206 FEMINIST VIEWS BASED ON UNTRUTHFUL CLAIMS
important. When the proposals turn out to be contrary to the known
evidence, we should conclude that they are untruthful. When the pro-
posals turn out to be unsubstantiated by the known evidence, we should
conclude that they are mere speculation, and the previously established
meanings of the words should stand.
The result of this egalitarian claim is again to chip away at God’s
Word for believers, because it removes the sense of the verse that God
intended:
Previous meaning: I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise
authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.New egalitarian meaning: I do not permit a woman to teach or to
abuse authority over a man (or: to commit violence against a man,
etc.); rather, she is to remain quiet.These new meanings completely change the sense of a key word in
1 Timothy 2:12. But they do so contrary to the evidence about the
word’s meaning and its use in a context like this one. And so by remov-
ing from God’s people the sense of what his Word actually says, they
move another step down the path to liberalism.