Um, prophecy and teaching are two different gifts. Look it up.
Second, re: women in the church: The teachings of Christ seem to conflict with the teachings of Paul in this matter. Christ gave women a lot more billing than the religions of his day. He ate with them, talked with them, permitted them into his inner circle on a regular basis. He commended Martha for wanting to listen to his teachings. Contrast this with Paul, who was a confirmed bachelor and avoided women as much as he could. Also, Paul was a student of Aristotle, who hated women and whose teachings were later used to leave women off the hierarchy of God's creatures almost entirely - putting them below the lowest animals. All of the teachings regarding the subordinate position of women in the New Testament come from Paul, not Christ. So my question is: do you believe that these teachings are still valid, in light of the facts that a) they did not come from Christ, b) they were heavily influenced by a non-Christian philosopher, and c) they do not fit today's moral standards?
I have to admit, this is a catch-22. If you say yes, you've effectively alienated half the population entirely and a large section of the other half (basically, every man who believes their wife should have access to their bank account or work outside the home.) You have also, incidentally, alienated nearly 70% of North America's professed born-again Christians - because women make up a much larger percentage of these than men. If you say no, then you've admitted that a few parts of scripture may have been valid at another time but not now, ergo, there are errors with the original text or with its modern applications or both.
no subject
Second, re: women in the church: The teachings of Christ seem to conflict with the teachings of Paul in this matter. Christ gave women a lot more billing than the religions of his day. He ate with them, talked with them, permitted them into his inner circle on a regular basis. He commended Martha for wanting to listen to his teachings. Contrast this with Paul, who was a confirmed bachelor and avoided women as much as he could. Also, Paul was a student of Aristotle, who hated women and whose teachings were later used to leave women off the hierarchy of God's creatures almost entirely - putting them below the lowest animals. All of the teachings regarding the subordinate position of women in the New Testament come from Paul, not Christ. So my question is: do you believe that these teachings are still valid, in light of the facts that a) they did not come from Christ, b) they were heavily influenced by a non-Christian philosopher, and c) they do not fit today's moral standards?
I have to admit, this is a catch-22. If you say yes, you've effectively alienated half the population entirely and a large section of the other half (basically, every man who believes their wife should have access to their bank account or work outside the home.) You have also, incidentally, alienated nearly 70% of North America's professed born-again Christians - because women make up a much larger percentage of these than men. If you say no, then you've admitted that a few parts of scripture may have been valid at another time but not now, ergo, there are errors with the original text or with its modern applications or both.
So, which will it be?