Women in the Church

Why don't we abide by this?

From I Cor 14:34,35:

34The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.

35If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.

I read this in my morning devotions this morning, and wondered--again--why we don't take these verses more seriously. I guess I know why--any attempt to enforce this command would be met with such loud squawking as to deafen all those within 100 yards.

The church I attend is pretty conservative--the women wear the prayer covering at all times, not just in church--and yet these verses aren't taken seriously at all. We haven't got to the point where women are teaching or preaching (thank goodness), except for children's SS classes, but in our mixed gender, married adult classes the females account for most of the commentary during the lesson. Of course, very rarely is anything of any substance or intelligence uttered, mostly obvious fluff or off-topic blather, and it's rather distracting.

Maybe I'm just a tad misogynistic, but on the other hand, I read the Bible literally and I don't think it's commands are subject to interpretation based on the current political and social climate.

At the church where I grew up, the coming debate will be whether to allow women to serve as Elders. (!) Of course, it's a Mennonite church, though not the black-bumper, black hat, don't-own-a-TV-or-you'll-go-to-hell kind of Mennonites--they gave up on the prayer covering long ago--and the Mennonite church as a whole is becoming more politically liberal all the time. The national conference is "struggling" with how to deal with homosexuality, specifically with how to deal with churches that have accepted homosexuals into their membership. I wouldn't be surprised if this "struggle" came to my old church, too.

To me, homosexuality is an obvious sin--the Bible says it is--but there are too many people who like to look at the Bible through the filter of political correctness, instead of the other way around.