Conspectus : The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary

This paper proposes a reading of 1 Timothy 2:11–15 which holds to traditional principles of gender distinctiveness, while suggesting nuances of insight and application relevant to issues of female leadership: Women should be free to learn about God. They should do so with a quiet and submissive spirit. Women shouldn’t teach or have authority over men where this is exercised in a manner that is contrary to God’s design for men and women’s relationships and roles, as seen in creation and the Fall. Finally, women who persevere in honouring the God-ordained feminine role of bearing and nurturing children with godliness, will be working out their salvation as they partner with God to redeem the consequences of the Fall. The place of gender in creation and the Fall reveals distinctions in the roles given to Adam and Eve. Paul exhorts women to honour these distinctions, not in terms of absolute behavioural restrictions, but rather with regard to principles of relative gender identity. The issue of how we apply Paul’s broad principles about gender to the complexities of 21st century society is addressed by Paul’s reference to the church as God’s household and his teaching in chapter five of the same letter.

Author Profile

Craig G Bartholomew is a South African theologian working abroad and is the H Evan Runner Professor of Philosophy and Religion at the Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario. He is also the dean of the St Georges Centre for Biblical and Public Theology. In addition, he serves on the adjunct faculty at Trinity College, Bristol. He has authored a number of books including: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics: A Comprehensive Framework for Hearing God in Scripture (2015), The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (2014), co-authored with Michael W Goheen, Christian Philosophy: A Systematic and Narrative Introduction (2013), co-authored with Michael W Goheen, Where Mortals Dwell: A Christian View of Place for Today (2011), The Baker Commentary, Ecclesiastes (2009).

The aim of the study was to seek a theologically sound, biblically grounded and sociologically appropriate means of organizing social care for the Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC) member churches in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The absence of formal social support, amidst severe social welfare challenge has led to the emergence of several mutual, self-help societies, including the social welfare schemes of the GBC churches. Using the Zerfass (1974) practical theological model as a primary tool for the study, the research showed that the current social welfare system of the church lacks a distinctive Christian identity. Relying on an exegesis of four anchor texts to discover the standards of God, the study made proposals to address the identified deficiencies of social welfare in the churches. This study could serve also as template for other Christian communities especially in Africa.