Ridgell's Originals

It starts with the name. The Greek word is deacon and it means servant. So the question becomes why it is sometime translated (servant) and sometimes transliterated (deacon). How do you know if the word refers to someone who is designated with responsibilities (Deacon) or if it is someone who is a doing service? How do you decide which way to translate the word? Is it a designation or a description?

I do believe it clearly is used in different ways in different places. In I Timothy 3 the word must mean something besides just being a servant or you can only do service if you are a married man. But it can't always mean Deacon or in Mark you would describe Jesus as not coming to be deaconed, but to deacon.

So it seems to me that context must be used to see the difference between describing an office -- or someone with the designation of servant -- and describing someone who is doing service. That would seem to be what most translations have done. In I Timothy, they have used the context to assume Deacon is an office. They have assumed Phoebe in Romans 16 to be one who does service. Doesn't make them right, but does show the process of using context.

So what does that have to do with whether women should be deacons? Only that when you insist on speaking about how the word deacon should be used, be sure to look at context. It means differnt things in different places.

In the future, I will look at some of the verses about deacons.

Let me hear your thoughts.