Women and Their Roles in the New Testament | Ben Witherington III

This lecture examines all the major passages that address women and their roles in the church and in society. Attention is given to the social and rhetorical context of each passage, the exegetical particulars, and the implications for ministry today.

Ben Witherington is the Amos Professor of New Testament for doctoral studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, and has taught at Duke, Vanderbilt, Gordon-Conwell, and Ashland Seminary. He is a graduate of UNC–Chapel Hill, Gordon Conwell, and the University of
Durham in England, where he did his PhD on women and their roles in the New Testament. He is an ordained United Methodist minister, and the author of over fifty books on the New Testament.

[marcbrown]

I feel as if I have been hit by a train - The Teaching was so profound that I am almost speechless - Must go off and find Ben's

[minkymandy]

Brought me to tears! God bless this man.

[staceymcstationary]

Good stuff! I liked how he pointed out that women's roles in the family are often determined by gender roles (and biology), but women's roles in the church are determined by gifting.


I also love how he affirms the single life for the kingdom and points out the church has neglected that role and calling.

[grousiest]

Oh my gosh and you even ended with Joni! Thanks, Ben. The church still has its knee on our necks but messages like this give me hope.

[kaleybarrow]

Wow. I've been very much appreciating Ben Witherington's work.

[Maxandshe]

This is BRILLIANT scholarship. Thank you.

[DiscipleDojo]

Someone at CBE should consider creating a visually engaging thumbnail image for this video so that more people will see it and consider clicking.

[peachy_talisman]

I love this so much, so grateful for this.

[mel]

Imagine how much of the Bible has been misinterpreted in the translation to romantic languages and English. There should be studying of hebrew and greek in all churches.

[heathersnyder]

Simple. I pray and read my Bible. I listen to sermons on-line. Love God. Love others.

[elbaann]

Guys we have to read 1Corinthians chapter 11

[liteenergy]

I really liked and enjoyed this. I tend not to be as much of a fundamentalist, and the best I can understand and figure on some of this subject matter is evolution into Christ (either way, we are still "stardust"). Still, I think he brings forth some interesting and even amazing perspectives.

[craigcowan]

Great sermon. So if ha Adam is man and only ha Adam get ejecked from the garden if ishah is not included in ha Adam does that mean she does not need sanctification from christ?

[jongodsey]

where does he write about this for a popular audience?

[stephend]

If you are going to say that in some marriages (only) the husband and wife have been joined "by God" - in others not - you need to be able to say how one knows whether it is God who has joined the couple together.

[SuperZaky]

That was a very helpful and insightful talk overall. It was a shame that Ben made a slightly insulting joke about John Piper that was not necessary; NT Wright and Piper have publicly disagreed with each other before in a much more complimentary and respectful way than that joke signals. Despite that, I got a lot from this. Thank you for the helpful overview.

[earnestlycontendingforthef]

Read the Bible for yourselves and ask the Lord God to open your heart....

[johnstonclark]

I agree with almost everything he preached. Very good presentation overall. However the crux of this issue is still the following: is there ANY distinction between the roles of men and women prescribed by God in the bible? We can worry about the particulars once that has been established, and there are many (and i don't claim to know or comprehend them all). His apparently reactionary response to "patriarchy" (read sinful men) is not adequate to conclude that there are NO differences between the roles of men and women. Frankly it's a hard case to make since the bible is rife with examples which both describe and prescribe differences along gender lines. Please let the bible speak for itself - see 24:14 in the video - likewise we also must choose based on the revealed word of God. Read it for yourself.

[elbaann]

Guys we have to read 1Timothy chapter 2 verses 8 to 15

[forgoogletotrack]

I disagree on one thing: context clues point to Eve knowing God's command. That's clear from the text. Saying that it was probably Adam's responsibility to inform her is patriarchal thinking when the text never says that. Please don't read into the text what isn't there.