Several years ago, I (Jeremy) had a very interesting and embarrassing situation develop during a Sunday morning service. As I was coming to the conclusion of my message, a woman in the congregation began talking to the person sitting next to her. She wasn’t shouting, but she wasn’t whispering either. I could hear her, but could not discern exactly what she was saying. Those within 3 to 4 rows of her, however, could hear the entire conversation as clear as could be. I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond in that moment, so I kept on preaching, hoping that a nearby church leader would intervene and quiet things down. They did not. Before long, this dear lady was holding her hand high in the air and loudly saying “Pastor… excuse me, Pastor.” I averted my eyes to the other side of the sanctuary, quickly completed my conclusion, and prayed us out. I can't remember what I preached on that Sunday morning. What I can remember is that well-intentioned woman attempting to add to the sermon. Something I said reminded her of a song she used to sing in Sunday school and she felt she should share it with the congregation… in the middle of my conclusion. Her heart was right; her timing was not.
It’s possible, and likely even, that this is the very type of situation Paul was attempting to address in the Corinthian church when he wrote the words found in 1 Corinthians 14. The entire passage deals with the importance of maintaining order in corporate worship. It is within this context that we find our second prohibition passage. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 reads, “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
There are many who would suggest “the plain reading of the text” is the best, if not only, way to properly understand a passage of Scripture. If we were to take this approach, these verses are not just a proverbial silver bullet, they are a nuclear bomb! On the face of it, Paul appears to be declaring a complete and total prohibition against women speaking in any form or fashion within the context of a local church. While I don’t know of any church or tradition that enforces this strict of an interpretation or application, it has been said that some church fathers did prohibit women from participation in congregational singing or praying. For the most part, though, all parties agree that these verses only apply to certain types of speaking, for specific purposes, in particular places. But, what types of speaking is Paul trying to prevent women from participating in?
Throughout this chapter, Paul outlines several types of speech to be utilized in the leadership and execution of corporate worship. In verses 26-28, Paul recognizes that many within the church might have something of worth to say. He encourages people to share the good word God gives them for the edification of the whole church. He instructs participants to keep things under control so that what is said might be properly understood. They are to speak one at a time, with no more than two or three in a gathering, and only when there is someone present to explain what is said. He then issues his first prohibition to everybody: if there’s no interpreter to explain what’s being said, be silent!
In verses 29-33, Paul applies the same expectations to those who would prophesy. Only two or three prophets should speak while the others carefully consider and evaluate what is said. Only one prophet should speak at a time. Whatever God reveals should be shared in an orderly fashion with self-control. Once again, the goal is the instruction and encouragement of everyone.
In verses 34-35, Paul extends these instructions to the ladies in the house. Some believe Paul is prohibiting these ladies from full participation in the preceding practices, specifically that they are NOT to pray or prophesy in public worship settings. If this is the case, though, Paul is directly contradicting himself. Just a few chapters earlier, in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul indicates that women are actively praying and prophesying and outlines proper attire when doing so in the first century context. Whatever they wear, one can’t prophesy or pray and stay silent. And, if one is publicly prophesying or praying, it is hard to argue that person is not leading or assuming an authority role by doing so.
Paul’s concern throughout 1 Corinthians is consistent. He is not prohibiting women, or anybody else for that matter, from participating in public, corporate worship gatherings, but from doing so inappropriately. He is attempting to make sure that whatever is done in worship is done properly and in order. Then as now, worship services were inclusive and interactive events. Then as now, there was a certain order to how services flowed and how people were to properly function. Then as now, it was incredibly disorderly, disruptive, and a bit disrespectful for someone, male or female, to interject their thoughts or ask questions at inappropriate times. It appears that the church at Corinth shared a similar experience that I (Jeremy) had experienced.
As we noted in our article on 1 Timothy 2, it is likely that many of these women were relatively new to public forums like these and were extremely eager to engage. It is also likely that many of these women lacked any real education and, as a result, had more than a few questions to ask. I submit that Paul encouraged these actions, just at the appropriate time and in an appropriate way. Understood in context, then, the prohibition is against interrupting public acts of teaching, preaching, and leading, not against women engaging in these activities.
The silence Paul is suggesting is only a temporary silence. He is attempting to avoid disorder and distraction from the one who is praying or prophesying and, more to the point, distraction from the ONE who inspired their words or to whom they were speaking. And, once again, it’s important that we notice that the prohibition is not only given to women, but to the entire congregation. Those who were uneducated and unfamiliar with the way public forums functioned were better off staying silent and asking questions later. Paul isn’t restricting speaking and leading for all women forever. In fact, the learning that would occur would eliminate the questions and qualify them to speak in the future.
As we’ve noted before, context must play a role in determining our interpretation of any text of Scripture. In this case, the context and flow of 1 Corinthians is meant to encourage orderly engagement in public worship. Throughout the letter, particularly from chapters 11-14, Paul was giving instructions to everybody. The specific instructions found in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 were certainly not meant to contradict what had been said earlier. Paul’s intent, then, was not to prevent women from speaking in public worship settings. And, it certainly had nothing to do with the holding of formal leadership positions. Rather, Paul was addressing a specific issue of women in the Corinthian church getting a bit out of order in worship. Participation was expected, in all ways, by all genders, but it was expected to be orderly. And, for the record, having a side conversation, raising and waving one’s hand to get the preachers attention, and attempting to insert one’s opinion in the middle of a worship service is definitely out of order. Male or female, if you’ve got something to say, make sure you do it in an orderly fashion.
