ordination – Daniel Tomberlin

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016

Ministerial Ranking in the Church of God: It’s Time for a Change

Dale M. Coulter – Guest Author

Part of the challenge of discussing the role of women in ministry has to do with the Church of God’s (hereafter CG) position on ministerial rank. My intention in this two-part analysis is primarily to convince people that the CG should consider changing how it understands ministerial ranking, which is in keeping with the recommendation to study the meaning of ordained bishop adopted at the previous General Assembly.

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April 15, 2016April 17, 2016

Should Women serve as Bishops in the Church?

Should women serve as preachers, teachers, and bishops? Does the Scripture support women in roles of leadership equal to men?

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April 7, 2013July 9, 2014

If Women had been Silent…

The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).

Paul’s words have been employed as a universal statement that denies any role to women in the ministry of the gospel. While I admit that at first reading they seem rather straightforward, when taken in the context of the narrative of Scripture, they seem out of place. So, I wonder, what if women had been silent?

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