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Question on Women Open Air Preaching

August 26th, 2015

Wendyl Leslie

August 26, 2015

Hey folks, I was just assigned an interesting question and would love to hear your thoughts on it:

“Would it be a violation of Scripture for women to open air preach?”

Without question, women teaching and preaching in a church is a hotly debated issue. It’s the view of GQ that women are not to teach or have authority over men within the church (1 Timothy 2:11-14). And I agree.

However, my thinking is that teaching or preaching in an open-air environment isn’t the same as “church.” As such, a woman teaching or preaching in such a manner would not be “usurping their authority over men” (1 Tim. 2:12).

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    Joe Maxey likes this.
  • Corpuz Valdemor Avellaneda Ramil Still the same and I think it’s even worse. We will make an impression that the Church is advocating feminism. Also the Bible has not cited any example of women preaching in public places. They are not permitted to”preach” inside the church, why will they be permitted to “preach” outside the church?
    Like · Reply · 3 hrs · Edited
  • Wendyl Leslie And let the “debate” begin! Here’s an article from Ray Comfort, a powerful advocate for open-air preaching on his views about women doing so: http://www.onthebox.us/…/should-woman-testify-in-open…

    Like · Reply · Remove Preview · 3 hrs
  • Corpuz Valdemor Avellaneda Ramil Why use salvation army’s belief on women as argument for open air preaching when they also believe that salvation depends on continued obedience to Christ?
    Like · Reply · 3 hrs
  • Tim White It is safer than preaching under water.
    Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs
  • Tim White Seriously, I believe that there are things we question in the Bible because there are things we will not understand this side of eternity. Marriage is one of them. Gender is another. We try to culturize some issues when they have deeper meaning than earth critters can understand. For those issues, God gives us His expectations and we are to obey, not try to wiggle around.
    Like · Reply · 3 hrs
  • Julie Kimani I would think it would be a violation based on 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, 1 Timothy 2:11-12, and 1 Peter 3:1-6. These seem to suggest that women should win men to the Lord by their behavior rather than their words. Of course that makes me wonder how this applies to women in teaching and discipleship roles online, for instance answering questions through this ministry. If I answer a man’s question, am I breaking the rules? Am I breaking the rules by responding to this post? *Honest question*
    Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs · Edited
    • Wendyl Leslie Good point, Julie. In that respect, should GQ assign our women writers only those questions from women, but not from men?
      Like · 3 hrs
    • Julie Kimani I was just wondering that. I checked and all the questions I’ve received so far are from women. I wonder if that’s already in place?
      Like · 3 hrs
    • Wendyl Leslie Good question for those on staff who assign us our questions. Are our women writers only assigned questions from other women, but not men?
      Like · 3 hrs · Edited
    • Tim White In this ministry, all answers are approved under the authority of Shea Houdmann.
      Like · 1 · 3 hrs
    • Elizabeth DeVore Wendyl, if I weren’t allowed to answer questions, we’d need a LOT more writers.
      Like · 1 · 3 hrs
    • Elizabeth DeVore Between Gwen, MeLissa, and myself, we’re sitting at 260 for the week.
      Like · 1 · 3 hrs
    • Jessica Goforth I’ve gotten assigned questions from men before. I don’t consider myself to have any authority over them. I’m just showing them what the Bible says about their question. That’s the authority, not me.
      Like · 2 hrs
    • Gwen Sellers

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  • Corpuz Valdemor Avellaneda Ramil Maybe street teaching will do. Preaching is different from teaching.
    Like · Reply · 3 hrs
  • Corpuz Valdemor Avellaneda Ramil Preaching has the connotation of commanding, rebuking and challenging hearers to respond to the message.
    Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs
  • Tom Gindorf Jr. Check out Tony Miano’s book, “Should She Preach?”
    Like · Reply · 1 hr
  • Joe Maxey I agree..there were many women disciples, right. Surely they shared the gospel and their knowledge with many during their time. I don’t see anything biblical against this activity.

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