The Womanly Lie of the Modern Church

It’s becoming more frequent and why wouldn’t it? The interpretation that “God said” women aren’t Scripturally allowed to be pastors or preach or teach from a pedestal, is more than ramped now. Even if the woman in question was allowing the Holy Spirit to speak or teach through her, the mere idea paired with the biblical reference of women turns off the ears of men and women alike. We’re called heretics, fake Christians, hypocrites, false witnesses, false prophets, and other things.

1 Corinthians 14:34 and 35 states “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. (35) 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” (NKJV).

Can a woman be a pastor? As you can probably tell, I'm not one to say "no, next," or "yes, next." We are going to break this passage down from both historical, logical, and even spiritual standpoints.

Hermeneutical standpoint:

The Apostle Paul wrote 7 letters to 7 different churches with unique spiritual issues he directly addressed. In light of this verse spoken directly by Paul in 1 Corinthians, we are aware he is talking to the Corinthian church, aka, the church at Corinth, a city-state in Greece. This letter was sent and meant not only for Corinth, but also future churches with the same spiritual issues (and especially churches in the last days, which we are in). This part of the interpretation is at least, mostly correct. Here’s where it gets a little deviated.

First, the Scripture states “Let YOUR women.” He does not say, “Let ALL women. “He says, “Let YOUR women, [church of Corinth]!” “Let YOUR women be silent!” And if you read the New King James Version of this passage, the word “they” is italicized. Not only does he specify “your,” but “they.” “Let YOUR women [in the church of Corinth] be silent…for THEY are not permitted to speak.” Here’s why:

If you research ancient Grecian culture, you’ll find that its cities’ inhabitants were notorious for their society of gossip and intelligent conversation thanks to the ancient Greek philosophers. Paul addressed how damaging this culture was to the church, and there are numerous examples all throughout Scripture explaining how gossip is a sin and why (Proverbs, Leviticus, Matthew, James, Romans, to name a few). It creates discord among brethren, it stirs false or damaging rumors, it can be lies, it separates close friends, etc. So obviously, this culture has no place in the church God says must be sanctified from the world. This is what Paul was saying. He referenced the women, because it’s more common in them than with men, which is also tied to Grecian culture. In both Greek and Roman society, women are disvalued. They are objectified and seen as property. They are responsible for producing heirs and completely submitting to the men, who rule all main aspects of their world (government, church, household, etc.). The Greeks and Romans also focused their entire lifestyle on pleasure. So, while the men were off ruling or fighting in wars, the women only had each other oftentimes (and their children). So, with nothing much to do without any rights, they met up with other women and gossiped, because it was the only form of “pleasure” they could get a handle on without the men breathing down their necks. All the problems and the oppression they had pent up from the men, they vented to other women. But wait! That sounds familiar! If you’ve read on the American social class, you’ll also know that it wasn’t just the Romans and Greeks who lived like this! If you remember from history class or even movies based on old America, what’s that all the females were always portrayed doing??? Female hang outs before women had rights while the men were at work was a major behavior all the way up until the 1960s and 70s.

Anti-female pastorists are right! The rule is not cultural!

So, it’s no surprise wherever this female behavior lurked that it leaked into the church. Paul was well aware that this gossip culture, only exacerbated by pleasure “flesh” culture was a main part of the female life in Greece. So simply telling them to straighten up wasn’t going to work. The only way for the church of Corinth to function properly the way God needed was if the woman kept quiet and submitted to the men, whom most of which didn’t have the gossip problem and could therefore be more intentional with God to their congregation without the corruption of female gossip. It wasn’t personal at all. The females in Corinth were just too engrained in their culture, because it’s all they’ve ever known. The same principal pertained to women in America before we got rights. It’s all EVERY female knew!

Anti-female pastorists are right! He was talking about all women!

This is the part where I encourage you all to use Patience, one of the Fruits of the Spirit.

You must henceforth understand that gossip doesn’t just destroy churches from the pulpit, but also from the congregation. And what is the root of gossip? PRIDE. I don't know about you, but if I was told I couldn't do something legally, biblically, or whatever-ly simply because I'm a girl, you bet I would try to demolish the "patriarchy" based on my own pride. And that's exactly what they did. And in today's world, pride engulfs everything from all sides (and we'll get to that in the spiritual explanation).

When Paul spoke of the women, he wasn’t just referring to potential female pastors as the heresy assumes. He was also referencing women in the congregation. He was referencing all women in the Corinthian church, because they all had the same spirit of gossip. But since it isn’t love to simply prohibit all women from going to church, they are commanded to listen to the teachings and if they have any questions, to ask their husbands at home as men are designated by God as the spiritual heads of the household.

Katherine Kuhlman is the perfect example of a woman whom God said to preach under His divine command. Katherine was born in 1907 and died in 1976, right in the middle of female gossip culture on steroids without rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to abolish discrimination of gender, race, color, religion, or national origin in the workplace. But Katherine started her ministry in 1928 at only 21 years old (a year younger than when I typed this). Today, her healing ministry is still one of the most talked about ministries, at least from where I come from. If God did not want her to preach and perform miracles from a stage and a pulpit because she’s a woman, then why would He not only allow her, but to visibly and notoriously work through her until her last breath? Explain Katherine’s success in the Lord to me as a woman from a pulpit. And she’s not the only one.

As it turns out, gossip wasn’t the only verbal discrepancy the woman were engaging in. The word “speak” in Greek has 3 specific meanings. One, “milo,” means the familiar basics, to talk. Two, “omilo,” adds the word discourse. Discourse doesn’t just mean to talk, but to verbally debate or otherwise, speak with authority, or to verbally challenge. Three, “koybentiazo,” means to confabulate, which by definition means, to “fabricate imaginary experiences as compensation for loss of memory” (Oxford Languages), otherwise, to exaggerate, or lie. This form of “speak,” is most likely the version translated from the Greek scrolls to English as it matches best with the definition of gossip. The second version, omilo could also agree as it means to speak with authority or debate. Paul could have very well been referring to the way in which the women were speaking, not just gossiping, but they were also grounds for verbal disrespect: Challenging the male authority and causing disturbances in the church. This is another reason God decided that it would be better for them to wait until they were home to ask their husbands, for it was better to debate with them than to disrespect pastoral authority. When he quotes, “it is a shame for women to speak in church,” he was referring to both instances of Greek “speak,” gossiping and causing disturbances in the Corinthian church— omilo and koybentiazo. In fact, as Greek and Roman culture doesn’t even allow women in the pulpit, Paul wasn’t even referring to female pastors in this verse. He was referring to the women of the congregation (some of which, could potentially aspire to take on a leadership role out of defiance).

Conclusion:

Does any modern church have the potential to become or is already tainted by gossip culture? Why of course. It’s run ramped throughout the entire world and in every church in one form or another. But that doesn’t mean every female on earth is a Corinthian woman with a gossip issue that will destroy the church as we know it. Not every woman on the face of the planet is controlled by the spirit of gossip. On the flip side, I have no doubt that the spirit of gossip from Corinth resides in some…ok, a lot women today. But it is only those women with that same spirit who are not permitted to teach, not because their gossip dissolves their relationship with God, but because it will taint their teaching, even unintentionally. God isn’t just protecting the church by having Paul write it. He was also protecting the woman from producing tainted fruit in a position of leadership. He wasn’t silencing women completely; he was silencing the disorder of their culture caused by them. He was silencing the spirit of gossip. God was literally protecting them from themselves, and He hasn’t changed. Not all women can become pastors for the exact same reason, but that doesn’t mean we don’t exist. God is not an absolutist towards potential in the world He alone created. God doesn’t discount an entire gender because of a corrupt handful.

We also forget there’s 6 other letters Paul wrote to 6 other churches with their own unique problems; but notice we don’t take any of those issues into account and exempt an entire group of people from the pulpit because of them. For example: If you read back in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, you’ll read that it’s not just the women with church-killing problems, but the men as well. Sexual impurity was and is just as ramped as gossip tied to the same pleasure culture. In fact, Paul calls one of the men out, who is sleeping with his own mother. And you see it today everywhere now, pastors are suddenly getting pelted with sexual assault charges out of seemingly nowhere, even if the assault in question happened a hundred years ago before they even found Jesus. And it’s not exactly news, in fact it’s the two biggest stereotypes about men versus women in modern society: Women tend to gossip, and men tend to have lust problems whether they act on them or not. But do we exempt the men from the podium for giving the Gospel a black eye by committing adultery and cheating on his wife? No. Just the women for talking about it. Both issues will destroy a church, but we only discuss the women’s half, because of the leadership God gave to men. We become so enamored with the submission of women under men that we become like the Romans! Even with all the rights women have, they can do everything now. But the one thing they can’t do is preach the exact same truth as the men all because of their gender??? And we think Satan is an idiot???

Logical Standpoint:

We must also understand the cultural viewpoint in which this verse was taken. Women in Ancient Rome and Greece were seen as objects and “less than” men and were not permitted to reside or pursue in any form of leadership. Not only are Corinth and the ancient Roman Empire been dissolved for thousands of years but so has their culture, at least, in itself. This goes the same for American culture. As soon as women got their rights to work with men, they had less time to gossip. Yes, society today is driven by pleasure and the flesh much like ancient Rome and Greece, which was prophesied in Scripture, and was why God had this letter added to the final edits of Scripture in the first place. Today, woman in most countries have rights of some form, including positions of leadership. We are not women of Corinth. We are not bound to female suffrage nor are we prohibited from means of leadership. The only reason God had the woman of Corinth keep quiet was for their own good. He was respecting their culture as it existed in that time, because He knew the fruit that would come out of it, despite its restrictions. He is doing the same for us today. Today, there are women (and not very many, but we exist) who are not consumed by the world’s gossip culture and heavy feminism culture that trashes men. They are filled with the Holy Spirit, and God sees them and chooses them to become leaders, preachers, pastors, and teachers; not because He’s changed, but because He sees her heart, sees her future, and sees her fruit! Matthew 7:16 says that we will know them by their fruit. We are to know pastors and preachers and teachers by their fruit. Here’s what I see today: “She’s bearing so much fruit! But she’s a woman, so she’s a false prophet, next…” You must be blooming joking. God isn’t going to overlook a woman’s fruit all because she’s a woman; much like a lot of people do today. God isn’t going to create male and female and then go around and only focus on His sons and ignore His daughters. What a loving Father He would be, right? God is no misogynist. He’s a gentleman. God didn’t design women to be so submissive to men that we have no rights to God’s inheritance as a daughter of the King. He didn’t only call men to bear fruit. He commands all of us to bear fruit, and you don’t bear fruit for God’s Kingdom by staying quiet. In Acts 2, He doesn’t say that He would pour our His Spirit on ALL people and My sons AND DAUGHTERS would prophesy, oh but the woman will have to keep what I tell them to themselves.”

It’s not called “Roman culture,” “Greek culture,” “American female culture,” or even “Corinthian culture.” It’s called “GOSSIP CULTURE.” That goes for anyone on earth, all males and females, females more so! The “all women” Paul was targeting wasn’t every woman past, present, and future. He was targeting all woman bound to the spirit of gossip (and pride) that God knows would destroy a ministry or otherwise bear tainted fruit.

He did mean “all women,” but not from a cultural standpoint—a spiritual one! “Women are not to preach from a pulpit,” needs to be changed to, “Woman are not to preach from a pulpit if they are under the influence of the spirit of gossip.”

I recently saw a post on Instagram by a woman named Christy Noel (@christy_noel) and ironically, her post popped up in my feed less than twelve hours after I started writing this article. As soon as I read it, I thanked God for sending her post my way, because it’s exactly what I needed to further my own teaching. She words it so beautifully, yet direct and to the point. This is what she wrote and posted:

We say, “women can’t preach,” but it’s still okay to preach to thousands of people from the pulpit of social media, minister on podcasts, and preach in their spheres of influence. Yet the moment it’s the context of a church service behind a pulpit, ‘a woman shouldn’t be up there.’”

If women can’t preach, then why did God [Himself] keep handing them the mic? Deborah judged and led a nation in Judges 4. Huldah gave a prophetic word to a king in 2 Kings 22. Priscila taught a male preacher in Acts 18. Mary Magdalene preached the first resurrection sermon in John 20. And the Samaritan evangelized a city (after talking to Jesus at the well) in John 4. They weren’t waiting for a man’s permission. The were walking in God’s commission.

Let’s talk 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14. You love quoting “women be silent,” but you skipped “no gold jewelry,” “no fancy hairstyles,” and “wear head coverings.” If we’re going to be literal (which I like to call biblically liberal), be all in (don’t pick and choose like the heretics). But here’s the truth: Those were cultural corrections, not eternal commands. Paul wasn’t silencing women—He was silencing disorder.

When Paul said things like, “Women should remain silent in church” or, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man” (2 Timothy 12:2), he wasn’t issuing a universal ban on women preaching. He was addressing specific problems in specific churches, and the challenges of specific people (as were the letters written to)— chaos, confusion, and cultural issues that were disrupting the gathering.

Fight it as you will, but men are not exempt from the spirit of gossip. Just because it isn’t in their typical nature doesn’t mean they don’t do it. And God can exempt a Christian man from preaching for the same reason as a woman if He sees that it’s a strong enough threat to his future ministry.

Jesus didn’t silence women. He taught them. He trusted them. He sent them. Mary sat at His feet like a disciple. A woman prepared Him for burial. A woman was first to preach the resurrection. If the gospel starts with a woman’s voice, who are you to try and shut it down?

Acts 2:17-18 says, “In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,” not “stay quiet,” not “post but don’t preach.” Prophesy.

To every woman with fire in her bones, preach. Don’t bow to the religious spirits dressed in church clothes. You are anointed and called just like Esther for such a time as this. Daughters…prophesy. The kingdom needs your voice.

Spiritual Standpoint:

So, now that we know gossip was the origin story to this verse, what the heck happened to females today? Remember when I mentioned pride snuck in there?

Feminism used to be a fight for female rights, which conservative women today would be all for...if it weren't for the book of Revelation. Note that feminism didn't exist when Paul wrote Acts, so it's not like he had the resources to address everything in detail. Today, feminism isn't just just a fight for women's rights. It's a rage to be better than men. We use words like "misogynist" and "oppression," and "sexist." We blame men for all our problems and justify our "rights". We no longer want to marry or have kids; and if we accidentally let our libido drive, we can always kill the baby. We want to pleasure ourselves instead of become one. We burn with passion for other women instead of men. We want to deviate as far as possible from the way God designed human relationships between one man and one woman. Read that again.

Everything that modern women are screaming for; every "right" they can get their hands on, Feminism, abortion, "toxic masculinity," lady boss syndrome, lesbianism, etc.; it was all part of Satan's plan to destroy God's intended design for true feminism, what it means to be a female, a woman of God. God designed men to be the leaders, so in order to destroy feminism, Satan had to convince women that men think we are weak; WE must take control and become the leaders! We don't want men telling us what to do! We must do everything than a man can do! We must become independent! We must surpass men! And for some of us, "We are men!" We are so blinded by the crave for control and a hate towards men, that we are no longer acting like women. It's all about ME! It's the worst case of gender pride, jealousy, strife, resentment, and dysphoria we've ever seen!

But oh, the same thing is happening to men! Masculinity is tanking! Men think they are women; they are trading love for a wife and lusting after other men; they are cross dressing like females; they are emotionally unstable and insecure. They are either bowing to feminism or lust, or both. They are literally becoming weaker. They are no longer equipped for God's calling on their life! They are acting less like leaders and more like puppies with their tails between their legs. Satan is pushing so hard to destroy masculinity, because they are the leaders! In Genesis, God tells us all about the role of the men. He made Adam before He made Eve. He made Adam's roles different than Eve's and biggest of all, God made Adam the leader; NOT Eve. And if the leaders get taken out and the world becomes a war of the genders, everything is ruined: marriages, families, the economy, the government, social structure, CHURCHES. Men were designed to lead them all, but the women believed Satan's lies and now their pride has infiltrated our system. They have to sit where a man sits, make decisions that only a man can decide, and rule how a man rules. They truly believe that we are equal to men and are capable of doing everything a man can do, and it is all deception from the devil himself. God designed men and woman to be different, to compliment each other. Women can do what men can't and men can do what women can't; not because we literally can't, but because our version of "can" isn't as effective and efficient as God's design calls for stability. This fact is inevitable. Women's brains physically cannot work the same as a man's no matter how much we think it can. It's like trying to do everything your hand does with your foot. No matter how badly we want it to, it's not gonna happen.

For example: Men are more emotionally stable than women. It doesn't mean that women are unstable or mentally weak; it just means that women react differently than men in certain situations, stress especially; because of how God designed our unique states of wellbeing. Being a leader is stressful and requires heavy decisions and pressure. Women were not designed to absorb this; every ounce of stress the world throws at us. Our brains were not designed to handle it like a man can. A woman's hormonal cycle switches up four times per month. We literally have four different personalities based on bodily functions we can't control. Stress disrupts these cycles, causing both mental and physical instability, and they are not reset until the end of the month. This growing instability can cause us to make bad decisions or experience emotional breakdown. Meanwhile, a man's hormones reset once every day. Their disruptions and emotions are reset every morning. They were literally made to take on the stress of leadership, because their body is designed with a daily reset. Women do not have this. Their stability is constant, while a woman's is constantly fluctuating. Reading that, who on earth do you think would be more efficient at making decisions that could both make or break our nation as a whole??? I'll give you a hint: It's not the woman!

So, if women are so unstable, then why can they be pastors? Churches are supposed to be one of the main influences of our nation. That's a big job! A woman would surely screw that up! And you are right, but there is an exception. The number is few, much fewer than men in pastoral positions; but there are some women on earth who do have the mental capacity for it. They are no better than ordinary women, but they strive to be the kind of female God intended for them to be. They do not use their emotions or their every-changing hormones as an excuse to act poorly. They do not believe they are higher than they are. They are not feminist, they are not lady bosses, they value life and a structure of marriage and family more than they value what the world tells them they should value. And most importantly, their position and heart posture under a man's leadership has not been tainted. They know what God tells them to be in His word and do not deviate from it all because God put them in a position of leadership. In the last days, both feminism and masculinity are tanking. But when the posture of the male leader wanes, there is only one gender left to give the people hope. God isn't going to go to the "non-binaries" or the masculine females or the feminine males. He's going to go for the masculine males and the feminine females who are actively following His design for their gender. It's not hate; it's stability. And if God designs a woman with the stability to be a pastor, you can no longer argue with Him. It does happen and it doesn't go against His word either! The Holy Spirit will use anyone who will listen to him and obey Him. So, if the man he wants won't do it, He's gonna find someone else, and if that someone else so happens to be a female, you better believe there's a congregation out there who needs some testing! God's design for men to be the leaders doesn't disqualify Him from using a woman to be His mouthpiece. If you don't believe me, read about Deborah in Judges chapter 4.

However, there are still restrictions to this position of leadership! Scroll down to read about them!

What happened? Pride and offense.

Paul may have implied the spirit of gossip as the reason to keep some women quiet, but last I checked, all sin stems from pride, and today, we purposely strive to foundation our lives from pride. Every action we decide was based on being offended from something someone else said, yet our justification phrases are completely distorted from the truth. Instead of accepting responsibility of our female emotions, we use them to drive us and try instead to turn it into something "beautiful," and "liberating." We want to be powerful. We want to have all the money. We want to sit in a high place. We want to appear stronger. And when someone tells us we can't, we call them names, blame them for all our problems, and be defiant. Oh, but defiance is power! Well, um, that's not what God said to Satan when he played that game. Not just defiant to social standards, but defiant to God's design. Today, the spirit of gossip isn't the only spirit keeping women from being pastors. It's pride. It's women who believe they are of a "higher" calling than God gave them, simply because they were offended. And it gets even more ironic, because this offense isn't just primary, it's secondary! We even use gossip to spread the offense!

A lot (not all) of the female pastors today, God didn't put them up there. They did all by themselves out of feminism, out of gender defiance. You can look up "female" or "woman pastor" on a search engine and the images that appear are painfully obvious! And I truly belief this is a big part of why 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 35 has been misinterpreted. It's not that they believe women can't make a peep in church or it's a heresy. They're afraid we're dipping into feminism when we believe women can speak from a pulpit. And yes, they aren't wrong in the long run, but the belief still can't be absolute, because not all woman are feminist! Not all woman preaching from a pulpit today are there because they said so and not God! I don't believe women can be pastors, because I'm feminist. I'm anti-feminist. I only care about God's design for females, not the world's. I only care about what the Holy Spirit is telling me to do, not what "men say I can't." The world's design for females is built on pride and offense, two things I hate. And notice I'm typing this out instead of crying foul from a pulpit. That being said, I understand why the restriction is believed...but that's why we should be listening to the Holy Spirit when we read Scripture. The full counsel of God isn't just what we see in our Bibles. It's what He speaks to us on a daily basis our entire lives. The Word of God isn't just the Bible, it's every Word from His own mouth, past, present, and future.

The Restrictions that DO Exist as a Woman in Leadership:

There are perfect examples of woman pastors today whom God called them, and who God did not. Scripture says, “you will know them by their fruit,” (Matthew 7:16). But as a woman, the restrictions based on our God-given design are not a punishment. A woman can be a pastor and a leader, but there are still conditions in which this allowance rests. After all, we were not designed the same as men, physically or psychologically. If you know that God has called you to teach or be a pastor, then so be it! But know that you are not permitted to do so alone depending on how high that position of power is.

Women are certainly allowed pastoral and/or leadership roles in the church. They are permitted to preach sermons and teach and give suggestions and insight on how a church is run. But they are NOT permitted to be at the highest rank of that church without a husband. Women are not the spiritual authority. Men are, and that spiritual authority does not strictly refer to the household. This also goes with whether they are married or not. We must acknowledge that women are very emotional creatures and are easily driven by them in their intensity. Men are the opposite (most of the time). If you are a single emotion-driven woman leading and running a church with that much power, and without a man to compliment your design and act as the spiritual lead for you, you are going to fall. This is the reason we have never had a female president of the United States. We aren’t being sexist—we know what our gender is capable of, more notoriously when driven by our emotions. With that much power and no male to straighten us up when we get emotional, we could make a decision that could otherwise jeopardize the wellbeing of the entire country. It’s the same with running a high-ranking place in God’s Kingdom and in His Houses. Positions with that much power need to be held by the men in both church and state as they are, not just the spiritual authority, but the more emotionally stable gender. They were designed to process emotions and decision-making differently than women. It’s just how they were designed versus us. It’s not oppression. It’s biology and God is responsible for it. So, if you have a problem with the pot, take it up with the Potter. God isn’t sexist and he certainly isn't feminist. He is protecting His own children in His own house.