Can women "share" in church? 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 seems to say that women should remain silent. Also, in 1 Timothy 2:11-12, again women should learn in silence. I know sharing is not teaching, but according to these scriptures it seems that women should be silent. Can you provide us with some insight?

Yes, I would be happy to help. There is certainly a difference between preaching and sharing. One is appropriate in the assembly, and enhances church services considerably. The other is out of place, and breeds disunity. Generally we discourage the sisters from reading the Bible or exhorting the assembly, based on 1 Corinthians 14. The question is, what kind of "silence" does Paul have in mind? Not total silence, since in 1 Corinthians 11 we see that the women were allowed to pray in the assembly!

In 1990, I wrote a paper (with encouragement from Pat Gempel) on the role of women. This paper is suitable for copying and even sharing with your friends who don't necessarily fully trust the inspiration of the Bible. But to answer your question, Yes, women may share, but unfortunately many women, in the absence of clear guidelines from leaders, "cross the line."

Here is the link.