Women in Church

Paper Summary:

The role of women in church as laid out by the Apostle Paul has always been controversial. There are those who say that Paul hated women and created restrictive, secondary roles for them in the church because of it. Others, however, maintain that Paul loved women and that the roles he created for them in the Christian church were very liberating for them. Still others acknowledge that the roles for women that Paul created for the Christian church are somewhat restrictive and secondary, but say that this is because of the status of women in society at that time, not because Paul hated women. The role of women in the Christian church as ordered by Paul continues to be controversial and a matter of scholarly interpretation and study today. This paper takes a look at the role of women in the Christian church as ordered by the Apostle Paul.

From the Paper:

"Probably the passage in the Bible referred to most frequently when citing how Paul hated women is the passage in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 14 which states that women must be silent in the church. This passage also states that Paul will not allow a woman to teach in church, as man was put on earth to be the head of the woman. This passage has raised the ire of more than one feminist, and is frequently pointed to as positive proof that Paul had no use for women. It certainly seems that way on just a cursory glance. Paul wants women in church to be silent. This is almost akin to saying that women should be seen and not heard, much like the old saying about children. One gets the impression that whatever women might have to say, Paul did not think it was important".

More papers on Women in Church:

• Essay # 38161 : "Women in Early Literature"
• Research Paper # 103932 : "Role of Women in the Church"
• Analytical Essay # 123302 : "Women in Early Christianity"

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