Wow - you're doing great to keep up reading through the month of December!

So many good ideas in this post! The title caught my eye as I just posted a related article today: 5 Reasons Children's Bible Stories are Dangerous - http://journeyoftheword.com/2016/07/30/5-reasons-.... Loved your story about teaching the Bible while slinging oatmeal. :)

Interestingly enough, the "rod" refers to a shepherd's staff which was sometimes used to beat the sheep, but more often used to guide it. Therefore, I question most Christians' understanding and use of "the rod."

The passage about women not having authority over a man (1 Tim 2:12)? That is not in the context of the church (believers), but in the context of the local church gathering (body of believers gathering as one). There's a big difference, and one which I think is crucial in understanding its proper application.

Outside of that context, I see nowhere in Scripture where women should not teach the Word of God.

As a side note, I would never consider my blogging "teaching." I write to encourage people (men and women alike) to read the Bible for themselves. Tips regarding what helps and what doesn't. And questions regarding specific passages to make people think. I rarely, if ever, post strong conclusions or use persuasive speech as though I want people to listen to *me* or believe in what *I* say. Because my whole purpose in writing is to thrust people back into the Word. I may be wrong about any given idea from Scripture. But Scripture is never wrong. So if I can send people there, I've done my job. And I would do the same if I were writing about Titus 2 (which I have!).

Anyway, my hesitancy regarding a focus on Titus 2 (besides the fact that I think its unbiblical!) is that women can easily misinterpret that passage if they don't have the lens of the entire Bible at their disposal. If we focus on one detail, we'll never see the big picture. There is so much more for women to teach women than what even the entirety of Titus presents. And we'll never interpret Titus 2 properly if we don't spend just as much time reading, studying, writing about, and promoting the rest of the Word.

Ah, I see. So when you say women should teach what Titus 2 presents, you're saying that's *exclusively* what women should teach. If so, may I ask where you get that idea?

Interesting. Well I must say your articles are very misleading then, because I have come to very different conclusions than your intention. The statement, "This is good and way more important than any Bible study you might attend," tells me, by pure logic and grammatical presentation, that you see a study of "Created to Be His Help Meet" to be a Bible study, and as more important than any other Bible study. And your emphasis on Titus 2 seems to be very unhealthy, in my opinion. I dare say, women can get that passage right all day long, but if they're not searching the whole Bible and seeking to obey all of it, their devotion to Titus 2 doesn't get very far and is, at best, completely misinterpreted (Scripture helps us to interpret Scripture, so we need it all!).

Really, I sincerely encourage you to write broadly (covering many Scripture passages) and to point people to the Word, not your personal view of it. Thanks for considering my recommendation. I am simply concerned for you and your blog and your many readers! :)

I'm not sure what you mean by using "original Greek language." Much of the Bible was originally written in Greek. To translate it into a language we can read (English for us), some of the original meaning is lost, so we must look back to the original language to truly understand the true meaning. Is that what you're referring to? I would see it as dangerous to rely on simply the English meaning of the words as we understand them today. Christians even just centuries ago would see those same words differently because words change with time. Not to mention, the translators are fallible. The original authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit - the translators were not. So we certainly can't trust our English versions 100%. Though if we can't read Hebrew/Greek, that may be all we can depend on. Anyway, I was confused by your statement regarding the Greek.

I certainly take the Titus passage seriously, and perhaps interpret it much like Lori would. I was just concerned that she was so focused on it that she was missing the rest of Scripture. But thanks for your feedback!

I completely agree with your title, "Going to Bible study doesn't make you a godly woman," so I was attracted to this article. But I must respectfully caution you on three points:
1. Book studies are not Bible studies. If your group is studying "Created to be His Helpmeet," that's not a Bible study. There's a huge difference, even if the book includes much Scripture. We're talking about totally different authors, and the Bible is the only book that is 100% true. Which is why a *BIble* study (Bible only) is the most important study (of any kind) one could attend. No book could ever surpass it.
2. Therefore, I would be very hesitant to promote a book (any book) to the extent that you're promoting "Created to be His Helpmeet." I would never give a fallible, human author that much credit.
3. The Titus passage of which you so strongly speak is not the most important passage in the Bible for women or anyone else. There are no passages more important than others. All Christians should study and think deeply about ALL of Scripture. The Titus passage should not be neglected, I agree, but it should also not be held above other passages. Even a passage of Scripture can become a god.
Having said all of that, I do agree that even going to a *Bible* study (Bible only) does not make anyone godly. Godliness comes from hearing the Word and doing what is says. And, ultimately, godliness comes from God himself. Nothing we do or don't do makes us godly, apart from his power working in us.

You have some good thoughts here. Personally, I don't understand how Christians, men and women alike, don't have strong opinions about everything. I think they should! I think they should hold them loosely, because they very well may be wrong. But I think they should know what they believe and believe it strongly until the Bible proves to them otherwise! Ask me about almost any topic, and I'll explain what the Bible says about it, and, therefore, what I believe about the topic, until I discover something in the Bible I haven't seen or understood before!
I am single, but this is one of the most important things to me as I consider a future marriage partner. Does he look at Scripture without presuppositions? Does he encourage me to do the same? Do we love studying and discussing the Bible together? Does he approach Scripture in the same way that I do, such that I know I can trust his final decision on any matter? I will not marry someone who doesn't fit this description, because my conscience would not allow it.

This is the safest place for *married* women to be. If a woman is unmarried, she is not necessarily "unsafe."