A female pastor and author has come under fire for claiming that Bible translators diminish the role of female leaders such as apostles, deacons, and pastors in the Bible.
Ashley Wilkerson, senior co-pastor of Pacific Coast Church in Tacoma, Wash., which she leads with her husband John Fulton Wilkerson, spoke at a women’s conference held last November at Trinity Church in Miami, titled He said this in his sermon. “Lead like a woman”. ”
“Priscilla, Mary, Phoebe, Junia, Tryphena, Tryphosa – those are the names I like to call them – and many others were apostles and leaders of the early church. Some of them Their names have been changed in the Bible because we understood it and we thought so.” “Oh, they can’t be female apostles.” Yeah, that’s right. ” Wilkerson Said at that time.
“I’m not telling you this so you don’t believe the Bible. I’m not talking about that. I’m calling you to dig deeper. Our Because sometimes in culture it gets confused,” she said.
In response to Wilkerson’s claims, the Rev. Carl A. Hargrove, associate professor of pastoral ministry at Masters Theological Seminary, condemned her message.
“Imagination of the mind with an unbiblical agenda pretending to spiritually edify. Female apostles, some whose names have been changed to hide the truth??!!” he Asked At X.
Mr. Hargrove also spoke. christian post Wilkerson said there was “no evidence” for her claims.
“Well, she doesn’t have any evidence of a name change or anything about women being apostles. It’s clear she didn’t reveal that. But nothing,” he said.
“The unbiblical challenge is her role as a pastor. 1 timothy 2 It clearly states that this is a man’s role. And while some may say that this problem is cultural or unique to Ephesus, it cannot be true because Paul is ordering his argument back to Creation itself. do not have. “Clearly, the problem is not one of ability, but simply of the order of God’s plan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wilkerson defended his position in an interview. C.P.described her three-year-old church’s theology as consistent with the evangelical tradition emerging from the Assemblies of God denomination, which ordains women as ministers.
Wilkerson also shared that her views on women in leadership were solidified through the work of American historian Beth Allison Barr, currently the James Vardaman Endowed Professor of History at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. did.
In her April 2021 book, The Making of Biblical Femininity: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel TruthWilkerson said Barr “gives a beautiful, clear, evidence-based explanation.”
“I don’t think it’s necessary to react at all to false and unsubstantiated claims. I encourage everyone interested in this subject to look into the history of translation for themselves. “It’s irrefutable,” she said. C.P. Before sharing an excerpt from Mr. Barr’s book.
“Seven women are recognized for their acts of service: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Junior, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, and Persis. A woman named Phoebe is identified as a deacon,” the excerpt reads.
Kevin Madigan and Carolyn Osijek write that Phoebe is “the only first-century church deacon whose name we know.”
Another woman, Junior, is recognized not just as an apostle, but as a prominent figure among the apostles.
“Here I provide students with compelling historical evidence that the problem with women in leadership is not with Paul, but with how we have misunderstood and obscured Paul. Here I was showing my students how women actually led and taught in the early church, even as deacons and apostles. ”
“I showed them that Junior was accepted as an apostle until almost modern times, when her name began to be translated as the male name Junius.” New Testament scholar Eldon Jay Epp has compiled two tables that survey the Greek New Testament from Erasmus to the 20th century,” the excerpt concludes.
However, Mr. Hargrove suggested that the Apostle Paul referred to Junior as an apostle in the general sense of someone who was “sent.” Also, those who hold the office of apostle like Paul and Peter meet certain qualifications, such as performing signs and wonders, seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, and receiving commissions from the church. He also said.
Hargrove also argued that the response to Wilkerson should not be considered misogynistic because Wilkerson was only defending the gospel.
“Their problems are none of my business. Their problems are with Paul and the Bible. Dealing with what Paul said 1 timothy 2 and the fact that his arguments go back to creation, not just local cases. ”
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributor to Christian Headlines and host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sound doctrine and Biblical truth. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary.
