A Letter to Silent Women

Dear Silent Women,

Please don't give up your God-given voice. Please don't allow a misinformed explanation of the following passage keep you from your God-given ministry, whatever that may be.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

"Keep silence in the churches" cannot be a blanket statement.

Is it really a shame for women to...

sing in church?

pray in church?

teach in church?

No.

Paul, who wrote the verses quoted above, also wrote the verse shown below.

1 Corinthians 11:5
But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth...

(The context of this verse is within a church meeting.)

Why did Paul allow this in chapter 11?

Did he change his mind in chapter 14?

When the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2, women spoke in the church.

Acts 2:4

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Here are two other scriptures where women were allowed to speak in church meetings.

(Acts 1:14, 21:9)

It is clear that Paul (and the Bible) allows women to speak in church.

And to those who would say, "Oh, this only happened in people's houses. This didn't happen in an actual church." I regret to inform you that megachurches with LED walls and Procson pulpits did not exist in 1st Century Jerusalem. Neither did grand cathedrals with stained glass windows and giant organs. Their church meetings were held in houses and anywhere else Christians could meet without facing persecution.

So, it is obvious that "keep silence in the churches" is not a blanket statement for all speech by all women during a church meeting. That is an indefensible argument.

Rather, this statement was for a specific situation in the Corinthian church to whom Paul was writing. When studying any passage in the Bible, context is important.

So, silent women, please don't allow a misinformed interpretation of scripture to continue to steal your voice. God has given you a voice for His purpose.

Regards,

Michael Hamilton