What’s a woman to do?

When I describe some of the amazing things being done by women in the Kingdom of God, or when I explain an alternative understanding of the challenging passages on women, I sometimes hear this comment from both men and women who are trying to be obedient to the Scriptures:

“It’s more important that a woman obey the Scriptures.” The obvious implication from the context of the comment is that a woman should stop what she’s doing if it involves teaching or having any kind of authority over men in order that she can observe 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.

So what’s a woman to do?

It gets up close and personal.

Should I stop writing books? Should I stop blogging? (I can’t help it if men choose to read the stuff I’ve written!) Should I stop training church planters around the world? Should I not give advice to men when they write and ask me questions? That’s the logical conclusion of the argument.

I’ve come to peace with it all. The challenging Scriptures are not unequivocal, and they go against the general trend and tenor of the overall message of the Bible. They can be understood, with integrity, to have an alternative meaning that doesn’t inhibit women. I’m free to obey the Holy Spirit’s leading.