[Ohio]

Originally Posted by aron

Let me give another example, of the peril of trying to re-create, wholecloth, the "normal church life" of the first century.

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:12 "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." (NIV) That was written in the day when women did not have equal rights in society, and Paul was wary that the freedom in Christ might be used to upset the social order, and cause confusion and accusations against the faithful. Paul actually did let a woman teach: he let Prisca and Aquila straighten out Apollos.

For another example, Paul told slaves to obey their masters; again, that doesn't mean Paul was "pro-slavery", but was respecting the standing social order. So using Paul's words 2,000 years later to tell women to be "silent in the church" is about as anachronistic as drinking a little wine if you have a tummy ache (1 Timothy 5:23) or anointing the sick with oil (James 5:14). It may have been the rule at one time, but that does not make it the norm, or standard, for all times.

aron, tell that to the pentecostal churches which provide vials of holy anointing oil at every service, or those snake-handling churches in West Virginia. (Mark 16.18) I just read about one preacher who died of a snake bite. His dad died the same way, and his active burden was to restore this "lost ministry" to the church.