“If any one thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord. If any one does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues; but all things should be done decently and in order.” RSV
There is, in 1 Corinthians, a sermon within a sermon. A portion of chapters 11-14 are parenthetical, related to each other. They deal with how to behave when the local congregation comes together. The beginning passage is:
“I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. . . . Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it. Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk.” (11:2, 17-21)
The ending passage are the verses in chapter 14 (above). These are, in essence, the bread of the sandwich, with the meat being chapter 13, the chapter on love.
In order to understand the essence of what Paul is saying, we need to continue to remember that everything we do as a Church is to be done in love, that this is the measure the world we use to determine whether or not we belong to Christ:
“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (13:4-7).
Sadly, the Church doesn’t love very well. We promote well. We divide well. We identify the moats in others’ eyes well.
We don’t love well.
In fact, rather on working on whether or not we love well (particularly those among us who are unlovely), we are more concerned about trying to advance our own cause, trying to convince others that we are right and they are wrong. Most of us who’ve been involved in church doctrine for awhile know that these four chapters (11-14) are more often used to try to promote a certain agenda (complementarianism versus egalitarianism) rather than to promote the fact that first and foremost Christians need to love each other. We are more concerned about being right than being loving.
At what point do we stop being the world and start becoming the Church?
Do I believe that correct doctrine is important? Yes! Do I believe that doctrine has been used to oppress people wrongly? Yes! But arguing and insisting isn’t the way. Loving is the way.
The way of love is very different from the way of the world. Paul explicitly told us how to love our enemies:
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:14-21 RSV)
We cannot fight evil with demanding our rights (against their insisting upon taking them away). We can fight evil by doing good, by loving those who don’t love us, by continuing to do what we know is right (prophesying, speaking in tongues, ministering in the Spirit).
Musing
Showing posts with label egalitarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label egalitarian. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
1 Corinthians 14:33-36
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says. If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. What! Did the word of God originate with you, or are you the only ones it has reached?” RSV
How many of us, as women, have read this passage and cringed? So many people use this passage to force women to refrain from participating in church, particularly as teachers or pastors. But we need to go back and look at the context again.
First, Paul is telling us that church is interactive, with each attendee bringing something to the table:
“When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.” (v. 26)
And then, Paul lists the qualifications of that “bringing:”
• What one brings must edify those who are in attendance
• If one speaks in tongues, there must be interpretation, otherwise the one speaking in tongues must be silent
• There can only be at most three “tongues” and those tongues given one at a time (in order)
• If one prophet is speaking and another wants to speak, the first must be silent.
• Everyone can prophesy if they wish, but it must be in turn
• Those coming can bring a hymn, a lesson, a revelation (prophesy), a tongue, or an interpretation
What we have here is two things: (1) That church is supposed to be interactive, with all participating (not a division of performers and audience); and (2) That what is done is done civilly, courteously, and in order; not with one roughshodding over another in order to dominate the service.
Well, that would make sense. Paul just got done telling us that love doesn’t demand it’s own way. In church, there should be no time frames, no looking at watches, but rather a coming together in love. What can we learn? What can we share? What can we take away from this so that we are better Christians?
And, in the middle of all this, Paul drops what seems like, to contemporary folks, a bombshell: “Women should keep silence.” The problem is, this passage is interpreted out of context. For see what it actually says:
“Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions to ask, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.”
The sense here isn’t women coming with something to share, but rather coming with questions and refusing to submit to the order of the service. Most women in Corinth couldn’t write, so they couldn’t jot down their questions. And, because of the cultural restrictions (women weren’t allowed to talk to men not in their own families), the women felt they didn’t have the freedom to get their questions answered. So they talked to their husbands. Paul says: “Let them ask their husbands at home.” That is the context.
This is the third time in this passage that Paul has asked for someone in the congregation to be silent:
• If someone is speaking in tongues and there is no interpretation, that person must be silent.
• If someone is prophesying and another wishes to prophesy, the first prophet must be silent.
• If women have questions of their husbands, they must be silent (and ask their husbands at home).
This isn’t a restriction against women, but rather a description of the order and courtesy to be allowed in a service where everyone is allowed to have input. Earlier in chapter 11, Paul talks about women praying and prophesying publically. And since there were no gender-specific (no women-only or men-only) services in the early Church, Paul was clearly talking, in this passage (chapter 14) about order, not about restrictions.
In fact, it’s interesting that near the end of this entire discourse (several chapters), Paul seems to throw in this small paragraph. Obviously, the women talking in the service wasn’t nearly as important in his mind as the disorder coming from people jostling each other (during the Lord’s supper; chapter 11), people speaking in tongues without interpretation, and those prophesy dominating the service.
Paul begins this paragraph with “God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” We need to remember that God brings order to chaos, forgiveness to sin, freedom to oppression. As women—as believers—our focus shouldn’t be on whether or not we gain our rights, but whether or not we please the Father. If there are others who wish to oppress us, He Himself is our advocate and He will make a way.
How many of us, as women, have read this passage and cringed? So many people use this passage to force women to refrain from participating in church, particularly as teachers or pastors. But we need to go back and look at the context again.
First, Paul is telling us that church is interactive, with each attendee bringing something to the table:
“When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.” (v. 26)
And then, Paul lists the qualifications of that “bringing:”
• What one brings must edify those who are in attendance
• If one speaks in tongues, there must be interpretation, otherwise the one speaking in tongues must be silent
• There can only be at most three “tongues” and those tongues given one at a time (in order)
• If one prophet is speaking and another wants to speak, the first must be silent.
• Everyone can prophesy if they wish, but it must be in turn
• Those coming can bring a hymn, a lesson, a revelation (prophesy), a tongue, or an interpretation
What we have here is two things: (1) That church is supposed to be interactive, with all participating (not a division of performers and audience); and (2) That what is done is done civilly, courteously, and in order; not with one roughshodding over another in order to dominate the service.
Well, that would make sense. Paul just got done telling us that love doesn’t demand it’s own way. In church, there should be no time frames, no looking at watches, but rather a coming together in love. What can we learn? What can we share? What can we take away from this so that we are better Christians?
And, in the middle of all this, Paul drops what seems like, to contemporary folks, a bombshell: “Women should keep silence.” The problem is, this passage is interpreted out of context. For see what it actually says:
“Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions to ask, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.”
The sense here isn’t women coming with something to share, but rather coming with questions and refusing to submit to the order of the service. Most women in Corinth couldn’t write, so they couldn’t jot down their questions. And, because of the cultural restrictions (women weren’t allowed to talk to men not in their own families), the women felt they didn’t have the freedom to get their questions answered. So they talked to their husbands. Paul says: “Let them ask their husbands at home.” That is the context.
This is the third time in this passage that Paul has asked for someone in the congregation to be silent:
• If someone is speaking in tongues and there is no interpretation, that person must be silent.
• If someone is prophesying and another wishes to prophesy, the first prophet must be silent.
• If women have questions of their husbands, they must be silent (and ask their husbands at home).
This isn’t a restriction against women, but rather a description of the order and courtesy to be allowed in a service where everyone is allowed to have input. Earlier in chapter 11, Paul talks about women praying and prophesying publically. And since there were no gender-specific (no women-only or men-only) services in the early Church, Paul was clearly talking, in this passage (chapter 14) about order, not about restrictions.
In fact, it’s interesting that near the end of this entire discourse (several chapters), Paul seems to throw in this small paragraph. Obviously, the women talking in the service wasn’t nearly as important in his mind as the disorder coming from people jostling each other (during the Lord’s supper; chapter 11), people speaking in tongues without interpretation, and those prophesy dominating the service.
Paul begins this paragraph with “God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” We need to remember that God brings order to chaos, forgiveness to sin, freedom to oppression. As women—as believers—our focus shouldn’t be on whether or not we gain our rights, but whether or not we please the Father. If there are others who wish to oppress us, He Himself is our advocate and He will make a way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)