Mike, 4given (Deo Volente) asked that I come over here, look, and comment appropriately. It is not the sort of thing I normally do. I am most committed to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can read my personal statement of faith here. And my ‘World View’ here However, I respect 4given and her heart for God so here is my two cents (plus change). I have read Dr. Wright’s article. I have read a number of articles concerning the topic of women in positions of authority over men in the church (Pastors, Elders, and Deacons). The two godliest people I know (I am proud to say) are my mother and step-father (my father is deceased). My mother has been a Sunday school teacher, conference speaker, author, and lecturer for over forty years. (My step-father has repeatedly stated she is the best teacher he has ever met.) She never teaches men - unless - my step-father or a pastor is in the class and introduces his authority over her teaching. That perhaps colors my extremely conservative view of the subject. However, 1 Timothy 2:12 (2:8-15) is not the keynote text on why women should not Biblically exercise authority over men in the church. As an ordained minister (a fact I rarely admit) and a man, the key passage on Pastoral Qualifications is 1 Timothy 3:1-13. I rarely admit I am ordained because I refuse to accept a position of authority in the church based on this passage. I would like to draw your attention to verse 5. Paul has outlined the pastoral qualifications in this passage, but in verse 5 he explains quite specifically why the qualifications are so important. “for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” IT is a rhetorical statement. A pastor’s evidence of ability to effectively shepherd a church is how he conducts his family affairs. Take a hard look at the word ‘rule’. It is the Greek verb “proistemi”. It is in the Aorist tense (The aorist tense is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action; that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time.) which means it is not a relative term. Proistemi itself means: 1) to set or place before a) to set over b) to be over, to superintend, preside over c) to be a protector or guardian Each of these actions is assigned to the masculine’s (husband’s) role in the family. The only way to discount this very specific, gender specific verb - and its inclusive phrase is to discredit completely (by unreasonable means) ‘traditional’ male female roles in a family. That is, in order for a female to be a pastor/leader person of authority over men in a church, she must also exercise the same role in the family. That is her husband and children must be in submission to her. Is that your argument? That in fact, a woman be the head of the marriage? One cannot discount one without the other. Either woman must be in submission in the marriage and therefore in the church, OR a woman in authority in the church must also be the authority in the family. This is not a fallacious argument, 1 Timothy 3:5 specifically tells us why the qualifications of leadership are the qualifications of leadership (crf 1 Timothy 3:12, “Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.”) If this were a ‘cultural’ argument as suggested, the explanation of the qualification would not be included. In Christ Unchained Slave