In Session 3 of Closed Doors?, “I Do Not Permit a Woman…”, we turn to 1 Timothy 2:9–15—one of the most significant passages used to restrict women from teaching or exercising leadership in the Church. Rather than beginning with a conclusion, we slow down to examine Paul’s words within the larger context of his letter to Timothy and the challenges facing the church in Ephesus.
Together, we explore the language Paul uses, the problem of false teaching, his references to Adam and Eve, and the difficult statement about women being “saved through childbearing.” As we work through the passage, we ask whether Paul was establishing a universal restriction for women everywhere, or addressing a particular situation in Ephesus—and what that means for how we understand the passage today.
