Been thinking about women. No, not in that way! I’ve been thinking about the different views Christians hold about women and the church. It’s amazing to me to see people try and group the views into some binary system: you’re either ___ or ___. Yeah, right. The only binary system that works is “You agree with me or you don’t.” That’s the only way to lump everybody into two groups.
Think about the different questions involved:
- Must women remain silent in the church? Does this include singing?
- Must women wear a head covering to church? Must it be a veil, or will a hat suffice?
- Can women and men sit together in church?
- Can women serve as deaconesses in an official capacity?
- Can women stand to pass the trays of the Lord’s Supper?
- During the assembly, can a woman answer a question asked of her by a man?
- During the assembly, can a woman provide clarifying information during announcements?
- During the assembly, can a woman make a prayer request?
- Can a woman lead a prayer in the presence of a man?
- Can a woman participate in a chain prayer?
- Can a woman begin a chain prayer?
- May a woman be called a minister?
- May a woman serve as elder?
- May a woman preach when men are present?
- May a woman read Scripture out loud when men are present?
- Is it right for a woman to baptize another woman?
- Is it right for a woman to baptize a man?
I’ll stop there. Feel free to add some in the comments. I guess if you are one who says that there is absolutely no difference between men and women as regards church participation, then you can make the world a binary world. People agree with that or they don’t. But for most of the world’s population, and Christianity in general, the question is much more complex.