Lori does not believe women can pray when at church: Biblical Manhood and Womanhood P/17

                                                      Read Part One HERE

Having shared my conversation with bible teacher Lori Alexander with you, I will now share a little from an article I found on her website titled: Women Praying and Prophesying.

In this article Lori has written as follows:

Many people today believe that women can pray and prophesy in the churches. Does the Bible actually say that women can do this? Let's look at I Corinthians 11 which teaches about headcoverings. We are told that the head of the woman is the man and that "every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head." Is this referring to a woman's activity in a church service? Does this mean that women can pray and prophesy in the church?

I can't see anything in this chapter that states that this can happen during the church service. The entire book of I Corinthians is written to a very messed up church but the Apostle Paul isn't giving instructions throughout the entire letter about how the church service should run. No, he is given instructions mostly on how those who call themselves believers in Jesus Christ, ought to behave themselves.

At the end of chapter 9, he (Paul) is encouraging believers to be temperate in all things and discipline their bodies. In chapter 10, he warns them against idolatry, fornication, lusting after evil things, murmuring and that whatever they do, they do all for the glory of God. Then he goes into chapter 11 about headcoverings, women being the glory of man, and long hair being their covering. In the verse I mentioned earlier (every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered, dishonoureth her head), it makes no mention of this happening in a church gathering.


My Comment

Lori's comment makes no sense since she is trying to say that women can only do their praying and prophesying in private. Now women as well as men may well and should pray in private besides it being done in public in a church gathering. However, prophesying is not done in private but is done in public in a church gathering since it is a speaking gift to be used for other believers.

 No doubt, Lori will have no problem teaching that men can pray and prophesy in a church gathering according to I Corinthians 11:4. However, if she teaches that men can pray and prophesy in a church gathering then she should teach that, likewise, women can pray and prophesy in a church gathering. You cannot teach that men can pray and prophesy in a church gathering and then deny that women can pray and prophesy in a church gathering since they are mentioned in I Corinthians 11:5, which is the verse that follows on from I Corinthians 11:4.

It will be helpful as well to remember that this letter was written to address issues mentioned in a letter Paul had received from a house church in Corinth led by an female overseer named Chloe
as we can read in I Corinthians 1:11
My brothers, some from CHLOE'S HOUSEHOLD have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

CHLOE'S HOUSEHOLD, very likely, refers to a house church led by CHLOE, a FEMALE overseer. Paul obviously knew about Chloe and the house church that she was overseeing but there is never any mention of him disciplining her by telling her to step down from her role as overseer of this house church since, as a woman, she could not function in this way. All he did in his letter was dealing with certain issues he had become aware of through members of her church.
It is clear that Paul had no problems with this house church being led by a female overseer. He, therefore, would not have had problems with women praying and prophesying during their public gatherings.