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Authors’ Rowe¹
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
April 2012
International Christian Retail Show¹
Atlanta, Georgia
July 2011
1Writing Jacob was an incredible experience, but, should you still be able to find a copy somewhere, I would not recommend you buy it or use it. I did not have very good hermeneutics when I wrote it and it will not teach you to handle God’s Word properly.
Michelle Lesley 
Hello – I see that you have a strong opinion about women teaching men, which I can understand and appreciate. My question is “how far should a woman go to ensure that she is not teaching men?” If a man is in the room, does she stop teaching and ask him to leave? Do you go so far as to put a sign up on the doors “women only”? Practically, at what point is a mother to stop teaching the Bible or leading a study for her male children? The age of “adulthood,” here in the US is 18, but that just means that he could be drafted and is no longer considered a child in the eyes of the law. In Jewish culture a boy becomes a man at age 13. Do Moms stop teaching their boys at age 13? Also, if I’m listening to Beth Moore and my husband comes in the room, what do I do? Should I shoo him out? Do I resh to turn the sound off? If unbeknownst to me he had heard some and was enjoying it, what do I do at that point?
Your guidance is greatly appreciated.
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Hi Annie-
You’re asking some good questions. It’s always great to hear from Christian women who want to obey God’s word. Let me see if I can help:
“I see that you have a strong opinion about women teaching men”
Actually, my OPINION is that I SHOULD teach, correct, and rebuke men (well, some of them, anyway). I think there are a lot of men in the church who need to hear what I have to say. However, my opinion doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if it conflicts with the Bible, which it does. First Timothy 2:11ff (along with the preponderance of Scripture) is quite clear that women are not to serve as pastors, preach to or teach men or co-ed groups, or hold authority over men in the church setting. (You can read more about that here.) As Christians, we don’t live by our opinions, but by what the word of God says.
“how far should a woman go to ensure that she is not teaching men?”
As far as is necessary, the key word being “teaching.” A man who overhears a female Bible teacher you’re listening to as he’s walking through the room is no more being “taught” than someone who gets a pie in the face is “eating.” If you’re teaching a Bible study class at church, though, that’s the type of thing the Bible is talking about, and, yes, it should be made clear in announcements, fliers, etc. that this is a class for women only.
“If a man is in the room, does she stop teaching and ask him to leave?”
That depends on why he’s in the room. There are some legitimate reasons for a man to be in the room while a woman is teaching the Bible to other women. For example, if my pastor or a deacon/elder, or even my husband wanted to sit in on a Bible study I’m teaching to make sure I’m handling God’s word correctly and not teaching false doctrine to the women of the church, I would welcome that, and it would be perfectly biblical (frankly, more pastors/elders/deacons should do just that). Likewise, it would be fine for a husband/father to sit in temporarily and check me out for his wife/daughter. Other scenarios might include a male reporter covering me or the class (can’t imagine why anyone would, but…) or a male videographer recording the class.
However, if a man has come to the class seeking to be taught the Bible for himself, it would absolutely be appropriate for the female teacher to gently say something when he comes in like, “I’m sorry, but this is a women’s only class. Maybe you were looking for Joe Blow’s class down the hall?”
The issue is twofold: a) is a man seeking out or volunarily sitting under a female teacher, and/or b) is a woman seeking to teach men (or ignoring/rebelling against the fact that the Bible says she can’t)? Men also bear a great deal of the responsibility when it comes to women teaching, preaching, and usurping authority. I’ve written about that here.
“Do you go so far as to put a sign up on the doors “women only”?”
If the men of your church are prone to barging in on Bible studies that have been advertised as “women only,” then, certainly (although, if that’s the case, you have a waaaay bigger problem in your church than whether or not you should put up a sign).
“Practically, at what point is a mother to stop teaching the Bible or leading a study for her male children? The age of “adulthood,” here in the US is 18, but that just means that he could be drafted and is no longer considered a child in the eyes of the law. In Jewish culture a boy becomes a man at age 13. Do Moms stop teaching their boys at age 13?”
This is a little bit of a different question because now we’re talking about the home instead of the church. We’re also talking about minor children who are under your authority as a parent rather than men in your church who are not under your authority. Additionally, there is no Scripture which clearly addresses a specific age at which a mother should stop formally teaching her sons the Bible. Ideally, Dad should regularly lead the whole family in Bible study, because the Bible says he is to be the spiritual leader of the home. But if your husband is OK with you also teaching your sons the Bible at another time of day in a way that complements what he’s doing in family worship time, there’s no biblical problem with that.
My husband leads our family worship, but I also teach my 16, 13, and 12 year old sons a chapter of the Bible every morning before we start school. My husband is fine with that because it goes hand in hand with what he’s doing as our spiritual leader.
My counsel would be to talk it over with your husband and decide together what would be right for your family according to the limited biblical principles we have that address this issue. My thought is that as long as long as these children are in your home under your parental authority, and your husband is OK with it, it’s fine to formally teach them the Bible. Now, if you’ve got a 35 year old son living with you, that’s a different situation.
“Also, if I’m listening to Beth Moore and my husband comes in the room, what do I do? Should I shoo him out? Do I resh to turn the sound off? If unbeknownst to me he had heard some and was enjoying it, what do I do at that point?”
I addressed the “husband coming into the room” thing above, so here I would like to take the opportunity to warn you away from Beth Moore. She is a false teacher and has no place in our churches or our personal Bible study time. I know that can be hard to hear if you’re a fan of hers, but take a look at this evidence of her false teaching and then take a look at what the Bible has to say.
I hope that answers some of your questions and that you find the links helpful. :0)
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Although I don’t think deacons are responsible for spiritual oversight, I strongly agree that many more pastors and elders should check that women are teaching correctly. And, rather than “even my husband”, I think the husband should be the first in line to ensure his wife’s teaching is correct.
Additionally, this checking should be extended to other forms of teaching, specifically blogs and books. I have a strong suspicion that blogs, especially, are often unknown to pastors and elders, perhaps even to their husbands.
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I totally agree :0)
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Just so you know…all the links to your response to “Annie” are not viable. Blessings!
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Thanks for the heads up Marilyn! I’ve got them fixed now. :0)
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Hello,
I too have a question for you on this matter. Would “leading” a small group of men and women be considered and grouped with this as well? My husband and I have a small group in our home on Sunday nights and sometimes he is gone. There isn’t another person who feels comfortable enough to lead so I usually just keep us on track by getting us through our questions which are based on that mornings sermon.
Also when things come up and I know or have insight on the answer, am I free to share? I don’t want to be doing that if it is out of place. I would appreciate your counsel. Thank you!
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Hi Karlyn- Great question. I think you’ll find this article helpful.
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Hi Michelle,
I also have the same question but the article you linked is no longer available. Can you please answer the question Karlyn asked. Thank you!
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Hi Deborah- Thanks for letting me know that link wasn’t working. Here’s the correct one that answers that question and several other related ones.
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Hi Michelle, I have the same question as Deborah & Karlyn. We also have a co-ed small group in our home which my husband leads, however due to work, sometimes he is gone. Same as Karlyn, there isn’t another person who feels comfortable enough to lead so I usually just keep us on track by getting us through our questions which are based on Sunday’s sermon.
I have read (3x) over the “Rock your Roles” article you have linked & the only similarity I can find is #7. “What about women preaching or teaching the Bible…at a Bible study in someone’s home…?”
So, does this mean that when my husband is gone, we should cancel our Small Group?
I would appreciate your insight. Thank you!
-Lily
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Hi Lily- I’ve answered your question in this edition of The Mailbag. I also added some clarifying remarks to #7 in the FAQ article that I hope will help others with the same question in the future. Blessings to you!
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