What can women do on stage during church services? - By Elizabeth Prata

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Nearly 1000 words, and only a single Scripture quote. In addition, Ms. Prata states a principle with exceptions and provisos that not only do not make sense, they are not based on any Scriptural principle. 

We cannot find the words to express our astonishment regarding the contents of this article. It is worthless to answer the question asked in the title. But worse than that, Ms. Prata does not seem to be rational. The categories and exceptions defy logic.

We would not trust her to explain anything regarding the faith or the Bible.

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A reader asked about women on stage during church services. ("On stage during church services?" What an odd thing. There is nothing in the Bible about being on stage.)

During the service different churches allow women to do different things. Some of those things might be-

–preaching the sermon
–leading a confessional or a devotional
–reading of scripture
–leading the choir
–singing solos
–singing in the choir with men
–leading congregational prayer
–giving announcements

It is obvious that scripture forbids a woman from preaching to the congregation, to men, or to teach them. No matter how feminists twist the pertinent scriptures, they always say the same thing. Preaching is a NO. (1 Timothy 2:12) (Let's quote the verse, since Ms. Prata seems reluctant to do so:

1Ti. 2:12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.

Does the reader see anywhere in this verse where preaching to the congregation is mentioned? It's a straightforward statement: "A woman." "A man.")

Ten years ago Tim Challies, book reviewer and at that time a pastor/elder in his church, wrote two essays on women reading scripture on stage during services. The first article was strong on the complementarian nature of the functions of men and women in the Sunday Church service. It generated lots of push back (even ten years ago, imagine if it was published these days!). So he wrote a second article explaining more of his thinking.

He believes that the reading of scripture is a teaching function and therefore reserved for men only. Oddly, he/his church allows a woman to lead prayer from time to time. So here we view the see-saw nature of what a woman can or cannot do on stage during a Sunday Service according to scripture and according to various peoples’ interpretation of it.

It’s really up to the conscience of the elders/pastor and his interpretation of the pertinent verses to make decisions in the gray areas where scripture doesn’t speak specifically. I tend to fall into the narrow interpretation category of interpreting that it’s best not having a woman speak anything on stage during the service. I like seeing only men on stage during Sunday services praying, speaking, leading, or teaching because it’s consistent with 1 Timothy and the headship issue.

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 wish to inquire about something, they are to ask their own husbands at home; for it is dishonorable for a woman to speak in the church. (1 Corinthians 14:34-35)

(Unfortunately for Ms. Prata, this Scripture is not about women preaching or being on stage.)

Here are Challies’ two articles. I liked his explanation of why he interprets the reading of scripture is a teaching function. That’s why I’m linking to it.

Article #1-

The Public Reading of Scripture (Mr. Challies does not quote a single Scripture.)

Article #2 responding to push back,

Men, Women & the Public Reading of Scripture (Mr. Challies does manage to quote 1Ti. 2:12, and then appeals to 1 Timothy 4:13, but does not quote it. We shall do so:

1Ti. 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.

Mr. Challies takes Paul's personal instruction to Timothy, elevates it to universally applicable pastoral duty, then equates all three things [public reading of Scripture, preaching, teaching] to teaching, and then by inference, exercising authority. Thus the public reading of Scripture is teaching, which is being in charge, and teaching and being in authority over men is forbidden to women. 

None of these logical leaps are justified. The first problem is, Timothy was not a pastor, he was there on assignment to correct this church until Paul arrived. Paul was not describing pastoral duties, but rather he was encouraging Timothy. This means these are not pastoral instructions for pastoral duties. 

Second, reading Scripture aloud has no teaching function at all. 

Further, the mention of several things in a sentence does not make those things to be of the same nature. 

Mr. Challies is in error here.)

I agree with his articles that the reading of scripture is related to a teaching function (article #2 explains why very well, it’s why I posted it). I agree that preaching is reserved for men according to 1 Timothy 2 and other verses. In that same vein of interpretation, I personally believe that women leading prayer on stage during church service is the also a teaching function because we often pray scripture or pray about scripture, and therefore reserved for men. (Praying is teaching? No Scriptural support offered for such an astonishing assertion.

Later Ms. Prata will link to a John MacArthur article where he will claim that women can pray in public but not in church. This kind of muddled thinking and doctrinal parsing is not enlightening, it is chaotic.)

I think especially in these days that a woman on stage during the church service speaking to the congregation in any form except to be baptized or share her testimony (Why isn't a testimony also teaching? Since Ms. Prata seems to be making things up as she goes, we can do the same.)

is a violation of 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and/or is a dangerous precedent presenting a poor ‘visual’ that will inspire others to follow and enlarge. A picture of a woman standing on stage with a Bible in her hand and a microphone in the other speaking to the congregation thru reading scripture or thru prayer puts the camel’s nose under the tent flap. (This is just dumb. "We can't do such and such because it might allow such and such later.")

We know that once you give an inch, satan will take a mile. Soon, I believe, that same church will allow women to preach. It’s incremental. (If Ms. Prata thinks this would happen in her church, she needs a new church with better leadership and more mature Christians in attendance.)

Here is an example of that incremental creep: …in a church I went to long ago a woman led the choir from on stage during service and sang with them. OK. But then she gravitated to standing behind the pulpit and explaining to the congregation the origin of the song they were about to sing. Hmmm. Then, she gravitated to standing behind the pulpit and explaining the theology and scriptures behind the song, and her explanations got even longer. Uh-oh. You see how it gets incrementally more of a violation of scripture to have a woman on stage explaining anything. Her “explanations” turned into mini-sermons over time. Give satan an inch … he takes a mile. (What kind of inept leadership would allow such a thing?)

As for women singing in the choir with men or singing solos, I believe that is different. (Because she's making it up as she goes.)

I believe that is an expression of service to God by using her God-given talent for the glory of God. When a woman leads congregational prayer or reads scripture she is being used as a vehicle to deliver God’s words to the people, that is why I believe it to be a violation of 1 Timothy 2. When she sings, she is using man’s words. (If the song lyric is composed partly or entirely of Scripture, then the woman is singing Scripture, which is the same as reading Scripture, which is the same as teaching. This makes the singer a heretic...)

She is not in authority over men because the highest authority, the Bible, is not being used as a conduit to express that authority. In that way, I believe singing is a service, not an authoritative leading.

Here is a blog post from Grace To You 2013 on the topic

https://www.gty.org/library/Blog/B130904

It’s about headship and submission (And Adam was formed first, then Eve…as the rest of the 1 Timothy 2 verse goes).

In my beliefs in matters of gray area, I tend to fall on the more conservative side. I know how grabby sin can be, and standing on the line with my toes right up to it would make for an easier fall into sin, in my view. Better to stay on more solid ground. But in matters of gray area it’s up to the pastor or elders’ interpretation and conscience, (But Ms. Prata has already vetoed that confidence, because the camel's nose will inevitably slip under the tent.)

and then our own as our churches live out their ecclesiology.