Women as Lead Preachers and the Meaning of ‘Authentein’ in 1 Timothy 2:12

Recently Mike Winger, a pastor and featured teacher on Biblical Thinker online, posted a very long series of videos exploring the subject of women in Christian ministry.[1] In part twelve of that video series, Winger does a careful examination of Paul’s use of the term authenteō in 1 Timothy 2:12, which he believes limits the […]

Can Women Serve as Elders in the Church? 5 Questions to Ask about 1 Timothy 3

Disciples of Jesus are facing big challenges in our culture today. One of the difficulties is the increasing cultural accusations of misogyny and patriarchy directed at the local church. If we are honest with ourselves, with this kind of pressure, it is easy to look for a way to re-interpret our understanding of some passages […]

Foreword to ‘Male and Female: A Biblical Look at Gender’

The following is one of the forewords for the book Male & Female: A Biblical Look at Gender, edited by Renée Webb Sproles.  Henny-Penny, we are told in various versions of the story, was a chick hit upon the head by a single falling acorn. She concludes the “sky is falling” and precipitates mass hysteria […]

Can a Pastor Be a Woman? Examining Saddleback’s New Approach

Can a pastor be a woman? Saddleback Church, the notable megachurch led by mega-bestselling author Rick Warren, made news by ordaining its first three women pastors. The shift from male-only pastors stands out against the church’s larger Southern Baptist Convention affiliation. Then, in announcing his retirement recently, Rick Warren announced that his successor as senior […]

Complementarian VS Egalitarian: 10 Questions for Egalitarian Church Leaders

When it comes to the complementarian vs egalitarian debate in the church and home, here are 10 questions to think about for egalitarian leaders. For an ebook form of this article, click here.  If you are a church leader leaning toward an egalitarian approach to men and women in church leadership, we want to engage […]

How Should We View Gender?

This is Question #4 in Carol M. Swain’s Countercultural Living: The Teachings of Jesus on Life, Marriage, Race, Gender, and Materialism.