1 Timothy 2, again, responding to Mike Winger, again (sigh).....

So grateful for Terran Williams and Andrew Bartlett taking time to correct Winger's enormously influential yet woefully misleading YouTube videos on 'biblical' gender restrictions

Screenshot I took today of Winger’s 1 Timothy 2:11-15 Women in Ministry video part 12 (yes—12 parts!). You can see that it has had 11k likes, 541k views, and Winger has 768k subscribers. Yes, this should motivate you as it does me to help get the word out about Winger’s shoddy scholarship (shoddy is my word; Andrew and Terran are more polite…).

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: I have a lot of respect for Andrew Bartlett and Terran Williams. I have hosted them now three times before—once on The Anxious Bench and twice on Marginalia. They have now finished responding to all 11 1/2 hours of Mike Winger’s highly influential (and from my perspective dangerous) YouTube video on 1 Timothy 2:11-14. As you can see from the screenshot above, Winger’s influence is tremendous and almost unchecked. Terran and Andrew’s investment in correcting his teachings needs to get as much attention as we can give it. Listed below are links to all of their responses to Winger. I encourage you to go directly to Terran’s website and check them out for yourself. I also encourage you to post them on your social media and help get the word out.

If you have forgotten who Mike Winger is, here is my thrice posted recap:

“I only recently learned about Mike Winger. A friend alerted me that he had posted a not-so-flattering discussion of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. I wasn’t terribly surprised by this since Winger earned a ministry degree from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, an extension campus of Calvary Chapel Bible College which states in its doctrinal statement that men and women were created to “complement and complete each other.” Indeed, the Bible college is part of the Calvary Global Network which is “officially Complementarian.” What was a surprise to me was how dismissive Winger was of me.* After a short twitter discussion with him, I promised to take him up on his offer to review his videos on women in ministry.” One of my stalwart principles in life is not to reinvent the wheel. So when I learned about Andrew Bartlett and Terran William’s series addressing Winger’s videos, I asked if I could highlight their introduction on the Anxious Bench. For those of you who don’t know, Andrew Bartlett is the author of Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Insight from Biblical Texts (2019) as well as an international arbitrator and judge based in the UK. Terran Williams is a pastor and church-planter in South Africa. He recently published How God Sees Women: The End of Patriarchy (2022). During the past year I have had the opportunity to meet Andrew in person twice (first when we spoke together in Vancouver for the Evangelical Free Church of Canada (EFCC) theology conference and second when he hosted my entire class last July for afternoon tea at his house in Canterbury) and correspond some with Terran. I continue to be impressed by not only the thoroughness of their research and logic of their responses but also the grace they exhibit.

To end my introduction on a high note, the EFCC theology conference Andrew and I attended together last year (both giving three lectures on women in scripture and history) has given us wonderful news. Neil Bassingthwaighte, the Serve Canada Director and Prayer Catalyst for the Evangelical Free Church of Canada, reached out to let us know that the EFCC voted to pass (65% in favor) “a new credentialing system in place that is open to men and women, and that treats them as equals.” Neil reminded me that, in addition to supporting women seeking credentialing as pastors, the Free Church tradition “has a rich history of lay ministry,” and so the EFCC will credential women and men who serve in both pastoral and lay ministry roles.

And now for Andrew and Terran and their continued response to Mike Winger:

WHAT WINGER PRESENTLY GETS WRONG:

1 TIMOTHY 2

June 2024, by Andrew Bartlett and Terran Williams

Our full article takes up Mike Winger’s kind invitation to give feedback. We hope you will enjoy reading it. Here’s our quick summary.

Thorough?

Mike claims to have carried out a thorough review of all the debates over the interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:11-15. His video is certainly long (11½ hours). Nonetheless, his claim of thoroughness is thoroughly mistaken. His video displays false perspectives and faulty methods. He strawmans the arguments of writers with whom he disagrees. He often avoids addressing their real case. He omits to pay close attention to the context, and to Paul’s train of thought. He makes a false separation between combating false teaching and promoting right teaching and living. He leaves important questions entirely unaddressed.

Verse 12

Mike’s reading of verse 12 depends on authenteō being a suitable word for the exercise of authority by an elder. In his view, this is “The center of this whole debate”. But the historical evidence shows that in and around Paul’s time it was not a suitable word for an elder’s exercise of authority in the church. Paul had other words for that, and he doesn’t use any of them. Instead, he uses this unusual and forceful word that meant something like “overpower”, “overmaster”, “dominate”. That meaning supports a non-complementarian reading of verse 12.

Paul must view the teaching in verse 12 negatively, because he is not permitting it. So, what is he negative about? Is his restriction aimed at a faithful woman who holds to the truth, but who teaches men (Scenario T), or is it aimed at a misbehaving woman (as described in v9) who is mixed up in false teaching (Scenario F)? Mike needs to demonstrate from the context that Paul’s concern is Scenario T. But Mike does not identify any solid contextual evidence of this.

In the context, Paul himself signals that in this passage he is giving instructions for dealing with false teaching (Scenario F). Chapter 1 is about dealing with false teaching. Then in 2:1, 2:8 and 2:9 Paul links his remarks to the same topic with the signposts “therefore …”, “therefore …”, “Likewise …”. He is still on this topic through verse 15. So, Mike’s interpretation is not faithful to Scripture because it is in conflict with Paul’s express words. This is a fatal defect. Mike never addresses this point. He just ignores it.

Verses 13-14

In these verses, is Paul giving an Old Testament illustration to support what he has just said in verse 12, or is he appealing to a creation principle about the authority of men over women?

Mike’s interpretation of verse 13 is erected on a weak and circular argument, and his explanation collapses in self-contradiction. If Paul is truly appealing to a creation principle of men’s authority over women, then that principle should be applied in all walks of life, but Mike vehemently rejects that conclusion.

His novel proposal for verse 14 is opaque. It lacks any discernible connection to Paul’s actual words.

Conversely, as we show, verses 13-14 are readily explainable as a supporting Old Testament illustration. It is a warning of the seriousness of false teaching, which deceived Eve and led to dire consequences.

Conclusion

Our conclusion is that Paul is not stating a general rule that faithful women must not teach or exercise authority in the church. He’s insisting that a woman caught up in false teaching must learn, and he is not permitting her to lead a man astray. Instead, she should learn with quiet humility, and walk with Christ our Savior, in faith, love, holiness and self-control.

By Andrew Bartlett (author of Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Light from the Biblical Texts (2019)) and Terran Williams (author of How God Sees Women: The End of Patriarchy (2022))

June 2024, revised July 2024

This article responds to Mike Winger’s video ‘ALL The Debates Over 1 Tim 2:11-15: Women in Ministry part 12 (it took me a year to make this)’^[1]

Click here for a pdf of the complete article. If you’re in a hurry, click here for a quick summary.

You can see our articles on previous videos by Mike on women in ministry at https://terranwilliams.com/articles/. Or use these links:

• Part 2 (Genesis 1–3) — www.bit.ly/40lo9oh

• Part 3 (OT Women) — www.bit.ly/3jAjCNX

• Part 4 (NT Women) part A — www.bit.ly/3JDVRiB

• Part 4 (NT Women) part B — www.bit.ly/3X08GXx

• Part 5 (Women Apostles) — www.bit.ly/3mMssJV

• Part 7 (Galatians 3:28) — www.rb.gy/2qoig3

• Part 8 (Meaning of Head) — www.bit.ly/3RwliET

• Part 9 (“Wives submit”) — www.bit.ly/3l8CmVv

• Part 10 (Head Covering, 1 Cor 11) — www.bit.ly/3JV6kpD

• Part 11 (“Women be silent,” 1 Cor 14) — www.bit.ly/3naLVUL

• Part 12 (Meaning of authenteo, 1 Tim 2:12) — www.terranwilliams.com/why-mike-winger-is-wrong-about-authenteo-in-1-timothy-212-and-why-it-matters-2/

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^[1] The video can be found on Mike’s own site biblethinker.org and on YouTube.