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From the Time of the Cross to the Coming Kingdom

The role of women has changed dramatically since the coming of Jesus. He broke many cultural barriers that limited women's roles and leadership. Whereas he neither tried to overthrow the cultural expressions of slavery and women's subjection, he did undermine their continuation. Some of his revolutionary practices included:

Jesus taught women as his disciples. This was virtually unheard of for a rabbi. (Luke 8:1-3; 10:38-42)
Jesus engaged with theological discussions with women (Samaritan yet)! Some rabbi's said it was better to burn the law than to give it to a woman.
Jesus used women as illustrations for God (Luke 15:8-10).
While Peter gets to be the one in the Synoptic Gospels to declare that Jesus is the Christ; that privileged proclamation is given to Martha in John's gospel (John 11).
Jesus declared in the coming kingdom, there will be no marriage, but people will be like the angels, they are all God's children. (Luke 20:34-36).
In Matt 5:9, Jesus declares that peacemakers will be "sons of God." That is all people, male or female, will have the honored position as sons with all the rights and privileges that until now, had been reserved only for males.
While a woman's testimony held no weight in a court of law, God chose women to be the first witnesses and proclaimers of the resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was actually the first "sent one." She in essence was an apostle to the apostles.
Men and women together have been given the commission to preach the gospel to all nations. (Luke 24:33-49).

Many distinctions between men and women disappeared in Paul's teaching and practice and in the writings of the New Testament. For example:

Women receive the same gifts. The Holy Spirit, as declared by Joel 2, fell on men and women alike, dispersing gifts without notice of gender, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." Philip had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. Acts 21:9. Women were permitted to prophecy in the church. 1 Cor 11:5.
Prophecy was exercised by women and it carried spiritual authority. Prophecy is described in 1 Cor as speaking to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort (14:3), you can all prophecy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged (14:30). Prophetic words had and encouragement and instruction component to it. Clearly there was significant authority when the gift of prophecy was exercised.
Junias, a woman, in the church in Rome, is referred to as an apostle. "Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." Rom 16:7.
Women are part of the new royal priesthood. (1 Pet 1:9). In the OT they were excluded from the priesthood, now in the NT they are included. There are only two priesthoods in the NT: the High Priesthood of Jesus and the royal priesthood of all believers. As priests, a role that was once set aside exclusively for males, women have complete access to God and can minister unto Him and the body. They too can offer sacrifices acceptable unto the Lord.
A further key role of priests in the OT was to be a messenger from the Lord unto the people. We see in Malachi 2:7 "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction-because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty." Women as well as men are able to go to God, to hear His voice, to teach His ways, and minister unto the Body.
Paul boldly proclaims in Gal 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ." This goes far beyond salvation. Everyday, a Jewish man would thank the Lord that he was not a Greek, slave, or female. Paul was copying the prayer and showing it to be null and void because of Christ. There was now no advantage to being a free, Jewish male. In the letter to the Galatians, Paul told how he challenged Peter for not eating with Greeks. If there is no difference between Jew and Greek then there are social implications as well. Paul confronts Peter for no longer eating with Gentiles. That is a social implication of the gospel and Gal 3:28. Now a slave could be an elder of a church and have spiritual authority over his master. This proclamation of Paul had far-reaching implications for the church well beyond the question of salvation.
In Roman colonies, women were given much more freedom. It was at Philippi that Lydia, a business woman became a convert and the church met in her home (Acts 16). It is to the church in Philippi that Paul exhorts two women, Euodia and Syntyche to get along. This is no small squabble as it impacts two leaders of the church. He says that they have contended at his side for the cause of the gospel along with Clement and the rest of his fellow workers. They clearly had significant leadership in the church.
Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned several times in Scripture. Priscilla's name is usually mentioned first which indicative of the more prominent person. They together, instructed Apollos more adequately of the way of the Lord. (Acts 18:24-26).
Phoebe is mentioned by Paul and commended to the Roman church. She is described as a deacon of the church. Scholars believed that she carried the letter to the church from Paul. As such, her position would have been to answer questions about the letter or clarify its contents to the leaders. That would have put her in a clear position of authority to the church in Rome.

Women were finding a new found freedom with the gospel. We begin to see the established social order slowly giving ground as the truth of the gospel message undermines the hierarchical position over time. However, Paul clearly had a priority that the gospel message should prevail over social change and he was willing to ask people to accommodate the culture so as not to impede the gospel. That was his approach.

When we look at the 2 Tim 2 passage, we have to ask the question, "Is this instruction universal, for all places and all times or is it culturally limited." If it was universal with Paul, then there should be no exceptions to this instruction. However, we do find a clear exception in 1 Corinthians 11. There Paul instructs women, that in the church, they are to pray and prophesy with their heads covered. Women are given full rights to speak prophetically which had an encouragement and instructing function. That contradicts 2 Tim 2 if we hold the position that Paul's word to Timothy were universal. If we understand the 2 Tim 2 passage as culturally limited to that church at that time and place, it makes sense.

When one looks at the whole scope of scripture and the place God has for women in His creation, it is evident that He intended women to co-rule with men. That is our position at the Gathering By the Bay. We seek to allow all people to use the gifts and talents God has given them at any area of ministry to which they are suited and equipped. We believe the Holy Spirit passes out the assignments and it is the churches job to affirm those calls and support each person in doing the works that God has prepared in advance for them to do.

To our brothers and sisters who disagree we bless you and desire to extend charity and grace your way. But as for us, we will continue to operate where men and women partner together in leadership.

References:

Luther on Women: A Sourcebook Edited by Susan C. Karant-Nunn and Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks
John Calvin, The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, and the Epistles of Timothy, Titus and Philemon, trans. T. A. Smail (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1964), p. 219.
John Calvin, A Commentary on Genesis, trans. John Keny (London: Banner of Truth, 1965), p. 129.
Calvin, Second Epistle of Paul, pp 218-219

Suggestions for further reading:

Position Paper of the Evangelical Covenant Church entitled, A Biblical & Theological Basis for Women in Ministry
Slaves, Women & Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis by William J. Webb
Discovering Biblical Equality, Intervarsity Press, 2004, General Editors Ronald Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothius
Exegesis Paper on 1 Timothy 2:8-15 by David Gschwend

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