In a second article on the issue of women preaching in the local church, Andrew Bartlett responds to Tom Schreiner (en March 2020)
Kat spoke up in class at seminary. A male student shouted: ‘Just stop!’ He saw her participation as a danger. ‘I have one question for you,’ he said. ‘Why are you even here?’
That was in Texas. But similar things can happen in England. The main title for Tom Schreiner’s article in March en was ‘Should women teach?’ This question provokes strong reactions. Some answer: ‘No, not in the assembled church; see 1 Timothy 2:12.’ Others regard the question as out of place in the 21st century: ‘Why not? If they have learned, and are gifted, they can teach.’ Tom’s article highlights the ‘fresh urgency’ with which the question is being asked. He urges: ‘We should be open to re-examining the Scriptures.’ That is what I have tried to do in my book Men and Women in Christ: fresh light from the biblical texts. Let me tell you the story.
