SUMMARY: QTM 206 // AUDIT: SPIRITUAL GIFTS & THE PASTORAL OFFICE

0.0 Executive Summary

Every believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit, but a critical "system error" occurs when the church conflates general spiritual gifting with specific authorization for the pastoral office. This audit evaluates both Restriction Data (texts limiting female authority) and Permission Data (texts showing female leadership) to determine the Architect's design for church governance.

1.0 The Two Primary Operating Systems

The church currently runs on two competing frameworks regarding gender and office:

The Complementarian Protocol:

• Logic: Asserts Ontological Equality (equal in worth) but Functional Distinction (different roles).
• Source Code: Heavily relies on 1 Timothy 2 & 3, arguing that the office of Pastor/Elder is limited to qualified men.
• Core Argument: This is a "hardware specification" tied to the original Creation order (Adam formed first), not a cultural patch.

The Egalitarian Protocol (Pentecost OS):

• Logic: Asserts that the New Covenant initiates a "System Restore" to pre-Fall mutuality, overriding biological hardware restrictions.
• Source Code: Heavily relies on Galatians 3:28 ("neither male and female") and Acts 2 (the Spirit poured out on sons and daughters).
• Core Argument: Points to "Permission Logs" of women prophesying, leading, and teaching (e.g., Deborah, Priscilla, Phoebe, Junia) and a "Trajectory Hermeneutic" toward mutuality.

2.0 The Core Logic Gates (Friction Points)

To find the truth, the audit passes the data through several logic gates:

• Office vs. Gift: Scripture lists spiritual gifts (teaching, leading, prophecy) without gender restrictions. However, the requirements for the specific office of Overseer (1 Timothy 3) use male-specific syntax ("husband of one wife").
• Creation vs. Culture: Egalitarians argue 1 Timothy 2 was a local patch for a specific Ephesian problem. Complementarians argue Paul explicitly grounds his restriction in the Creation order and the Fall, meaning it is a universal principle.
• Federal Headship: The restriction on the "Admin" (Elder) role isn't based on superior processing power (intelligence or competence) but on federal representation, much like Adam represented humanity.
• Matter Matters: Gender is not a software bug to be deleted; it is a hardware feature of the Imago Dei. While marriage ends at the resurrection, sexed embodiment does not. The system runs on "Mutuality Within Order."

3.0 Final System Configuration: The "Dual-Boot" Protocol

The audit concludes that the Source Code does not contradict itself; rather, the church is designed to run a complex Dual-Boot Protocol:

1. The Gifting Subsystem is OPEN: The Holy Spirit distributes gifts to both men and women without restriction. Women are explicitly permitted and encouraged to pray, prophesy, serve, evangelize, and teach in appropriate contexts.
2. The Governance Subsystem is RESTRICTED: The specific, authoritative governing office of Elder/Overseer is restricted to qualified men as a function of creation order.

Harmonizing the Friction: The tension is resolved by distinguishing Reporting from Governing. Prophecy is reporting a revelation for the body to weigh (open to all). The Pastoral Office is governing—authoritatively defining and defending the deposit of faith (restricted).

4.0 Security Warnings

To run a faithful church node, the system must avoid two severe viruses:

• The "Hyper-Patriarchy" Virus: Expanding the restriction on the office into a restriction on being. Scripture commands men to exhibit Christ-like, sacrificial love, viewing women as co-heirs. Domination is a distortion of the code.
• The "Progressive Overwrite" Virus: Deleting or ignoring difficult texts (like 1 Tim 2) to appease modern cultural consensus.