Quote:
Originally Posted by OBW
The reason is that when you look at this one example, you find reasons for restraint on women leading. A culture of domination by women apparently infiltrating the church.
Paul's goal was not domination by men, but the end of domination. Yet in that environment, leadership by women lead to domination by women.
But in other places it was not so. So the examples stand unhindered by the declaration to Timothy. The examples make it clear that there is not a simple prescriptive position. Rather there was a prescription provided for a location that was sick because of a problem that needed help.
Even with prescriptions, they are not always required by everyone. Only the sick. But no matter whether the prescription is universal (more like a vaccine) or case-specific, it is prescribed. But what is never prescribed cannot be turned into a universally-required prescription. Therefore your complaint about dismissing the claim of a city-church rule is pointless since you cannot find such a prescription. That means no basis to claim bias no matter what you think about how to treat this other apparent prescription.
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This approach of descriptive vs prescriptive falls short when we consider that there are numerous descriptive passages which are considered good and praiseworthy to follow. There are Old Testament commands which were prescriptive to the Old Testament people but which are treated in a descriptive way by Christians, taking hold of their spiritual intent. There are role models in the old and new testament who we treat as examples for us to follow.
When we see how things were done and we include Christ's prayer for oneness and see his intention, then what is described can be considered prescriptive. The bible is not a book of rules but a narrative and simply paying attention only to the prescriptive parts will mean we follow only a part of God's will and desires.
We are inspired by and attempt to follow the descriptive examples of leaders in the faith such as Abraham, Noah etc. No one would say it is wrong to follow in the example of Abraham, yet there is no prescriptive passage that says we must.
Similarly, we look to the way the New Testament church was arranged, as a good example for us to follow. We consider the descriptive aspects with Christ's prayer for oneness. Whatever Christ prayed becomes almost prescriptive for us.