This week’s class session was really intriguing. When we first began talking about women’s roles in the church I always thought of passages like 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and wondered how our society could act out anything contrary to what was stated in this passage. It seemed crystal clear where women fit within the church and arguing against it did not seem right. However our guest speaker brought a new perspective to be considered. She spoke about her “napkin theology” and how understanding this passage is simple when going about it the right way. As a Greek student she has been able to study the language and the deeper meaning behind passages like 1 Timothy 2:11-12 that give us problems as believers and as a society seeking equal rights for both men and women. She pointed out three key misunderstandings about this particular passage and revealed an alternative meaning:
1. When it says, “let them learn,” it is an imperative phrase that is giving women a right they never had before.
2. When it says women are not to have authority over men it is referring to a murderous kind of authority that had been practiced by women in the pagan temple of Diana.
3. When it says, “I do not permit women to teach,” it is referring to that specific moment and not all time.
Overall, hearing her perspective gave me a new understanding of this passage and made me consider that others like it could be saying something deeper than what I am able to understand on my own.
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