Proof Text Inconsistency

I’m over it!

As an egalitarian, periodically on social media I am accused of not being faithful to God’s word, but compromising to culture.

Here is the latest example:

“Men and women are equal before God but have different roles. 1 Timothy 2:12 is clear. ‘I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.’ It is vital that we stand on God's Word, not bowing to cultural pressures.” (1)

The first thing to note is that this text is anything but clear, using the rare and ambiguous word authentein.

But secondly… I am yet to meet ANYONE online who doesn’t “compromise to culture” around the following passages. (2) Note these are passages that do not involve ANY ambiguous Greek words:

• Romans 16:16 “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”
• 1 Corinthians 16:20 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
• 2 Corinthians 13:12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.
• 1 Peter 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of love

Anyone who believes they should “stand on God’s word” and not compromise to culture, should surely reinstate the New Testament practice of greeting with a holy kiss. This advice is stated:

• more frequently
• by more authors
• with less ambiguous words

Than I Timothy 2:12

So what’s really going on?

I believe what’s often going on is reading text through the grid of pre-existing prejudices.

A person who has no experience of women in leadership, and no experience of mandated kissing in church, is likely to interpret I Timothy 2:12 literally, and the texts on kissing as figurative.

Now I am personally quite comfortable with asking the questions “What principle is being expressed here?” and “What would be an appropriate way to express this in contemporary culture?” in relation to both kissing and women teaching.

Complementarians seem to think contextualisation applies to kissing, but not to women’s leadership.

All I ask is hermeneutical consistency.

Most Complementarian don't seem to have the vaguest awareness they might be interpreting scripture through the grid of their own culture... the very thing of which they accuse Egalitarians! (3)

Of course, the kissing example is simply illustrative; I could have used multiple other examples where biblical commands are interpreted away selectively.

Has anyone else noticed the same phenomenon?

1 Honestly quite a nice and respectful one this time around... that hasn't always been the case in the past.

2 My Coptic and Orthodox friends do adopt the practice of the holy kiss, but they do not tend to weigh into this issue online. It's usually by Protestants who've read Grudem and Piper, etc.

3 Of course, they are interpreting through the grid of their patriarchal church culture.