A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. 1 timothy 2:11-15
There are a number of different passages in the Bible that deal with gender roles both in the family and in the Church. I leave out society because I don't think the Bible restricts roles in society. Any discussion on egalitarianism (everyone is equal in regard to roles) versus complementarianism (men and women are equal in worth but not in roles), to be intellectually and biblically honest must deal with these verses. My hero, Mike Winger from "Think Biblically" has recorded close to 40 hours on this topic, and to be perfectly honest, I tried but can't listen to it all, but the bottom line is that complementarianism is the proper interpretation of scripture.
The first thing we see is that there was an order in creation. If you know anything about birth order especially as it correlates to first born and authority in scripture, the fact that he was first is a big deal. The Bible states woman was made for man as a help meet. My study of this leads me to picture something that's leaning and the help meet steadies it or rectifies it. In otherwards, man left to his own frailties will get off balance and needs a woman to stabilize him. Women are essential in the family and the Church to keep it on course. Their advice should not be ignored but it looks to me like it shouldn't be a flagrant public undermining of authority but a more behind the scenes advisory capacity in the family and church. This thinking is certainly contrary to modern sensibilities, but just the fact that sin entered the world through Adam when Eve was the one to do it, demonstrates an authority, headship, responsibility role of men. I believe that families and churches that violate this headship rule will be dysfunctional and anecdotally, I think it bears out.
The second thing I see is the great gift God gave women, that He didn't give to men and that is to be able to bear children. If it was dependent on men, a savior couldn't have come and we'd be lost in our sin. Actually we wouldn't even be here because MANkind would have lasted one generation. It's interesting in our society that instead of this unique ability to have children being celebrated, it is rather a point of contention in the struggle for having the autonomy that men have. The argument might be that man has total freedom with his body while a woman can be told by the government that she has to carry a baby and therefore is not really free. This beautiful gift that God has given women, to have children and raise them in Godliness to keep the faith going into the next generation, has been turned into a battle for equality and a desire quite often to forfeit this gift.
I understand that as a man, discussing women I have a ton of blindspots, but my conclusion is that the Bible and Christianity, and especially here with Paul and 1Timothy lifts up women. These passages tell us that without women, the family and church would be messed up and the whole human race along with our opportunity at salvation would be lost. I think Complementarianism has a tremendously high view of women.
