@Strong in Him - You took too much offense to my reply and distorted my points.
I'm sorry, but it's a little unfair to write the things you wrote and then when someone challenges it, say "you took too much offense."
There is no evidence to suggest that the women who followed Jesus, for example "assumed traditional female roles". How do you know they "would have offered" skills such as sewing, for example?
I am being fair in my statement towards women: they are the weaker sex biologically
In some areas, maybe. But, on average, women live longer than men - and some have multiple pregnancies. How strong do you have to be to go through all that?
There are women today who serve in the armed forces, and, in the UK during the war, the women worked as land girls.
You mention Deborah; and she was a fine prophetess / general behind the lines, but it was Barak leading the charge in warfare
Read it again.
Deborah told Barak that God wanted him to take 10,000 men to go to fight Sisera, Judges 4:6. Barak said, "I'll only go if you go with me", Judges 4:8. Deborah agreed, but said that because Barak had said that, Sisera would be delivered into the hands of a woman. And he was - it was a woman who smashed a tent peg through his skull, Judges 4:21.
Women are better at holding their power behind the line than directly on the frontline, face-to-face in combat. There are exceptional women in some cases, as Deborah was an exceptional leader, but she worked from headquarters so to speak.
Barak was too scared to go unless Deborah went with him, so she did.
The Apostles were on the frontlines, doing face-to-face combat when they were sent out.
They weren't engaged in physical fighting, and I'm sure that women would have been just as persecuted for their faith as men were.
Paul was stoned; sent to the lions; whipped; imprisoned. What man would want to see their female companion endure that?
What's that got to do with it?
Christians were being persecuted for their faith and for declaring that "Jesus is Lord"; I can't believe that the Romans would have let women off and allowed them to dishonour Caesar.
In the secular world it would be a shock and a protest to draft women into military service for the United States Army to serve on frontlines.
Maybe - but elsewhere, women do this.
And preaching the Word is a form of spiritual warfare.
Preaching is proclaiming the Good News - teaching about God, his word, his will and his ways. It's not about going into armed, face to face combat with organists or church wardens (whatever it feels like sometimes.)
Spiritual warfare is
spiritual - between God and the devil. We are all - including women - told to put on the armour of God and stand firm against the devil, Ephesians 6. The battle is not ours; Jesus has already won the victory. We are not told that we would not be able to cope with spiritual warfare, because not many women physically go to war.
I'll concede that women would have preached the Kingdom of God and Christ within their circles. They had their children to raise and husbands to serve.
Not all women are, or have been, married.
Those of us who are, serve Christ first and foremost.
Women have their place and it's NOT on the frontlines. I don't want to see women on any frontline to suffer at the hands of such barbarity.
But some women DO serve on the frontlines.
And preaching the Good News, even in the streets, is not at all the same as walking into physical warfare.
Women are inferior in different aspects where men are strong, but you know what, men are inferior in areas where women are strong. Equality is lie.
Yes, it's still a man's world.
Satan has distorted gender roles from the time Paul was preaching to even now.
He might try, but Jesus and Paul both affirmed women. Look at Romans 16 - the letter was delivered to the church at Rome by a woman, Phoebe. I wonder how dangerous that might have been?
Junias was outstanding among the Apostles. Priscilla hosted a church gathering in her home (and it does NOT say that she made the tea.)
In Philippi, Lydia was one of the first members of the church, and they had deaconesses there.
Paul once stayed with Philip, who had 4 daughters who prophesied.
Jesus chose a woman to be the first witness to his resurrection. The first person to say "I have seen the Lord; Christ is risen" was a woman.
And Jesus planned it that way.
Men have oppressed women, and women have understandably rebelled against that, but if each gender would be humble enough to acknowledge we need each other and that we all have weakness and acknowledge each gender stereotypically serves different roles, we'd all be better off. If a woman excels in something that is stereotypically masculine, I don't care, nor am I jealous, let her serve, let her be ordained:
So why all the words about preaching being spiritual warfare, with the implication that men are better at that, if you concede that God can call a woman to preach, or be ordained?
the problem is when women exalt themselves as equal to or better than men when they, individually, are not.
And who is doing that here?
Are you saying that men are incapable of exalting themselves, and thinking of themselves more highly than they should? I would disagree.
If a woman is gifted in her ministry she doesn't need to defend herself; the Holy Spirit that guides her will be the justification before the masses.
I'm sure he is.
But I'm not talking about the masses - I was responding to comments made by you on this forum.
Over the years, many female preachers and ministers have been criticised, or actually told that they are disobeying God, on these forums. If those sorts or statements are publicly made (not by you, I'm referring to other occasions), women have the right to respond and reply.