PHOEBE WAS A DEACON Other Women Should Be, Too

Robert B. Sthmple

1 appreciate this opportunity to indi• reason to believe the Bible to be saying. tain two texts which speak quite di• cate something of the thrust of my We must be careful not to make the rectly to the subject before us, because minority report to the 55th General mistake of thinking that the Reformed they speak of women deacons. Since it Assembly. But I fear that a brief article regulative principle means that only is the Scripture which must decide the which cannot begin to convey the force the positive position, the position that issue, the church must have the cour• of the New Testament evidence for qualified women may be elected as age to take a fresh, unbiased look at recognizing the propriety of qualified what the Scripture says. As the Com• women serving as deacons in the church mittee report rightly notes, we must could prove counter-productive! I would not be blinded by the spirit of our "The answer to the question of therefore urge interested readers to times—whether of feminism or of male whether or not women may be study the full report of over 20 pages chauvinism. Neither must we be con• ordained to the office of deacon which appears in the Agenda for tent to follow the easy course of main• depends entirely upon the estab• General Assembly (see p. 16). taining the status quo in the church lishment of positive scriptural war• simply because it is the status quo. While 1 am in full agreement with the rant." But what must we require bulk of the report of the GA Commit• as to the nature of that positive tee dealing with the role of women in scriptural warrant? A. Romans 16:1,2 church office and with its argument Here the apostle Paul writes, "I com• that the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:12 mend to you our sister Phoebe, who is clearly excludes women from the office also a deacon of the church which is at of elder, I do not believe the Commit• deacons, needs to satisfy the burden of Cenchrea; that you receive her in the tee is correct in concluding that the providing biblical proof, while the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, Bible also excludes women from the negative position needs to provide no and that you help her in whatever office of deacon. explicit biblical teaching to the effect manner she may have need of you; for that women are to be excluded from she herself has also been a helper of I. The Regulative Principle and this office. many, and of myself as well." the Burden of Proof Given the Bible's clear teaching re• It has been noted that the term dea• The Committee is certainly correct garding the full equality of the sexes con (servant) was used for such a vari• in asserting that "the answer to the before God (accented in texts like ety of ministries in the church that it is question of whether or not women may Genesis 1:27 and Galatians 3:28), we surprising, perhaps, that it ever came be ordained to the office of deacon de• would seem to require some biblical to be the designation for a particular pends entirely upon the establishment basis for excluding them from a par- ministry or office. It did become such of positive scriptural warrant." But what an official title, however, and it is clearly must we require as to the nature of that used as such in Philippians 1:1 and 1 positive scriptural warrant? Must it be Given the Bible's clear teaching Timothy 3:8,12,13. The question is more clear and explicit than the war• regarding the full equality of the whether it is used in such an official rant on the basis of which we have de• sexes before God (accented in texts sense of Phoebe here. If Philippians termined other matters relating to the like Genesis 1:27 and Galatians 1:1 is the first reference in the N.T. to worship and government of the church? 3:28), we would seem to require this particular office of deacon, is Must it be more clear, for example, some biblical basis for excluding Phoebe the first (and only!) holder of than the biblical command which them from a particular role and this office to be named in the N.T.?' grounds the participation of women in office in the church at least as It is not enough to suggest, as the the Lord's Supper? much as we would require a bibli• Committee report does, that there is Do we really want to take the posi• cal basis for opening it to them. nothing in the passage that absolutely tion that we cannot act on the basis of rules out the general force of deacon what we believe the Scripture teaches, here. We must consider what are the unless we find that teaching so 100% ticular role and office in the church at elements in the passage which make it, transparent that no counter interpreta• least as much as we would require a tion with even the slightest degree of biblical basis for opening it to them. 'My report includes an extensive study of Acts 6 plausibility can be suggested? The and concludes that the appointment of the Seven was a special provision for that particular requiring of such an absolute demon• II. The New Testament and Women time and circumstance only, but one which did stration may well leave us paralyzed, Deacons guide the church later, by way of example, when unable to obey what we have adequate The New Testament seems to con• it came to appoint helpers to the elders.

17 as the Committee itself concedes, more not the wives of the deacons but are this point. natural, "perhaps even more likely," rather women deacons. (The NIV, for The leading cause of this loss of the that it should be "read as a fixed or example, "their wives," is not transla• N.T. understanding has been "colored official designation" here. tion but interpretation. There is no by the work of the overseer" in the Space does not permit a careful look possessive pronoun in the Greek text, thinking of the church; "and the Bible at these elements, but there are at least though one would expect such if the clearly says.. .that a woman in Christ's four: deacons' wives were in view.) church is not permitted to teach or 1. The formula Paul employs here In answering the question that natu• have authority over the man." suggests that the reference is to rally arises if one sees this text as giving This derailment of the N.T. view• Phoebe's holding the office of deacon. qualifications for wives of the deacons— point is further fostered today by the He speaks of her. literally, as "being a namely. Why are the qualifications for attempt of many to seize upon the deacon." Such a participial phrase is the wives of the overseers not given?— presence of women deacons in the consistently the way in which one iden• the Committee suggests that the wives N.T. as an argument for admitting tifies the particular office someone holds of the deacons had a part in the work women also to the tasks of oversight at a particular time. Examples of this of their husbands in a way in which the and teaching. It is often "as a reaction usage in the N.T. are found in John wives of the overseers did not. to this," as Van Bruggen notes, that 11:49; Acts 18:12 and Acts 24:10. In explaining why this should have "others close to women even the door 2. The force of the "also" in the best- been so, however, the Committee vir• of diaconal work." attested Greek text seems to be to tually concedes the crucial point which The solution to all such derailed think• emphasize that Phoebe is not only a I believe must be emphasized concern• ing is to seek a more accurate biblical Christian sister but a/so a deacon in the ing the important difference between understanding of the deacon. The church at Cenchrea. the office of overseer and the office of important difference with regard to the 3. Most especially, the genitive phrase nature of the authority exercised be• added ("of the church which is at tween the elders and the deacons would Cenchrea") does not simply inform us seem to be underscored in the greeting of the place from which Phoebe came, The Committee suggests that the of Philippians 1:1 by the use of the, not but underscores again her official status, wives of the deacons had a part in merely different, but contrasting titles: even as today we refer to Tom Bradley, the work of their husbands in a "the overseers" and "the servants." way in which the wives of the over• mayor of Los Angeles, or to Jack Pe• Recognizing the biblical distinctive• seers did not....[This] concedes terson, pastor of the church in San ness of both the elders and the deacons the crucial point which I believe Antonio. has proven more difficult for churches must be emphasized concerning 4. At the end of v. 2, Paul adds that from the Dutch Reformed background the important difference between "she herself has also been a helper of (with a tradition of seating both on the the office of overseer and the many." If the reference to Phoebe as a church consistory with little meaningful office of deacon, and how this "deacon" in v. 1 indicated nothing distinction) than it should be for Presby• difference makes it appropriate more than that she had been helpful to terians. We should recognize that the that the office of deacon (but not many, the words in v. 2 would be a elders are responsible for the oversight the office of elder) be open to superfluous repetition. As it is, Paul is and rule of the total life of the congre• qualified women as well as to making clear that not only did she bear gation, including the work of the dea• qualified men! the office and title of servant, she really cons. The deacon is not a ruling office. was a servant in her life and practice. That priority is reserved for the elders. As already noted, it is often asserted The deacons are helps to the elders, that our Reformed regulative principle deacon, and how this difference makes analogous to the Seven appointed to requires that the alleged example it appropriate that the office of deacon assist the Apostles (Acts 6). appealed to as providing the biblical (but not the office of elder) be open to Sad to say, contemporary advocacy warrant for an ecclesiastical practice be qualified women as well as to qualified of the admission of women to the di• clear. But this matter of clarity cuts men! I quote the Committee, "by virtue aconate has too often been embraced both ways. We might well be expected of the differences between the two by those unwilling to be in submission to adopt the natural understanding of offices, deacons' wives could be more to the Scripture at all points, with tragic Romans 16:1,2 unless the teaching of directly and extensively involved in the confusion resulting. Fear of the ad• the N.T. elsewhere that it is not proper official activities of their husbands...." vances of such theological liberalism, for a woman to serve in the office of however, should not be allowed to deacon is so clear that we must con• HI. Elders and Deacons, the Over• prevent us from entering into a more clude that this understanding of the seers and the Servants biblical understanding of the office of Phoebe reference cannot be the cor• Prof. J. Van Bruggen of the "Liber• deacon and the exciting possibilities for rect one. ated" (Article 31) Reformed Churches qualified women—and qualified men!— in the Netherlands uses an interesting in that role.

B. 1 Timothy 3:11 figure in arguing that the trail of the A minister in thie OPC. Dr. Strimple is professor Six pages of my minority report are women deacons can definitely be traced of systematic tfieology at Westminster Thieologi- devoted to establishing the fact that the back into the N.T. itself, but that the cal Seminary in California and fias been its "women" addressed in this verse are church has suffered a "derailment" at president since 1982.

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