Should women open air preach?

[Donna]

This is a question that has been lingering in my head for quite some time now. Would love everyone's input and of course, give scriptural back up to support your view.

[Curt Lovelace]

Every Christian is called to share the Gospel. That's not necessarily preaching.
Over and out.

Thank you.

[ModBot2000]

Hello Folks, sorry to interrupt I just want to make sure we're staying on topic.

Thanks kindly.

[Donna]

So far I have seen a lot of the scriptures that are pointing to women in a church meeting, but open air preaching is basically in public, standing up and preaching the gospel to lost people. Calling all men and women everywhere to repent and believe.

I love Joe's response about women needing to be a Titus 2 woman, gentle and quiet, meek, I hadn't thought of looking at those verses before in regards to open airing. Open airing does require your voice to be amplified.

"Now as to your question, I think the answer must be drawn from the Scriptural admonitions to women - in particular two come to mind:

Titus 2:4-5
Young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

1 Peter 3:3-5
Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Now some examples of open-air preaching that I have seen have not exactly been gentle. I've seen some ladies preaching who could really holler, discretion was not the first word that would come to my mind. But having said that, I do not believe that open air preaching must need be that way. I do believe that with a gentle and quiet spirit, and under the submission of her husband, if married, a woman can and should preach the Gospel - using whatever means God permits - in life, and in word. If he has given you an audience that will listen, woe is me if I preach not the Gospel!"

I agree Joe....a lot of open airs I have seen were harsh, rude, insensitive...I can't remember which preacher of old said this but I will quote,"If they don't see the tears in your eyes, let them hear it in your voice"

Open airing should be full of compassion, loving, pleading as Paul says we should do.
(2 Corinthians 5:20) (New King James Version)
"Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God."

I totally agree that ALL Christians are called to witness, both in word and good works, sharing the Gospel whenever the Lord directs us and opens that door...open airing on the other hand is different than a 1-2-1 witnessing encounter.

I certainly don't see pics of George Whitefield's wife, or CH Spurgeouns wife standing up after their husband an open airing...but that doesn't mean they didn't either...I highly doubt it though.

Open airing is not a regular practice for me at all. I have open aired on a few occasions but something inside of me always felt uncomfortable...like I was unbalanced. Some women I have seen open air were truly godly women, and they were pleading and compassionate, I have seen others that were yelling and came across proud and dominating.

I want to please the Lord in everything I do, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for I know it is the power of God unto salvation and I desire to proclaim it anywhere.

but I know that God has certainly made us male and female and we do have different roles.

Thanks for the discussion everyone. Now go share your faith while you still have time..... :)

[Curt Lovelace]

Regarding the statement: You two chaps here seem to be get a bit personal or is this just my interpretation. I think women preaching is something that we perhaps will never agree on but it shouldn't divide us.

Nothing personal here. Nor do I think Seraphim was "personal" in the sense in which I think this comment was made. We both have our "personal" opinions, which we think are backed by Scripture. I appreciated hearing his, though I didn't agree.

[Jessica_Meyers]

Yes, every woman should open air preach. I would say we would be better off if women did the bulk of it.

[Thomas Ham]

I'd have to say 'open air preaching' is not productive. It causes a severe chasm between those that don't know the Lord and those that do. It puts a Christian on a soap box and makes the people of this world think we're self-righteous, arrogant and just "BLOW HARDY".

I think women are apart of the great commission just as much as men though. But we are to convert people through our lives. We need to live a life that is apart of God's will and people will see the peace in our hearts. This will create TRUE Christians.

[Char]

Thomas and Ser. Pheh!

My life will convert no one (except maybe to nihilism). Christ's life converts through the foolishness of preaching.

That said I would not advocate "open air" preaching in most instances. Still that's how Paul and the gang did it so I don't know that it can be disqualified.

[Harry]

Being Lutheran, I don't think that any lay person should do any type of preaching, but they should witness one on one. Lay persons are not trained to preach Law and Gospel.

[Rey Reynoso]

Trained to preach the Gospel? Wasn't it a foreign untrained woman who pointed to Christ in Samaria?

[Char]

Rey, you gotta understand the Lutheran view of preaching and what it does. It's kind of a technical term for them. Note that Harry stated that laypeople can "witness". I think this is likely what most Lutherans would say is what the woman did, or similarly what Mary Magdelene did. For most of us they are used interchangeably.

[4forchrist]

So my question goes beyond this is there any real restrictions on women , preaching, teaching, evangelism etc.......?

4christ

[joan elizabeth mazzu]

in the same chapter where paul says women don't teach a man, he also says do not do something to cause another to stumble.  Maybe that is part of the dynamic that God had in mind in saying don't teach men.  they- or some of them- cannot receive or accept truth coming from a woman.  Maybe the office of chaplain, as in a hospital, is different.  When a man, no matter how manly or proud, has been knocked down by adversity, maybe he can accept as mercy and help words of truth and comfort coming from a woman.

 

also, it is so easy for people, men or women, to slip into the attitude that what is more public is more important, and that teaching adults is more important than teaching children.  Maybe that is why God told women to stay out of the pulpit, so that someone (ok , it's us women) would be on the job with the children and in the one to one situations, and of course living God's mercy.