NEW! Counterarguments to Egalitarianism - by Michelle Lesley

Ms. Lesley never defines "egalitarian." One must go to the link she supplies to get a definition:

Egalitarianism is the anti-biblical view that women can do anything men can do in the context of the church and home. Women can be pastors, elders, heads of denominations, preach and teach the Bible whenever, wherever, and to whomever they want, and they don’t have to submit to their husbands.

Superficially correct. As with any doctrinal perspective, however, there are graduations along the continuum. We suspect that there are very few true Christians who would completely agree with her definition.

Why does Ms. Lesley write? Well, because it gives her another opportunity to further parse 1 Timothy 2:12 into additional micro-doctrines. This is one of her favorite topics. And she does it badly.

We discuss 1 Timothy 2:12 in great detail here.

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In 2019, I published an article, The Mailbag: Counterarguments to Egalitarianism. Many of you have found it helpful over the years, so I recently freshened it up and added a few more egalitarian arguments – and the biblical counterarguments to refute them.

Below, you’ll find (only) the new arguments I’ve added to the original article. If you’d like to read or bookmark the whole article (original and new arguments) click here.

[Word] games people play…

Recently, a couple of “word game” arguments have started popping up in this ongoing tussle:

“The Bible never says that women can’t preach!”

No, there’s not a Bible verse that says, verbatim, “Women can’t preach.”. Somehow egalitarians think this is a “gotcha,” but this is really one of their weakest and most embarrassing arguments. (Irony alert...)

First Timothy 2:12 clearly says, “I do not allow a woman to teach…”. (Preach? Teach? Not the same.

Let's quote a little more of the passage:

1Ti. 2:12-13 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.

So we have it. "A woman" is not allowed to teach "a man." Singular. And it has something to do with Adam and Eve. Now let's see what she has to say about it.)

Their argument here is that the verse says “teach,” not “preach,” so they think they’ve found a loophole. But what is preaching? Think about what’s transpiring during preaching – it’s teaching! (Ms. Lesley is spectacularly wrong. "Preach" (kérussó) means to proclaim after the manner of a herald, proclaim openly, the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it. 

"Teaching" is a different Greek word, didaskalia, teaching, i. e. that which is taught, doctrine... This is the activity that imparts knowledge about the truths of Christ, holy living, and correct doctrine. 

Every occurrence of the word kérussó is related to the proclamation of the gospel, whereas didaskalia is always related to instruction about the deeper things of the faith. 

There is a big difference, which we see this clearly illustrated here:

Mt. 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Here Jesus was doing three things, instructing (kérussó), heralding (didaskalia), and healing.

Further, Ms. Lesley apparently forgot what she has previously written:

"Scripture does not prohibit women from sharing the gospel with others, even men."

But now she says, 

"Think about what’s transpiring during preaching – it’s teaching!" 

Ms. Lesley is confused.)

Whoever is preaching is imparting knowledge and explaining concepts to the hearers and encouraging them to understand, believe, and act on said knowledge and concepts. (We would agree here. Preaching [the sharing of the gospel] is imparting information demanding action on the part of the lost person. But as quoted, Ms. Lesley thinks it's ok for women to preach the Gospel to men, but not to teach them. 

Yes, she's confused.)

Preaching is teaching. (This is false. Playing word games herself.)

Furthermore, the passage that governs this issue isn’t just 1 Timothy 2:12. It’s 1 Timothy 2:11-3:7, Titus 1:5-9, and 2 Timothy 4:1-2. (It's quite obvious upon closer inspection of the text of 1 Tim. Chapter 2 that it's not about church services or church leadership. This should be obvious if we are able to remove the veil and simply accept the biblical narrative. The questions we then should ask are, 

• Should prayers and intercession be made only in church? [vs. 1]
• Should we lead tranquil lives only when in church? [vs. 2]
• Should men pray with lifted hands only in church? [vs. 8]
• Should women dress modestly only in church? [vs. 9]
• Should women do good deeds only in church? [vs.10]

The answers of course are all no. Therefore, 1 Tim. chapter 2 has nothing to do with church order or what woman can or cannot do in a church service.

Now let's consider the other two references. The second reference, Titus 1:5-9, is a list of elder requirements, which has nothing to do with the topic. The third reference, 2 Tim. 4:1-2, also has nothing to do with the the topic. Let's quote the relevant part: 

2 Tim. 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.

Here Paul exhorts his young protégé to evangelize. 

We are well into Ms. Lesley's article at this point, we hope she improves.)

First Timothy 2:11-15 tell us who is not qualified to pastor, preach to and teach the congregation, and exercise authority in the gathering of the church body, and why. (No, it doesn't. It tells us that "a woman" cannot teach "a man." It does not tell us about pastoring, preaching, or teaching the congregation. Only that "a woman" is not permitted to teach "a man." Singular.)

First Timothy 3:1-7, (This is about the qualifications for overseers. This does not tell us women cannot teach.)

Titus 1:5-9, (Sigh... This is about elders and overseers, it tells us nothing about conduct in a church service, and does not even mention teaching.)

and 2 Timothy 4:1-2 tell us who is qualified to do those things, and why and how. (We quoted that verse above. There are no qualifications here, as we mentioned. This passage is an exhortation from Paul to Timothy. He was exhorted to preach [kérussó, to share the gospel.] the Word [Logos, the living word]. This verse is not about teaching or church services. Further, this is not prescriptive, it's descriptive.)

First Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:1-9 are the qualifications for pastors, elders, and overseers. Not only do these passages exclude women from this office (“husband of one wife,” male referents {“he,” etc.} throughout), they also exclude all men who do not meet these qualifications. (We agree, but irrelevant. Scripturally, teaching is not required to be a leadership position.)

Both of these passages require that a pastor/elder/overseer be “able to teach” the congregation. (Neither mention pastors. Neither mention "the congregation." And Titus 1:1-9 does not say anything about being able to teach.

Three claims, three misses. How badly does Ms. Lesley misunderstand these things?)

This is juxtaposed against the word “teach” (teach men, so, not teaching the congregation) in 1 Timothy 2:12. The primary function of a pastor/elder/overseer is to teach the congregation. (There is no verse in the Bible that says that pastors teach. In fact, being "able to teach" is an elder requirement, but there is no verse in the Bible that tells us only elders can teach or that pastors must be elders.

An elder might never teach during a church service. Further, there might be many teachers in the congregation who are not elders. 

We see this clearly illustrated here: 

1 Tim. 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Some elders lead the church, preach, and teach. Some do not. That is why Peter exhorted the elders to be shepherds and overseers [1 Pet. 5:2], because it isn't automatic that elders do these things.

Ms. Lesley is inured to tradition and historical practice to the point she cannot see the plain text in front of her.)

Since God prohibits women from teaching the congregation in 2:12, ("The congregation" is not mentioned.)

women are disqualified from the office of pastor in 3:1-7, (Since there is no statement in the Bible that pastors teach, or that pastors must be elders or leaders, or that only elders are allowed to teach, it means that women can be pastors or teachers if they're not elders/overseers. 

A Pastor cares for the flock. That's the job description, which does not include teaching or leading churches. Biblically speaking.)

because they are not able to teach (according to God’s definition of teaching in this context {i.e. instructing the whole congregation}). (Sigh. 1 Timothy 2:12 does not mention a congregation. And as we mentioned, a qualification for eldership is being able to teach, but that does not mean only elders teach.

"A woman" teaching "a man" is not a congregation.)

Conversely, since God excludes women from being pastors/elders/overseers in 3:1-7 (“husband of one wife,” male referents (Pastors are not mentioned here. A woman cannot be an elder, which does not speak to pastoring or teaching.)

{“he,” etc.} throughout), women are prohibited from the primary function of that office, (This is the second time Ms. Lesley has claimed that teaching is a primary function of the elders. There is no Bible verse that says this. As mentioned, able to teach is a qualification not a duty, which means it does not require the elder to give a sermon every Sunday, or even at all. It also does not mean that only elders are permitted to give a sermon.)

teaching the congregation, in 2:12. (There is no mention of pastors teaching in the Bible.)

Second Timothy 4:1-2 then steps up to the plate and specifies the primary type of teaching a pastor/elder/overseer is to do: preaching. (Paul was exhorting Timothy to share the Gospel, not give sermons. Timothy was not the pastor, he was on assignment from Paul to set this church in order [1 Tim. 1:3]. These two epistles are for Timothy's encouragement and direction until Paul could get there [1 Tim. 3:14-15, 4:13]. Timothy was essentially holding down the fort until Paul could come.

He wasn't a pastor. We cover this in detail here.

Ms. Lesley keeps putting pastors in where they're not supposed to be, likely because her church tradition structures church leadership this way. But it's unbiblical.)

Remember, 1-2 Timothy and Titus are the pastoral epistles. (No, they are not. Timothy and Titus were not pastors.)

They are God’s instructions to pastors/elders/overseers about how they’re to do their jobs and how God wants His church to be structured and to operate. (No, they are not. This is utterly false.)

These three epistles are God’s “policy and procedure” manual, if you will, for pastors and the church. (No, they are not.)

I do not permit a woman to teach…
1 Timothy 2:12
Therefore an overseer must be…able to teach,
1 Timothy 3:2
He must…be able to give instruction in sound doctrine
Titus 1:9
I charge you [pastors]…preach the word
2 Timothy 4:1-2

(Wow, this is truly bad teaching. Dismal. We were hoping Ms. Lesley would start to improve, but she's getting close to the end.)

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And the second “word game” argument is like unto the first:

“The Bible never says women can’t be pastors!”

Again, the Bible does not say, verbatim, “Women cannot be pastors.”. That’s the first alleged “loophole”. The second alleged loophole* is that the Bible uses the terms “elder” and “overseer,” rather than “pastor,” in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. (Oh, so Ms. Lesley actually understands this now? Then why has she been misleading us for half her article?)

So – follow this carefully – even if women can’t be elders and overseers, the argument goes, women can still be pastors.

*It bears noting here that if you’re looking for “loopholes,” “technicalities,” and ways to bypass or circumvent the plain teaching of Scripture (Actually, we are looking to point out the plain teaching of Scripture, which has been so  obscured by centuries of tradition and bad teaching [like Ms. Lesley's] that her false teaching is a result of entrenchment to the point of deception.

Ms. Lesley is deceived by her tradition, and compounds it by claiming the opposition is manipulating the situation.)

so you can indulge your fleshly desires, you’re already sinning. You never have to step behind a pulpit or preach a single word. Your heart is in rebellion against God, and you need to repent. (Unseemly arrogance, coupled with ignorance, is a recipe for spiritual deception.)

This is another painfully cringe-worthy “argument”. Scripture uses the terms “elder,” “overseer,” and “pastor,” synonymously and interchangeably. (This is completely false, as we have mentioned.)

That’s why you often see Christians use the phraseology “pastor/elder/overseer” – because these terms mean the same thing. (They absolutely do not mean the same thing.)

For example, the Southern Baptist Convention’s statement of faith, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000: (now we finally see the source of her false doctrine. Rather than prove her assertions from the Bible, she quotes a statement of faith. Hmm.)

This particular argument that “the Bible doesn’t prohibit women from being pastors” is tantamount to 1 Timothy 3:1-7 teaching that the church fellowship hall may not contain a couch, and Titus 1:5-9 teaching that church fellowship halls are not to have davenports, and egalitarians saying, “It’s perfectly fine for church fellowship halls to contain sofas. The Bible nowhere says that church fellowship halls can’t have sofas.” (Ms. Lesley is clumsily trying to assert that her theological opponents are making an Argument From Silence. However, she particularly adept at making arguments from silence, as well as other logical fallacies. In this very article she continually inserts pastors into elder/overseers when such an idea is not found in the Bible. 

This is a substantial irony, of course.

The issue here is that Ms. Lesley needs to biblically describe pastors without appealing to her tradition or what the Bible does not say. As we have shown, Ms. Lesley has no idea what the Bible teaches about pastors.)

Sometimes egalitarians will try to argue that the terms “pastor” and “shepherd” indicate a different office and function from elder/overseer. They then argue that the Bible doesn’t say women can’t be “pastors” and “shepherds”. This is an attempt to bypass the passages which clearly address the issue of women leading and preaching to the church, 1 Timothy 2:11-3:7 and Titus 1:5-9, and instead, kidnaping and pressing into service passages which do not address this issue. (She just keeps going. Pastors/shepherds do not lead churches.)

However the wheels immediately – almost comically – fall off this argument when you come to 1 Peter 5:1-2: (Unholy glee. This woman should not be teaching anyone.)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder …shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight…1 Peter 5:1-2

Shepherding is the way that elders and overseers exercise oversight over the church, or “flock”. (No, shepherding is care for the flock, not oversight.)

Pastors, overseers, shepherds, and elders are all the same person, position, office, and function. (Again blinded by her tradition Ms. Lesly misses the obvious. Peter exhorted the elders to BE shepherds and overseers. They weren't doing so. It's almost a rebuke. 

Peter's point is that these elders were failing to do things elders should be capable of doing. Notice that Peter did not tell them that only elders may shepherd or that only elders shepherd. But we know that the Bible tells us that tells us that elders and overseers [1 Timothy 3:1] must be men.

However, there is nothing in the Bible that tells us:

• pastors lead churches
• pastors are elders
• pastors are overseers
• pastors teach

None of these things are biblical. It's just not there. While we happily concede that shepherds might have a teaching gift, or could be installed as an elder, that is not automatic because pastors are not in charge of churches, biblically speaking.

And here's Ms. Lesley's tripping point: she's been deceived by centuries of doctrinal tradition, tradition not found in the Bible. And she's so arrogant that she doesn't even realize how ridiculous she sounds.)

If you’d like to read more, I highly recommend these articles:

A Pastor Is an Elder Is a Bishop by Ben Robin (the KJV uses the word “bishop” rather than “overseer”) (We critiqued this article back in January.)

What Is the Difference between Pastors, Elders, and Overseers? at Ligonier (Nothing new here, and even less documented.)