Her Theology
Women and the Church: The Biblical Case for Egalitarianism with Megan Powell du Toit
Send us Fan Mail What do egalitarian Christians actually believe about women in ministry and how do they get there from Scripture? In this episode of our Women and the Church series, I’m joined by pastor and theologian Megan Powell du Toit to hear the biblical case for egalitarianism. Megan defines egalitarianism simply: that God intends full equality between men and women across context and role. But importantly, she pushes back against one of the most common assumptions in this debate, that egalitarians arrive at that conclusion because they take Scripture less seriously. We talk about how complementarians and egalitarians actually interpret the Bible, why Megan believes both camps often share far more hermeneutically than we realise, and then work our way through some of the major passages at the centre of this debate. We look at Genesis 1–3, what it means for woman to be created as a “helper”, women praying and prophesying in 1 Corinthians 11, the command for women to remain silent in 1 Corinthians 14, “I do not permit a woman to teach” in 1 Timothy 2, submission and headship in Ephesians 5, Galatians 3:28, Pentecost, Romans 16 and the women we see throughout the biblical story. We also talk about where egalitarians themselves disagree, the importance of humility when interpreting difficult passages, and the very real impact this conversation has on women trying to discern how God has gifted and called them to serve his church. This episode isn’t asking you to simply accept Megan’s conclusion. As throughout this series, I want you to hear the position from someone who actually holds it, test it against Scripture and do the hard work yourself. Follow @hertheology on Instagram & YouTube. Head to hertheology.com to find out more.
