the church, but as a general statement period.

However, the Bible does directly address church organization where position is concerned and it speaks about women in particular, not in general. Unlike the above scriptures of Galatians and Romans that make broad statements, the following scriptures distinctly apply to women's positions and roles as doctrine, or biblical law.

Furthermore, more often than not, church leaders will ignore the following scriptures and place more emphasis on Galatians and Romans. The first scripture reads, "Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church" (1 Corinthians 14:34, 35).

To silence the mouths of foolish and cynical people, understand first, that the scripture means exactly what it says and there is no other interpretation or hidden concept. Some will argue that Paul wrote the scripture and that it was only his opinion, however, the scripture also says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

Any person who attributes any of the Bible's concepts to the credit of the author of that concept is attempting to escape what the Bible teaches. God gave all words of the Bible to the men by revelation of the Holy Ghost and the men recorded the words in a book. The scripture of Corinthians means what it says.

Women should keep silent in the church, as in not talking, questioning, or preaching. The scripture does not mean that women should help in keeping people from talking during the sermon - many would attempt this deception - because the scripture refers back to whom it is talking about when it says, "it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church."

The scripture also exerts the fact that this rule of church worship comes from the law of the Old Testament, which is the only law carried over from the Old Testament. Preachers will carry over from the Old Testament the law of tithing but they will not adhered to the law of the submission of women, which again confirms that the church has conformed to the world.

When the scripture in Corinthians talks about women asking their husbands at home, it also means just that. Submission to the head of the marriage is a part of the gospel and this rule should remain in force. Society has equalized the marriage now so that the wife has as much authority as the husband, which they enforced with written law by way of the government: however, the Bible does not recognize man's law if it interferes with what He says. The man is still the head of the relationship and if God says that the woman should ask questions at home and not raise her voice in church, then that is what the church should obey.

The next scripture that directly confronts the authority of women is in 1 Timothy chapter 2, which reads, "Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in transgression" (vs. 11-14).

The scripture distinctly says that women are not suppose to teach or usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence, which confirms the scripture in Corinthians. Teaching and being in authority over men means preaching to, leading, or pastoring men or a man. Though the Bible says that women should not take authority, it is the reason why God does not allow it that confuses people.

Why, people ask. Why should not a woman pastor churches and preach the gospel of Christ. Then they get theological and suppose God is not like what we think and that he is a liberal or progressive God, and He understands. So, they ignore the Word and become presumptuous about what the scripture means. They have long forsaken the Word of God and any reasons why God would say that women should not preach. No church leader has explained to people why God disallows women to take authority over men and people take advantage of this lack of knowledge and impart their own rules.

As the scripture above states, "Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived being in transgression." The point of the scripture is to make plain that women are the weaker vessel and are more vulnerable to the attacks of the Devil and his scheme to destroy the church, believers, and humankind. When the woman ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she caused an unchangeable curse that lasted thousands of years, which was the curse of death, Had Satan tempted the man, the story may have ended differently, but that is not what the Bible wants us to know.

God wants us to acknowledge His plan and perfect will by accepting the absolute that God did not create woman equal to man but women are, in fact, created for man. "Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man" (1 Corinthians 11:9). This is how God planned life to be and this is how the world, especially church leaders, should live. Each species has their God-given role in life and we should respect that role and not attempt to change it for our own benefit or in subservience to the world. The essential reason why women are not suppose to take leadership roles over men is that it is against what God has created.

The next obvious reason is that women are equipped for life differently than men. God gave women the natural ability to nurture the child, He did not give that ability to men and men should not take it upon themselves to assume the role of a nurturer if they are not equipped with what is natural. On the other hand, because women are not equipped with what men have naturally, which is the responsibility of leadership over the earth, society, his wife, and children, women should not attempt to take on that responsibility but should concentrate on what God ordained.

The above reasons are not Biblical but naturally obvious. If biblical sense is to be made for why women should not lead men, or flocks, then believers must believe and obey the two doctrinal requirements for women, which are to keep silence and not usurp authority over the man.

However, the Bible does justify the weaknesses of women compared to men in 1 Timothy 3:7, which reads, "Likewise ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." The Bible says that in a marriage, the woman is the weaker vessel and that the husband need relate to her with that as a consideration. The concept of the scripture is clear, God created men stronger than He did women: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Yet, the above still does not convince those who are adamant in their beliefs that women have rights to leadership positions in the church. Once they ignore the doctrine in the scriptures, they move on to various examples in the Bible that supposedly show that women can preach the Word. For instance, in the parable of the woman at the well in St. John chapter four, they justify that Jesus ordained the woman as an evangelist because she carried the Word into the city and preached to the religious leaders. It reads "The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is this not the Christ?" (St. John 4:30).

From this act, people say that the woman went and preached to the city about Jesus, and many preachers teach this to people and the people take this as true. They then go a little further to prove that the people believed the woman, therefore, she brought forth the Word and that means she is a preacher. They quote, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did" (vv. 39).

However, the preachers never point out the part in the above scripture that says the woman "testified" not preached, and they never go any further to see what the scripture says after that, and what the people said about her message.

In verses 40, and 41, the scripture says "And many more believed because of his [Jesus] own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world."

In other words, even after the woman came and testified about Jesus, the people (and the Bible) says that they believed in Christ but not because of what she said or because of what today's liberal church-goers would have unlearned folks to believe, that the woman preached and people believed, but the people believed because they heard Jesus for themselves. Therefore, the woman was not a preacher.

People today attempt to use many other concepts of the Bible to prove that woman can preach and lead flocks of God but the Bible is always in defense of itself. God does not contradict His own Word and neither has He not done a new thing - another concept of the scriptures they use - and called women to preach and lead His flocks. The truth is that women have roles and those roles are to nurture and raise children to be loving and faithful believers of Christ and of God: to be virtuous women and wives and to be in submission to their own husbands and to the male leadership of the church.

Because the churches today are under the influence of the world, and have a hard time obeying the doctrine of God, the church is falling to the seduction and deception of the Devil. The natural order of life and of the church is in total opposition to what God desires and it is getting worst. First, the office of an evangelist was at one time the only office women dared to assume because of the "woman at the well" concept, but when they saw that men fell for the intrusion, they went a step further. Women became deaconess, the female version of the deacon, and then they became ministers, recognized by secular institutions of religious learning. Then when there was no opposition to that, church organizations began ordaining women as assistant pastors, and co-pastors, and now they are Bishops and Apostles, the highest offices in the church and no one is opposing the moves.

Because today's Christendom world has become caught up in the secularism of society, church leaders teach contradictory doctrine to unlearned believers which will eventually lead thousands of souls toward the darkness of Hell. One main contradiction of these teachings is the church's ordination of women as Bishops, which is a definite contradiction of the Holy Bible.

If there is anyone in the Christian world who can make sense of this evident contradiction, please do. How can a woman be ordained a Bishop if the Bible says otherwise? "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;" (1 Timothy 3). The same applys to Elders and Deacons.

Explain, with any and all reason and common sense, how a woman can be the husband of one wife. Without going into any modern-day man-made sexist laws, or using politically correct reasoning, justify how this can be so. If this explanation is not justified reasonably, then all church leaders who teach this are contrary to the Bible and should not teach the concepts thereof. If there are any women in Christianity that have been ordained as Bishops, according to the Bible, they should not be there and should obey the Word of the God they profess to love and worship.

In all of the above, no church has yet to biblically justify the ordainment of women as either leadership authorities. The facade has snowballed into an illusion of what the world has implanted in the church. Despite what the Bible says about the qualifications of a deacon, elder, or bishop, which refers to each as men and husbands, the church world today will enforce what they believe to be acceptable to God. This abomination and disrespect of God's Word will ultimately consume the church to the point that nothing in the Bible will have authenticity, but religion will be what man believes it should be.

A woman who follows the concepts of the Word of God will live blessed of God and would better understand her calling. Women may prophesy, testify, and attend to their biblical duty which is to, "teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands" (Titus 2:4, 5). God equipped women specifically for the above purposes and only a woman can attend to this duty successfully. When a supposed servant of God veers from what God has ordained for them naturally, then the course of nature and the purpose of the church, falls to the scheme of the Devil.