Women's Rights! (and a restriction) – Franz Pieper

There are some striking statements in Franz Pieper's essay “The Laymen’s Movement in the Light of God’s Word,” (Southern Illinois, 1913) from the book What Is Christianity? And Other Essays (see here for excerpted text):

• It is the clear teaching of Holy Scripture that Christian women should also teach God’s Word.

• Luther demanded that Christian schools be taught not only by men, but also by women...

• for woman dare not in any case be barred from instructing...

Yes indeed!... women not only have the right to teach God's Word, but should teach it in certain situations that Pieper points out:

According to Titus 2: 3-4 the aged women should teach the young women. St. Paul declares of Timothy that he knew the Holy Scriptures from childhood because his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois had faithfully instructed him, 2 Tim. 1:5. 

Why are Pieper's statements striking?  Because they are the true teaching of the Bible even though the main teaching Pieper brings out are the Biblical injunctions against the teaching and authority by women over men in the church:

However, while all this is very true, Holy Scripture excludes Christian women from all public teaching in the presence of men. Paul’s injunction is expressed in two passages. In 1 Tim. 2:11-14 he says: “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp the authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression.” [In] 1 Cor. 14: 34-35 his mandate reads: “Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the Law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Here is where God ends women's rights in the church.  Franz Pieper spoke many other times in Lehre und Wehre over the sad state of the usurpation of authority by women over men... clearly in violation of the Bible.  I may bring some of these out as opportunities present...

In a previous blog post, I also presented this Biblical teaching against women teaching men (or adolescents) in the church.  How sad the Paul T. McCain even fosters this anti-Biblical practice.  However, may it not be forgotten the Biblical injunction for women to teach the spiritual truth to those that God has allowed, even commanded them to: children and younger women.

A portion of Pieper's essay is still being published by a website from Germany here.  I recommend (as before) that the reader purchase this book from CPH (or Amazon used).  It contains other wonderful essays from Pieper's pen – beautiful Christian teaching (see here for more info).