Those who opposed the mission to the Gentiles on the terms being offered were, strictly speaking, right. They had scripture on their side. But Peter (Acts 11) and Paul (Acts 15) argued that they had experienced the grace of God among the Gentiles — beyond all the familiar boundary markers.

Those who said that the Messiah couldn’t have been crucified on a tree had scripture on their side. Such a person was deemed to be accursed. But the early church had experienced the truth of the unimaginable.

Those who argued against abolition had scripture after scripture to help make their case: scripture seemed to regulate the practice of slavery but not abolish it. However, Christ-followers who opposed slavery argued from their experience of the good news of Jesus that it was morally wrong. Thankfully, they won the day.

In an issue like the ministry of women, one question is: How do we interpret the relevant scriptures? But another hermeneutical question (that follows the former one) is: What is our experience of the gospel here? What are we observing about women, gifts, ministry, and leadership?

“What does the Bible say?” is a wonderful question. It is not, however, the ONLY question. There are also the questions and observations that arise from community discernment!