Helpful (or Not so Helpful) Tidbits Regarding the Bible, Women, and Churches of Christ (No. 2)

Wineskins Contributor・08/14/19

These are brief: one tidbit each from the Hebrew Bible, thewritings of the New Testament, and from the history of Churches of Christ.

Hebrew Bible

Miriam was both a prophet(Exodus 15:20) and a leader (Micah6:4). She was one of the three people (along with Moses and Aaron) God sent tolead Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness (Micah 6:4). In addition,she served another role as well:  worship leader.

Once Israel crossed the sea and the Egyptian army wasdestroyed, Miriam took her tambourine and, with other women, played and dancedbefore the Lord. And “Miriam,” the Bible says, “sang to them.”

Our English translations do not typically specify to whomthe “them” refers. Most English readers, in my experience, presume it refers tothe women. But the Hebrew text is clear: “them” is masculine. Miriam sang tothe men (probably the whole congregation). In other words, Miriam led Israel’sfirst communal worship after the Exodus. Israel’sfirst worship leader was a woman!

New Testament

Eve is only named in two passages in the New Testament: 2Corinthians 11:3 and 1 Timothy 2:13-14. In both passages Eve is mentionedbecause she was deceived.

Because Eve was deceived, some have thought women are more easily deceived, perhaps (they say) due to their supposed emotional nature, natural instability, or weaker mind. But Paul offers no reason for why Eve was deceived; male interpreters have invented these dubious rationales.  In my experience men are deceived as often as women. In fact, the Bible regularly warns everyone about deception (e.g., Ephesians 5:6). Further, we might even say, Adam was weaker because he ate the fruit even though he was not deceived.

Paul uses Eve as a typology of deceived people. In 2Corinthians 11:3 whole groups of people (men and women) were deceived like Eve.In 1 Timothy 2:13-14, Eve represents the women in the Ephesian congregation whohad been deceived by false teachers. She illustrates the danger present whendeceived women lead or teach. That same danger is true for men as well, but thespecific situation in Ephesus involved deceived women—some had already beencaptured by Satan (1 Timothy 5:15). Paul is neither describing every woman northe nature of women but identifying one woman from the Biblical story who wasdeceived in order to highlight the local problem in Ephesus. It is not a universal statement about women.

History

Daniel Sommer (1850-1940) was a leader in the conservativewing of the Churches of Christ. In fact, some believe he was the major force inthe division of Churches of Christ from the Christian Church through his participationin the Sand Creek Address and Declarationin 1889. Those congregations announced their separation from other congregationswho practiced “innovations and corruptions.”

At the same time, Sommer advocated for the “privileges” of women to participate in the public worship assemblies of the church. Though he was not egalitarian (e.g., he did not believe they should preach or rule (elders in the church), he encouraged women to lead prayer and read Scripturein the public assembly. Moreover, he encouraged women to “exhort” thecongregation in the public assembly. “If a sister in good standing,” he wrote,“wish to arise in the congregation and offer an exhortation it is her privilegeto do” (Octographic Review 44.34[1901] 1). Apparently, such a practice was notan innovation.Typically, Churches of Christ do not permit any audible participation ofwomen in the public assembly except singing and their good confession atbaptism (or perhaps the occasional “amen”), but it has not always been so among us.