Right-Wing Pastor DEMANDS Women SHUT THEIR MOUTHS While Men Teach Them In Church

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4. Perhaps the very conservative Christians need to learn a little about the early history of ....

their church.

Women in Church history

Women in Church history have played a variety of roles in the life of Christianity - notably as contemplatives, health care givers, educationalists and missionaries. Until recent times, women were generally excluded from episcopal and clerical positions within the Christian churches, however great numbers of women have been influential in the life of the church - from contemporaries of Jesus, to subsequent saints, theologians, doctors of the church, missionaries, abbesses, nuns, mystics, founders of religious institutes, military leaders, monarchs and martyrs.

Christianity emerged from patriarchal societies that placed men in positions of authority in marriage, society and government, and, whilst the religion restricted membership of the priesthood to males only, in its early centuries it offered women an enhanced social status and quickly found a wide following among women. Later, as religious sisters and nuns, women came to play an important role in Christianity through convents and abbeys and have continued through history to be active - particularly in the establishment of schools, hospitals, nursing homes and monastic settlements. Women constitute the great majority of members of the consecrated life within the Catholic Church, the largest of the Christian churches. In recent decades, ordination of women has become increasingly common in some Protestant churches. Laywomen have also been highly active in the wider life of churches, supporting the community work of parishes.

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Early spread of Christianity

Historians generally agree that women had a major role in the creation of the church. In the first generation of Christianity they had a more decisive and prominent role than they did in later centuries.[citation needed] The historian Geoffrey Blainey writes that women probably comprised the majority in early Christian congregations.[7]

This large female membership likely stemmed in part from the early church's informal and flexible organization offering significant roles to women. Another factor is that there appeared to be no division between clergy and laity. Leadership was shared among male and female members according to their "gifts" and talents. "But even more important than church organization was the way in which the Gospel tradition and the Gospels themselves, along with the writing of Paul, could be interpreted as moving women beyond silence and subordination."[2]:p.4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Church_history

THE NEGLECTED HISTORY OF WOMEN IN THE EARLY CHURCH
by Catherine Kroeger

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The involvement of women continued in the first few decades of the church, attested by both biblical and extra-biblical sources. A number of women served as leaders of the house churches that sprang up in the cities of the Roman Empire—the list includes Priscilla, Chloe, Lydia, Apphia, Nympha, the mother of John Mark, and possibly the “elect lady” of John’s second epistle.

In the 2nd century, Clement of Alexandria wrote that the apostles were accompanied on their missionary journeys by women who were not marriage partners, but colleagues, “that they might be their fellowministers in dealing with housewives. It was through them that the Lord’s teaching penetrated also the women’s quarters without any scandal being aroused. We also know the directions about women deacons which are given by the noble Paul in his letter to Timothy."

Was that perhaps the role of Junia? She was mentioned by Paul in Romans 16 as “of note among the apostles.” Some have debated the meaning of this verse, but early tradition holds that Junia was a woman and was considered an apostle. John Chrysostom wrote: “Indeed, to be an apostle at all is a great thing; but to be even amongst those of note; just consider what a great encomium that is...Oh, how great is the devotion of this woman, that she should even be counted worthy of the appellation of apostle."

Until the Middle Ages, the identity of Junia as a female apostle was unquestioned. Later translators attempted to change the gender by changing the name to the masculine Junias. But such a name is unknown in antiquity; and there is absolutely no literary, epigraphical or papyrological evidence for it.
https://www.christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/women-in-the-early-church/

Perhaps the problem is that few Christians actually read the instruction book on their faith, the Bible, from cover to cover. Those that do rarely take the time to study and research this very complicated and often confusing book. An individual can devote his entire life an effort to study the Bible and learn about Christianity. At the end, he have more questions than when he started.

It's far easier for the average Christian to attend church on Sundays and read versus from the Bible selected by his priest, pastor or preacher and listen to his interpretation on their meaning. Unfortunately his church leader may not understand the concepts that Jesus was attempting to impart much better than many members in the congregation.

Over the centuries I suspect the basic message of the Bible has been corrupted and often misused by the leaders of many different churches to advance their power and wealth and also for political agendas. The Bible we read in English has been translated several times from languages of which the true meaning of the words used have been lost in time. Errors in translation have also occurred and in some cases it seems obvious to experts that some changes to the text were purposefully made or were added.

I don't view the Bible as a science text or an extremely accurate history book. It does contain a lot of stories that teach moral lessons and can teach an individual to how lead a good and productive life. I don't view the Bible as the literal word of God nor do I believe our world is 6000 years old and Noah had dinosaurs on his ark.

Like most religions, the basic message of the Bible is to treat others as you would have them treat you. If we all did this, we would live in a far better world.

Disclaimer

I don't claim to be an expert on the Bible but I have read it several times and enjoy studying the history of the religion. Now that I am retired and have the time, I also study other religions but I feel that I lack the cultural background to have any real understanding of religions such as Buddhism. I currently am halfway through a good translation and study guide on the Qur'an and have found it very interesting. Any opinions I express are merely my views. I do consider myself to be a Christian but most Christians probably would not.