This article was originally published on Crosswalk.com.

Two short sections of Scripture have been used for thousands of years to say that women should be silent in the church, and women should not be allowed to teach men.

Claiming that there are numerous passages conflicting with this interpretation, many evangelical denominations, as well as mainline denominations, have interpreted these verses differently. Others insist on what they call a “literal” interpretation, which requires women to keep quiet.

This topic just won’t go away.

In 2019, prominent reformed Baptist minister John MacArthur told Beth Moore, a Southern Baptist, to “go home,” criticizing her ministry which sometimes reaches men.

And headlines were made recently in Wylie, Texas when Mayor Eric Rogue, also a pastor, requested that only men be allowed to pray at a city council meeting.

Rogue didn’t say why he was applying these verses to women speaking outside the church, but he did cite the two oft-quoted sections from the New Testament:

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