1 Timothy 2:11-15
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
12I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.
13For Adam was formed first, then Eve.
14And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
15But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety
These are some of the most hated words in scripture. Yet they are inspired by the same Holy Spirit who caused John to write that God is love. There is no mistaking what Paul is saying here: He doesn't allow women to teach or be in authority over a man. He gives two reasons for this: One, that Adam was formed first, and two that Eve was the one deceived and not Adam.
That isn't politically correct, and it's sad that this is the lens we view this through, rather than what Paul is saying here. He isn't a bigot; didn't he write that there is no male or female in Christ? He doesn't think women are less than men in Christ. He is writing this for the reasons he gave, and they are significant and weighty reasons which have great implications for the way the church does ministry in the world. To ignore them is a sin, and it will have consequences.
