Dr Paul Allen

In December 2024, near Kwa Zulu Natal, a man admitted to a terrible crime. The life of Zandile Kumalo was taken, horrifically documented, and then spread on social media. A reporter far away in Limpopo raised the question of witchcraft in connection with this vile string of events. Enos Magwabeni interviewed a witch doctor (name unpublished, hereafter WD), called a traditional healer by those trying to dignify the sad and dark ways of heathenism, and their exchange discussing the December murder of Zandile by Sibusiso was published in the Limpopo Mirror 17 January 2025 (article not archived online).  The WD argued that men who commit such crimes have been bewitched, and when the spell begins to wear off, they fall into a desperate rage. When the voodoo dominates, “the man becomes docile, almost like a walking zombie. He no longer can make his own decisions.”  According to the WD, these spells are most commonly cast by women who want to manipulate men, and the inexplicable choi...

BY BRAD VAUGH Few verses are as controversial as 1 Peter 3:7. Some people flatly ignore it, regarding it as plainly ridiculous. Here is what Peter writes: “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honuor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7, NASB) What exactly does he mean by calling women “weaker” compared to men? Countless people argue that Peter refers to women’s physical strength. Perhaps, some seemingly suggest they are not as tough as men (i.e., they are more “delicate” to use an old English expression). Whatever the case, this verse has often been used as yet another reason to subtly affirm the inferiority of women to men. Peter Achtemeier offers a more nuanced view (though it needs improvement). He writes, “While in Hellenistic culture such weakness was taken as a description of a woman’s nature, moral and intellectual as well ...

In 1 Corinthians 14:34 Paul says, “Women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as the law also says.” 1 Timothy 2:11–14 raises perhaps more problems: “Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.” These two passages constitute a genuine puzzle for modern readers, not least in light of the following four factors. First, Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 11:3–16 presuppose that women will take a full speaking part in public worship and prayer. This at once suggests that his hesitation in 14:34 cannot be understood to be a universal prohibition for women not to speak in public worship. (The one problem of these verses is that Paul does appear to invoke the argument that “man was not made from woman, but woman from man” in 11:9. We shall try to address this later.) Second, in Paul’s epistles, at least half a dozen women do have leadership posi...

Saul’s destruction of the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15 is a tough passage of Scripture. God commands Saul to destroy an entire city—women and children included—and rebukes Saul for showing mercy to some residents. Many have called this a “text of terror” that condones a massacre and depicts a genocidal God. While I have no desire to dodge this being a difficult passage, I do want to offer five observations that give a more nuanced understanding of what’s happening. 1. History of the Amalekites The Amalekites were not your friendly next-door neighbours. They’re depicted throughout the Bible as muggers preying on the vulnerable. In Exodus 17, they attack Israel—a defenceless nation of homeless, wandering slaves who’ve just left Egypt. In Numbers 14, they attack Israel in the wilderness again. In Deuteronomy 25:17–18, Israel is told, “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked a...

The concept of “biblical headship,” or the idea that a man should have ultimate authority over his wife and/or women in the church, is primarily based on interpretations of four key New Testament passages (Icons of Christ, William G. Witt, 121). The one I will deal with in this post is 1 Corinthians 11. Verse 3 of this chapter reads as follows: “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and the head of Christ is God.” At first blush, this passage might clearly seem supportive of the notion of “headship”; however, this understanding depends more on how we as English speakers typically interpret the word “head” rather than an understanding of the Greek word that Paul uses for head here, kephalē, and his intended meaning.  In fact, many modern Biblical scholars argue that “head” in this instance does not connote “authority over” but rather the concept of “source” (128-9). In fact, “head” carries similar nuances of mea...

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in Tehran, Iran, Yesterday marked one month since the protests in Iran erupted against the Islamic Shiite regime. Multitudes of angry Iranians—drawn from various social levels—took to the streets to demand the toppling of a regime that has been claiming to apply Islamic rules for over four decades. The triggering event for the protests was the brutal death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, who was arrested by Iran’s morality police in Tehran for improperly wearing the Islamic hijab headscarf. The repeated chant of the protesters is, “Woman, life, freedom.” While these protests are clearly triggered by the unjust death of Amini, they are a testimony of the absolute failure of Islamic law, in Iran’s case strictly applied, to enrich and flourish the lives of the Iranian people. Iranians are not merely protesting the killing of an innocent woman—they are demanding the toppling of a brutal Islamic regime that has controlled the lives of citizens for decades....

One recurring question regarding women in the church goes something like this:  What does the Bible say about women teaching and prophesying?  The follow-up question is usually, And what does that mean for us now? LET’S START WITH DEFINITIONS Teaching : Imparting truth to another person. The truth can be spiritual in nature, explaining things of God, but also practical in applying Gods word to life. Prophecy: A direct message from God, mediated through an individual and directed at a person or group, intended to elicit a specific response. As the spokesperson of God, a prophet held great spiritual authority with the people. Forthtelling: Exhorting the audience to obey God, encouraging them that God would save and provide for them. In the Old Testament, prophets were truth-tellers, often blended their speeches with foretelling and forthtelling.  In the New Testament, prophecy is listed as one of the most desired spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12) and is generally understood to ...

This article is by Kevin Deyoung and identifies the arguments against women having a teaching ministry. I find this whole argument swings on the concept of 'Authority.' The article is below. What do you think? I believe the authority issue is answered if there is a male district or national leader. It’s not surprising, given the volatile nature of sex in our world, that the divinely designed complementarity of men and women is a disputed topic. On the one hand, we want to be humble before the Lord and before each other, acknowledging that we can make interpretive mistakes. On the other hand, we don’t want to undermine practical biblical authority by declaring that all we have are “interpretations.” The existence of rival interpretations does not preclude that one of them is right or at least more correct than another. “Come now, let us reason together” is necessary advice for God’s people today as much as it ever has been (Isa. 1:18). With that in mind, let me address a number ...