Religion: What should the role of women be in the church? Questions about 1 Timothy 2

A dear friend of mine has been wrestling with 1 Timothy 2:11-15.

The traditional view says women can't teach and exercise authority in church.

Is that what the text really means?

There are other Bible texts that appear to open the door to women doing more in the church.

So what does this text mean exactly? What did it mean to the people who read it? What does it mean for us today?

I don't know.

Most of my years in church life have been under the traditional view. However, I have been in two churches that do not hold that view.

Some theological knots, I make an effort to untie. Sometimes, I feel I reach a fairly firm conclusion and take a view though I remain open to new data. On some issues, I take a view but much more provisionally and I don't hold to it very strongly. Again, I leave it open to further persuasion. And some issues I just throw up my hands and say, I've got a headache!

This is one of those issues!

I'm back at this knot trying to untie it and am mulling over the following items I've seen on the internet.

There is this item at Christians for Biblical Equality. They have still more articles on this resource page.

I also saw this analysis over at Stand to Reason.

Help, it is all Greek to me and my head is going to explode! 8-)