Women in First Corinthians: A Perspective on Paul

As women struggle for acceptance as leaders within the Christian community there is no more controversial teachings about women found in the Bible than those ofthe apostle Paul. In one breath he writes to the church in Galatians, There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Gal.3: 28 NRSV). When taken at face value this passage eliminates ethnic, social and gender barriers; in this verse Paul recognizes and addresses the dignity and worth of all humanity