In today's society the controversial topic concerns what positions in the church a woman can hold; has become incredibly controversial in the nation. Some people believe that women have the same rights as men and can support any position that a man can. Today's society also believes that since a woman can hold political and business power, then she can also have authority in the church. However, this could not be further from the truth: the position of women in the church is defined by God. First, a woman's position in the church as a teacher has many standards set by God. The Lord sets some standards for who a woman should teach in the church. Gilbert Bilezikian in his book Beyond Sex Roles, states: “According to the Epistle, women were appointed to teach, provided they were properly qualified.” However, who can they teach? The Bible says, “But I do not suffer a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over a man, but to be silent.” (I Timothy 2:12) The first standard set by God is that women cannot be teachers over men, because that violates the order of authority that God has established. Samuel Bacchoicchi states in Women in the Church: "Teaching is by its nature an exercise of authority and would violate the principle of submission of women to men." God designed men to have the authority to teach and guide women in the path of the righteous. The second standard set by God is that woman can be a teacher of children in the church. Mary Hayter, writer of the book The New Eve in Christ, says: The church, as a Christian community, should demonstrate masculinity in authority and femininity in loving care and service, and these phenomena are to be seen as existing in the father and in the minister, as symbolizing a pole of the personality counts……at the center of the card……to be the leaders. God is very pleased when His people follow Him. Although the woman does not have to have the primary authority over the church, she can indeed be of great help in growing the church and reaching others with the word of the Lord. Robbins quotes this statement by Charles Hodge: "The desire for knowledge in women must not be repressed, and the facilities for its acquisition must not be denied them." Works Cited Bacchoicchi, Samuel. Women in the Church. Michigan: Biblical Perspectives, 1987. The Bible (Authorized Version). Bilezikian, Gilbert. Beyond sexual roles. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1985.Hayter, Mary. The New Eve in Christ. Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 1987. Nicholas, David. What a woman should do in the Church. Arizona: Good Life Productions Inc, 1979. Robbins, John. Scripture Twisting in Seminaries. Jefferson: The Trinity Foundation, 1985