The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1893-06-02
Should Women Preach in Public!

Should Women Preach in Public!
1t is not our custom to answer our
when we disagree
with them, pteferring to leave each
que free to express his own opinions,
and trusting 10 our readers to decide
what is truth and what error. But
we dissent so strongly from the
views of Bro. w. #. Ussery in the
latter part of his excellent article up
on "Our Christi Women" that,
much as We commend the other
parts Of it, and much as we lespect
the scholarly author, we can not hold
our peace without attempting reply.
We were talking to good brother
a short time ago, AMI discussing the
question OF women preaching in pub
hc. He seemed to believe in it. We
asked him: What do you do with
that passage Of scripture, "Let the
woman keep silence in the church
esM Quickly he replied: 81 don't
do anything with it. I haven't
studied that passage much"
Every advocate OF woman's preach.
ing has got to do one Of two things
with it: Either he has got to ignore
1t, az mary are disposed TO do, or he
has got to explain it away. Brother
Ussery chooses the latter course. He
says:
When Paul here commanded "si-
lence" he had no alluslon To preaching
whatever.
And repeats
He had no allusion to preaching, and
not even 70 the ordinary religious meet
ings, for they were In wrangle-quar-
reling about meats offered to idols-and
these women were very clamorous.
He forgets that this injunction OF
Paul is in the latter part OF the four
tenth chapter Of Corinthians, while
he said nothing about eating meat
offered to idols since the teuih chap
ter, aud for the last several chapters
ne had been talking about spiritual
gifts, prophecy being included among
them.
He adds:
The custom also under which they
lived restrained them, and Paul wa,
only enforcing it.
Does he mean to say theu that this
injunction Of Paul was intended only
for those women of COrinth and was
only local and temporary? Thai
seems 10 be his meaning. That is the
position taken by many. But if this
mi JUNCTION be local aud Temporary
what about the other injunctiOns in
the same epistIe? Must they not b.
, only local and temporary, too
What about the thirteenth chapter
the beautiful chapter Of love, III the
same epistle? What about the
fifteenth chapter-the splendid argu
meut for the resurrection, in the
same ,pistle? Must not these bt
only local and temporary? How Cal
; you pick out one part Of au epistl,
and say that that was local aud tenn
porary, while the other parts ar
general and permanent? And i
you have the right to do 80 have no
| aud has not every one? Who ther
ia TO decide what il permanent in tn
Bible? This local aud tempOrar,
argument is very convenient, bu
at the same time very dangerous
one. 1t would have never been in
, vented except as grindstone t
grind the AK of some ones theory
Brother Ussery adds:
On the other hand, as l have said, h
: encouraged women in public exercises
AS prIma facie evidence of his apprOva
} we find him giving directions as t
I dress, ETC., while engaged in publ
service. Il Cor. XII. 81 1t. would the
, certainly DO very illogical in him to tor
/ bid such.
. But remember our text, LET tn
= woman keep silence in the churches.
J 1t would Certainly be very illOgica
in him" to say that, and then in al
, other place in the same epistle ALLOW
: such. Paul would not be incOnsist
I ent with himself. How do you eX
= plain the apparent discrepancy then
= The simple explanation is that Pau
} was not talking about "pUbLic servi
, cesn when he gave directions as t.
t dress,n but about small and informa
t. gatherings. This is the opinion O
/ scholars generally. But BrOthe
Ussery goes on to give examples il
/ the Scripture, of women preaching il
| public as he thinks. Let us motto
1 them briefly. He says:
= We learn that Aquila and Priscin
t instructed ApollOs while eXpoundin
the gospel. acts xviii, 26.)
= But evidently they did it privately
Z Also Anna, an aged widow, spoke il
= the temple 10 all present, cOncernini
the redemption Of the Lord. duke ii
q 3S).
! But it was in the court of the wo
+ men that she did so She was no
allowed to enter the court Of the men
Likewise the woman of Samaria wen
about the streets telling of Jesus
I John iv. 2S.)
2 Yes, but she did 1t in a womsnly
: way, as she met the people in tn,