Can Women Teach Men?

 Can women teach men? Can a woman teach a man? Can a wife teach her husband?

Smith Wigglesworth was an evangelist who healed the sick and raised the dead. He never went to school and he was illiterate until his wife taught him to read the Bible. 

Carl Benz constructed the first car but he lacked the confidence to test drive it. Two years later, his wife took it upon herself to drive the car from one German city to another.

In World War Two, a team of British women worked out how to defend convoys of ships against German submarines. Many seamen owed their lives to the lessons they learned from these women.

In the Bible, the prophetess Deborah governed Israel, sat in judgement in legal disputes and taught the ways of God to all the people. She was called and gifted by God to do this.

There are fundamentalist legalists today who use proof texts to give women even less freedom in the church than some women had in the Old Testament. 

This whole mindset is contradicted by Paul’s writings.

There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28 NRSVue

Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy. 1 Cor 14:1 NRSVue

This was addressed equally to men and women. The proof of this is in the following verses.

Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head shames his head, 
but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled shames her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. 1 Cor 11:4–5 NRSVue

Clearly women should prophesy if they are decently dressed according to the customs of the day. Otherwise the text makes no sense.

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1 NRSVue

The Prime Minister of Australia was a family friend who valued the advice of my grandmother. Many prominent men owe a part of their success to the advice of their mothers, wives, sisters or secretaries.

The cardinal rule of Christian love and fellowship is mutual submission.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Eph 5:21 NIV

This means that wives should submit to their husbands but husbands should also submit to their wives. This can be difficult to understand if you leave out the loving guidance of Jesus over both marriage partners. 

Mutual submission is not always easy. It cannot be taught with simple formulas. Every couple has to learn how to apply it. It takes time, effort and practice.

If a man lords it over his wife, he dishonours his wife but he also dishonours Jesus.

If a man is not willing to learn from his wife, he is very misguided and he will suffer the consequences.