In this episode of the Alabaster Jar Podcast, Dr. Lynn Cohick and Dr. Josephine Stringer cover part 4 of their 5-part series on the book of 1 Corinthians by exploring 1 Corinthians 11–14, where Paul addresses worship, headship, and life together in the church. Dr. Cohick unpacks the debated term kephalē (“head”) and considers how early church voices, cultural context, and Paul’s own rhetoric shape our understanding of hierarchy, source, and representation. They then move to women praying and prophesying, spiritual gifts, and the call for orderly worship that builds up the whole body of Christ. Then they conclude on the Lord’s Supper and how status, power, and neglect of the vulnerable can distort true communion, challenging listeners to embody a freedom that expresses itself in love for one another.

Resources Mentioned:

1 Corinthians: A Theological, Pastoral, and Missional Commentary by Dr. Michael J. Gorman

Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul's Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians by Dr. Lucy Peppiatt

The Visual Museum of Women in Christianity

The Center for Women in Leadership

Episode Sponsor:

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy, the marketplace, and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology.