Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 and 1 Timothy 2:11–12 that women should be silent in church. Does that mean that women should not teach or preach?
While the Bible does confirm that the man is the head of his family and his house, God has used many women to speak and preach His Word over the years. There are many biblical examples of women who spoke on behalf of God in the form or teaching, preaching, or prophesying—including Isaiah’s wife, Deborah, Huldah, Miriam, Noadiah, Anna, and Mary Magdalene.
The Bible records that Philip, the deacon, had four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9), and even Paul mentions thirteen different women in his writings—Lydia, Chloe, Nympha, Apphia, Mary, Persis, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Priscilla, Euodia, Syntyche, Phoebe, and Junia—providing clear evidence that women participated in ministry by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. These references clearly cancel the idea that Paul was somehow against women preachers and teachers—an ideology that is not consistent with the rest of Scripture and seems to be a misapplication of his words.
Paul’s comments are clearly addressed to a cultural issue in the church of his day, addressing the confusion and disorderly conduct that was taking place. One of those issues was that women were speaking out of turn in a disorderly way that brought about confusion in the church services. In those days, women sat on one side and the men on the other, so when they talked across the aisles to their husbands, it brought about disorder.
Paul addressed the issue directly in letters to both the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 14:34–35) and to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:11–12). These messages are certainly not transcultural or transgenerational, since we can see many other examples in the Bible where the Lord used women to declare His truth.
The prophet Joel says that there will be many men and women who prophesy on behalf of the Lord in the last days (Joel 2:28), and the Bible teaches that God has and will continue to use both men and women to proclaim His good news throughout the ages. As you can see, in-depth study of such challenging passages within the context of the rest of Scripture and church history can help bring about a clearer understanding.