Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
I thought it was a requirement:
1 Tim 3:2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
The word is "must be... able to teach"
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Well you responded within 5 minutes of my post, I was still in the process of editing. I have modified it, but will respond here:
1. A leader is a noun, it is a person. Teach is a verb. These are not equivalent. An elder "must be able to teach" which certainly implies they will have to teach at times. Elder sisters are also "charged to teach". As a result the fact that elders must be men is not because they teach. They must be men because they must be good examples of fathers and husbands.
This is crucial because one of the biggest impacts of sin is broken families. A man breaks the law, he goes to prison = broken family.
Fornication results in single mothers = broken family.
Adultery results in divorce = broken family.
Hitler starts a war, this results in many men killed = orphans and widows.
The church must be a place that takes care of widows and orphans. A place where people from dysfunctional backgrounds can be healed. Therefore they need proper examples of fathers and husbands for the entire body to see.
This man must be "above reproach", "husband of one wife", "one who leads his family well". But there is no requirement to be a "gifted teacher" or "talented teacher". Merely "able to teach". This man must be able to stand up in front of the congregation and speak to them, otherwise what is the point. But there is no requirement for elders to be "gifted", "talented" or "charismatic" teachers.
But even more important to our discussion, saying an elder "must be able to teach" is no different than "charge the elder women to teach". These verses you refer to about elders do not support your thesis that men are to be elders because only men teach.
There is another reason that is hinted at in this idea of women "usurping authority from a man". In the church the majority of the members are women, often outnumbering men 2:1 or 3:1. If it were not for these charges by Paul it would be very likely that the church would become completely dominated by women. Already most of the functions are carried out by women, if elders were not required to be fathers and husbands there would be the possibility for a much greater domination by women in the congregation. That in turn would probably turn off many more men so that you would get a negative feedback loop. Many men would chafe under this kind of regime, as a result instead of 3:1 it might be more like 6:1 outnumbering by women. The women in turn would complain that if it were not for them nothing would be done. etc. etc.