Bobby Gilles
bobbygilles.bsky.social
Bobby Gilles
@bobbygilles.bsky.social
Husband, Father, Pastor, Songwriter, MANT
@northernseminary. Songs include Lead Us Back, Let Justice Roll.
You’re talking with your cousin, TheoBro Ted, and he shakes his head when you talk about women in ministry. Ted says, "“Look, I just believe what everyone believed until five minutes ago. This whole ‘women preacher’ thing is just a new feminist idea." Ted is wrong. And I'll prove it:
Lie Exposed: Evangelical Women Preaching is NOT a New, Post-1960's Thing
To say otherwise is to compromise with the world
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:04 AM
With so many churches and denominations perpetrating and covering up horrific abuses, and with more and more people deconstructing due to hypocrisy and harmful teachings, is there an argument for church community today? My new post looks at why Carmen Joy Imes says, "Yes."
Is the Church Still Relevant? Necessary? "Becoming God's Family"
With so many churches and denominations perpetrating and covering up horrific abuses, with celebrity pastors and Christian media influencers sanctioning cruelty, and with more and more people deconstr...
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:10 AM
My new post analyzes proof from many sources and studies to show the link between complementarianism and both abuse and infidelity. "Why he cheats, beats, or mistreats often correlates with his theology"
Male Hierarchy Is A Breeding Ground For Abuse & Infidelity
Proof from many sources and studies
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM
We are living in hard times. How must the church relate to Christ, each other, and the world? It's all about "withness" and "witness." My new article explores Bonhoeffer's take on this, placing him in conversation with NT Wright, John Barclay, Matthew Bates, and other current scholars.
Bonhoeffer's Solution to a Church That's Lost Its Way
How the Church Relates to Christ, Herself, and the World
open.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Complementarianism insists men and women are equal in value but unequal in "role and authority." This is doublespeak for "They are not equal." And the idea that “It’s not about ability, it’s about responsibility” fails on scriptural and logical grounds. I talk about it in my brand new post:
Complementarianism’s “Animal Farm”: All Humans Are Equal, But Some More Than Others
In this article: Complementarianism insists men and women are equal in value but unequal in "role and authority." This is doublespeak for "They are not equal." And the idea that “It’s not about abilit...
open.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Bobby Gilles
“Disallowing a woman’s leadership under the “women are too emotional” argument reveals a misunderstanding of the very concept of emotion. Emotions are not sinful; they are expressions of how we have been spiritually formed over time.

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October 19, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Jesus lived justly and trained his followers to be people of justice. We see this in their treatment of the marginalized in the New Testament and early historical records. More on this, plus info on my next two posts, here:
Social Justice and the Church
Before I begin this week’s post, which is a short one, I want to thank the many of you who subscribed in the past week following my article 10 Bad “Biblical” Arguments Against Women Preaching, and the...
open.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Christian patriarchy (no matter what name it goes by) gets many things wrong. Prominent among them are ten “gotcha” statements often repeated on social media and other forums. My brand new post rebuts all ten.
10 Bad "Biblical" Arguments Against Women Preaching
Theobro "gotcha" statements, rebutted
open.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Jesus is for the poor, the hurting, the sick, the homeless, and the helpless. And he calls us to this position. My brand new post:
Jesus and Social Justice
IN THIS ARTICLE: Jesus is for the poor, the hurting, the sick, the homeless, and the helpless.
open.substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 10:09 AM
One epistle and two women almost never come up in the debate about women teaching and leading in the church. Yet, they are absolutely crucial. Let me show you:
Euodia, Syntyche & the Support Women Leaders Deserve
I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
open.substack.com
September 29, 2025 at 10:07 AM
I am honored to be featured on @scotmcknight.bsky.social’s Substack with a post called "A Family Resemblance." I will show that Mary taught scripture to Jesus and James, shaping the New Testament community. This is based on a very small part of the thesis I wrote for Scot at Northern Seminary.
A Family Resemblance
By Bobby Gilles (MANT Northern Seminary) is a pastor and songwriter in Indiana.
substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 1:20 PM
This is a good message all the time, but especially in troublesome times:

“Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” — 1 Corinthians 13:7-8
September 21, 2025 at 10:05 PM
The Hebrew prophets decried injustice, and so should we. My brand new article:
Social Justice and the Hebrew Prophets
IN THIS ARTICLE: the Hebrew prophets decried injustice, just as we should today.
open.substack.com
September 15, 2025 at 10:14 AM
When you were made for communion but raised for conflict, you plant your flag, call it “home,” and exile anyone who disagrees with you or doesn’t submit to your “authority.”
September 13, 2025 at 12:05 PM
I propose that Artemis plays a significant but indirect role in 1 and 2 Timothy. I'll show you why and how it fits, and why claims that this passage shows women may never teach the Bible to men are wrong: bobbygilles.substack.com/p/is-artemis...
Is Artemis to Blame in 1 Timothy 2? Yes, But No
Still, the Complementarian Counter-Argument Doesn't Work
bobbygilles.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 8:01 PM
In today's post, I’ll juxtapose the indirect emphasis of the Artemis cult with what I think is the direct claim of the teachers that 1 Timothy 2:11-15 opposes. We’ll end by answering, “Isn’t the complementarian ‘created order’ argument for 1 Timothy 2 the simplest, thus the best, interpretation?”
Is Artemis to Blame in 1 Timothy 2? Yes, But No
Still, the Complementarian Counter-Argument Doesn't Work
open.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 10:10 AM
The Law of Moses gives special protection for groups of people known as the stranger, the poor, the widow, and the orphan. If we are going to be a society that, say, posts the 10 Commandments in public places, we should follow through in how we relate to people within these and similar categories:
Justice & the Stranger, the Poor, Widow & Orphan in Mosaic Law
IN THIS ARTICLE: the Law of Moses gives special protection for groups of people known as the stranger, the poor, the widow, and the orphan.
open.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 12:46 PM
How does the historical-cultural situation of Artemis Worship in Ephesus in the first century reflect on the prohibition on women teaching in 1 Timothy 2? Let's dive in!
Goddess Worship and 1 Timothy 2
This spring, I covered 1 Timothy 2:11-15 from several angles to show that God has no timeless, worldwide ban on a woman’s call to teach men or proclaim the gospel to mixed audiences.
open.substack.com
August 25, 2025 at 10:08 AM
The story of Mary Magdalene speaks today:
Bobby Gilles (@bobbygilles)
The biblical record in favor of women preaching is stronger than contemporary “compromise” positions. From today’s post:
substack.com
August 11, 2025 at 6:34 PM
For the first time, I've written a (very) short story that will make Mary Magdalene's role as a preacher of the gospel clear. Following the story, I answer the claim that the language of Christ’s commission to her means she was “just delivering the news,” not doing anything analogous to preaching.
Proof That Mary Magdalene's Story Means Women Can Preach
Mary Magdalene comes first in all the lists of women disciples in the synoptic Gospels.
open.substack.com
August 11, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Genesis 3 introduces rebellion and broken fellowship into the biblical story, setting in motion a chain of events that leads to perpetual, unjust power plays. This is NOT what God wants. As we read, we long for things to be made right.
Social Justice and the Fall from Eden
Social Justice and the Bible, part three
open.substack.com
August 4, 2025 at 10:13 AM
I've written about women prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures but what about the argument, "That's the Old Testament - in the New Testament, women are not permitted to preach?" My new article lays that claim to bed ...
Women Can Preach Because New Testament Women Prophesied
The presence of women prophets in both Testaments should seal it: women can preach.
open.substack.com
July 28, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Similarities and differences between the Genesis creation accounts and other ancient Near East literature reveal God’s heart for justice, love, peace, equality between the sexes and among all peoples, and expectations for their loving care of all creation.
Social Justice in Creation
Social Justice and the Bible, part two
open.substack.com
July 21, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Today I'm writing about popular suppositions that many Christians (who believe in a God-ordained gender hierarchy of men over women) bring to the study of scripture, and comparing those suppositions to the story of Huldah, the woman prophet.
Huldah: the Woman Who Gives Patriarchy a Black Eye
When a (Woman) Prophet teaches a Priest and King
open.substack.com
July 14, 2025 at 10:16 AM
The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance famously ends, “with liberty and justice for all.” But justice is a controversial subject these days. My new post looks at key terms from the Scriptures to understand how Christians should understand social justice and why we must let justice roll like a river.
Social Justice & the Bible: Let Justice Roll
part one
open.substack.com
July 7, 2025 at 10:13 AM