2002.7.7. Rev. Sang Keun Kim

"Women Should Remain Quiet in Church"

Corinthians 14:34-36

Four Methodist grandmothers were sitting a pew and began bragging about their sons. The 1st grandmother boasted "My son is an elder who is respected by many people. When my son enters this room, people rise and say "elder as a way of paying respect." Then the grandmother sitting next to her spoke: "My son is a pastor in charge of a big Methodist church. When my son enters this room now, people rise and say "pastor" as an expressions of their respect." Then the grandmother sitting next to this grandmother spoke with great confidence: "My son is bishop of the united Methodist church. He is responsible fore more than about 700 churches. They say that when my son enters a room, people rise and say "bishop" as a way of paying their respect." However finally, the 4th grandmother had nothing to boast about her son. Not only did the son not have a good job or any special talents, he only liked to eat and weighed more than 300 lbs. Despite this, the grandmother in a loud voice began to brag about her son: "As you know well, my son is nothing special, likes to eat, and weighs more than 300 lbs. Therefore, when he enters the room and shows his enormous body, many people say in a loud voice to my son, "Oh My God!"

At Princeton seminary, there was a time when I taught seminary students. Because usually history studies were boring, each time I started class, I worked hard to make the atmosphere fun and lead off the class with a joke. One day before starting the class, I had just delivered a joke to the students. Most of them laughed and the class atmosphere had improved. However, one female student raised her hand in a very serious manner and began criticizing one of my jokes. This was the female student's point. She said that behind one of my talks, there was chronic sense of sexual discrimination. The heart of my talk reflected a life that was insulting to women and a position that was decided according to the social position of a son. She sharply criticized: Why the value of a woman's life has to be decided by a man or father or husband or son, not by her own value or calling? I made this joke only out of fun.

When I think and reconsider, I cannot deny the female student's claim. Especially in Confucian culture, we are very accustomed to the words that "Wives should be submissive to their husband." When valuing a woman's worth, women's activity in society came to be restricted to the purity of heart for the father, after getting married, obedience to the husband, and after getting older, support to the grown up children.

The message I give today will be uncomfortable to many Christians, especially to the female Christians. It must sound awkward to hear. "Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." (Corinthians 14:35-36). Upon seeing this, these words seem like "the plot for sexual discrimination". How shall we interpret really today's words that women should remain silent in church? That a woman speaks in church is disgraceful, we who live in the 21st century and hear these words, how can we apply this to our religious life? Because these words were warnings to the Corinthian church that existed before the year 2000 in Greek-Roman time, can we simply deny and not be able to apply these words to the 21st century truths that we live today? If not, do women have to remain silent according to these words recorded today?

Our KUMC Washington church had already in 1979 appointed two female elders and even now the 2nd woman elder continues to work. A woman pastor has taken charge of the English ministry. Among the 70 small groups in our church, quite a few sacrifice and volunteer themselves as leaders. It is not a phenomenon that happened by accident at our church. At a great many divinity schools in the U.S., the number of women students has gradually increased and on top of that, at some schools, the number of female students is more than 50 percent. In the not so far future, the number of female students will be similar to those of male students and perhaps will be greater. How are we understand the truth of today's word from the Bible and apply it to our religious life?

First we need to remember that the apostle Paul had a very wide range of opinions on the role of women in the church. For example, in the 2nd chapter of Titus, verse 3, he explains about the duty of women in the church and encouraged them to teach young women; this may sound opposite to his teachings to the Corinthian church. He advises: "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children."

The apostle Paul's expression is summarized in one word in his letter to the Galatian church. Galatian chp. 3 verse 28 states: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." In the Gospel, as Jews and Greeks are equal, mean and women are equal.

Through these words, we are able to know the various views of the apostle Paul on the role of women in the church. In the case of the Corinthian church, he warned women to remain silent in church. But in Titus and Galatians, he has a positive view towards the role of women. When we see how there is a wide range of views, we sometimes realize that we may not be able to have a unified view. While reading the Bible together, when we put in practice and apply these words to our lives, one point we must be careful not to try to standardize the various ideas that appear in the Bible, or to focus on a part of the Bible as if it covers everything in order to maintain our own views.

When we compare the various views on the role of women that the apostle Paul had, we are able to confirm through the gospel a properly consistent attitude that Christ carried towards women. How did Christ face the women of those days and what conversations did he have with them?

In John chp. 4, we remember first a conversation between Christ and Samaritan woman. As she told Jesus, in those days the Jews did not involve themselves with Samaritans. However Christ approaches this woman who is at the well in order to give her living water to this unknown women.

In John chp. 8, we meet Christ who rescues a woman who is caught in the act of adultery. "Whoever is without sin, let him be the first to throw the stone" and through these words, rescues this woman from the angry crowd. And to the anxious and disgraced woman, he says "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin" and offers his forgiveness to the woman.

In Matthew 26, we can discover the appearance of Christ who blesses the work of a woman. When Christ is in Bethany at the house of a leper in order to prepare for his impending death, a woman pours expensive perfume on the head of Jesus. Instead of criticizing the action of the woman to the disciples, Christ blesses her work. "I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." Christ like this draws near to the women who were shunned in those days, and raises those who have fallen down, and blesses their self-sacrifice. He respects each person's worth, he suffers together with each person's problems.

Christ approached first the women, and stood up those who had fallen and blessed their work; it is proper that we as disciples of Christ do likewise. More women disciples need to serve their church with a true and sincere heart. More women need to serve the church according to their talents. More women need to serve the church following in their own faith. The place where women disciples meet in church should be more than the church's dining room. We should be especially thankful that more men have the occasion to wash dishes and serve lunch at our church on Sunday. Male elders, deacons who wash dishes, serve food, wear the apron, and when we see these disciples, it should be thankful and beautiful occasion. I hope that they will do more like this at our church and at their homes.

Again let us return to the apostle Paul's warning to the Corinthian church. Today's message began like this. "As in all churches of the disciples, women should remain silent in the church." While we read this text again, we discover that the phrase, "As in all congregations of the saints," is an important expression. In other words, the meaning of the text is that "all disciples, all men or women, as in the church, women should remain silent." As all male disciples should remain silent in church, we can interpret it also as women should remain silent in church.

Why did I go into this expression? Before advising women to be silent in church, why must we first consider the conditions for the expression "as in all church of the disciples"?

In the apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians chp. 4., his secret interpretation can be found. In Philippians chp. 4 verses 2-3, the apostle Paul's use of two women's name is recorded. The two women are Euodia and Syntyche. Based upon Philippians, they were "women who were with me in the cause of the Gospel." They were people who with the apostle Paul, preached the gospel and prayed together in order to deliver the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While commending them, Paul uses the expression "those who carried a yoke by my side." While commending the women who along with Paul spread the Gospel," he noted that they had "worn the yoke together."

Once before I gave this message. The yoke that Jesus Christ used in the first period of the church two cows using wearing one yoke and were plowing the field together. Two cows wearing one yoke and together plowing. It was not one cow wearing one yoke plowing the field, but two cows wearing one yoke plowing the field together.

In order to sow the seeds of the Gospel, like two cows wearing one yoke, we must put together our efforts, put together our steps, and silently plow the fields. Like the women who were in the cause together with Paul, like Christ who approached the women, lifted up those who had fallen, and blessed their work, men and women putting their shoulders together, without discrimination, put together our efforts, put together our steps, and silently plow the new field and sky. Two cows using one yoke plowing the field, if one animal goes right and the other animal goes left, what sort of work will we waste? It is obvious.

When we carry out this generation's mission entrusted to us by God, more than speaking many words, it is required that we as self-sacrificing disciples do our work silently. That we do our work silently, we remember the image of the two animals who silently, quietly do their work, men and women who do not discriminate against each other, instead jointly, like partners, silently, quietly, doing the work that has been entrusted to use by the Lord.

I return again one more time to the message, "As in all churches of the disciples, women should remain silent." It is not that women only be silent, but that men too be silent. All the world must remain silent. Silently and quietly, we share one yoke, everyone doing the valuable work entrusted by the Lord. The Bible proclaims this to everyone. In Habbukah chp. 2 verse 20: "But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth by silent before him."