1 Timothy 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

Let us set up this verse in interlinear format, and then we will discuss it.

The top line is Greek. The superscript numbers are Strong's numbers (roll over the numbers to see the reference from Strong's Greek Dictionary as well as the morphology of the word) allowing you to look up each word in a lexicon. The middle line is obviously English, while the bottom line is the Greek transliteration of each Greek word.

γυναικι ¹¹³⁵   δε ¹¹⁶¹ διδασκειν ¹³²¹ ουκ ³⁷⁵⁶ επιτρεπω ²⁰¹⁰ ουδε ³⁷⁶¹

αυθεντειν ⁸³¹                   ανδρος ⁴³⁵ αλλ ²³⁵ ειναι ¹⁵¹¹ εν ¹⁷²² ησυχια ²²⁷¹

have authority over     a man        but       to be        in        stillness

authentein                              andros         alla         einai           en       hesuchia

"For a woman I permit not to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in stillness." -1 Timothy 2:12

The authority and teaching about which Paul spoke applies to spiritual matters only. These spiritual matters include church and home. A woman is not to have authority over men in church leadership positions, nor is she to have authority over her husband. It is implied in the context that this means only in these areas, church and family. A woman may not teach a man nor have authority over him in spiritual matters, which includes the church and the family, and she is to be still or quiet in these areas. That does not mean she may not speak, but stillness means that she should not be in authority over a man. As long as she is not in authority over her husband or over men in the church, she may speak. Certainly she should have authority over her children, her servants, and her household. But her authority does not extend over her husband.

In the church, she should not teach with authority over men. In other words, she may not teach a man in a way that gives her authority over him. She may teach a Sunday School class or a Bible study as long as she does not usurp the authority of men in the class. An example of this would be a woman teaching a Sunday School lesson out of a quarterly. This is acceptable. But if she claims authority over a man in her teaching, like a pastor has authority over men in his teachings, she is violating this principle. Sunday School teachers or Bible study teachers generally have no authority in the church (unless the teacher is also a pastor, elder, or bishop). Only the elders, bishops and pastors have authority. Hence she may not be an elder, bishop, or pastor.

Now she may be a deaconess in the strictest sense of the word-she may serve (deacon, Gr. diakonos, means servant). If the deacons are not in authority in a church (and they should not be in authority) then a woman can be a deaconess. But there are churches where the deacons sit as a board of directors, and in these churches women may not be deacons. I am of the firm opinion that in such churches these men should not be called deacons but elders. In my church, though, the deacons fill both positions. Sometimes they are elders and sometimes servants depending on the circumstances in which they are involved. In this case, women many not be deacons.

This does not mean that a woman may not have authority over a man in business or government, or any other matters outside the areas of authority in the church or having authority over her husband. A woman CEO may have authority over men who work for her. Even if she is a Christian and he is a Christian, if she is his employer, she may have authority over him in his employment. But if a female boss tries to take spiritual authority over a male employee, she has violated the principle in this verse. There is no prohibition against a woman premier, prime minister, president or any other head of state. In those positions they may have authority over men, but only political or management authority. A female leader who is a Christian and is married to a Christian may not have authority in spiritual matters over her husband, even though she may be the most powerful person in the world (as is the President of the USA). A woman judge also has authority over men in her purview. But even her authority does not extend over her husband or over leaders in her church. Of course if one of those leaders comes in her courtroom, there she has authority over him in judicial matters, but not in spiritual matters.

Women may have authority over men in areas outside their families and their church. But in spiritual matters, a woman may never have authority over men. I am sorry if you disagree, but since I am quoting the Bible, your disagreement is not with me, but with God, the Author of the Bible.