1 Timothy 2:11-12 has been used as a "clear" mandate to silence women in the church for over 1,500 years. In What's With Paul and Women? Jon Zens exposes the fallacies of this interpretation, and opens up the meaning of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 using insights gleaned from the Artemis-saturated Ephesian culture where Timothy was left to stand against false teaching (1:3). Drawing upon his own extensive linguistic studies as well as the diverse, often overlooked research and teachings of those who have been considering this issue for more than a decade, Zens tackles Paul's flow of thought, focusing on verses 11-12. In addition, Zens goes beyond 1 Timothy 2 and covers major issues related to gender inequality in three appendices: one on the Ephesian social world in which 1 Timothy was written, another on 1 Corinthians 14:34-36, and an extensive review of John Piper's What's the Difference? Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible. If 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 have puzzled you, What's With Paul and Women? is a helpful resource in discerning the Scriptures related to gender and authority.
 

ENDORSEMENTS

"What's With Paul and Women? allows the reader to see, maybe for the first first time, how Paul's instructions in 1 Timothy 2 are consistent with Jesus' belief in the full, functional equality of women within the assembly." —Wade Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Enid, OK
 

Ekklesia Press, 2010
9 x 6 inches, 144 pages