Are Women’s Bible Studies Harming You Spiritually?

I hate to do two posts in a row debunking the popular but still unnamed “Titus 2” blogger/influencer, but this one has been posted by her every 6 weeks or so, and every time, I just wonder what kind of women she has been around.

The posts go something like this: What happens with many women is that they attend women’s Bible studies faithfully (where they learn NOTHING about being godly wives) which puffs them up with pride and makes them feel spiritually superior to their husbands since their husbands don’t attend Bible studies.  Women NEED to be learning how to be godly wives.  And only that.  It is wrong for women to teach theology to other women.

The comments on these types of posts are just as bad.  Some insinuate that women just want to go to Bible studies run by other women because they want to usurp authority from men.  The general sentiment of those that believe the same way this “Titus 2” influencer does is that women are so easily deceived that they lead one another astray, and this especially makes them treat their husbands worse the more they are around each other, even in Bible studies.

You see, this woman was (by her own admission) a shrew of a wife before she started being nice to her husband after being married 25 years (I do not think she has changed at her core, her vitriol is now directed at other women instead of her spouse, but that is another topic for another day.) And since she was a shrew, we all are.  And she is there to be the “wise” older woman to tell you everything you need to know to be a better wife.  Among the advice I’ve seen is to not go places during the week (cars take you away from home, so having one at your disposal is bad) and, the main subject of this blog post, to never attend women’s Bible studies and have a network of female friends.  After all, women, even at Bible studies, do nothing but complain about their husbands. Better if your husband is your only friend and spiritual teacher.

I wish I was kidding. But she is serious as a heart attack with these opinions.  And thousands of women like her posts and comment that they agree (people who disagree, even nicely, very often have comments deleted and are eventually blocked.  It’s her page, so be it.) I’ve been to a number of women’s Bible studies over the years, and have a good group of women I am proud to call my friends, and I have to wonder, what kind of churches does this woman attend, and does she gravitate towards other shrews?

I cannot think of a single instance over the last 20-30 years where I have been in a Bible study with ladies and heard a complaint about a husband.  Same goes with my group of lady friends and the moms from my homeschool support group.  We may share some struggles our families are going through, like health challenges or a husband in need of a different job, but no one in my circle ever spends time dedicated to studying the Word as a forum for complaining about husbands and feeling superior.

If you study the Bible, it should sanctify you and make you a better person.  Not just a better wife, a better mother, sister, daughter, and friend. If it doesn’t, it’s a problem with you, not with the idea of studying the Bible in the company of other faithful women. And on that note, I have read this blogger repeatedly saying women’s Bible studies don’t often study the actual Bible.  If that’s her experience, I feel very sorry for her.  That has not been my experience.  Over the years, I’ve been in several women’s Bible studies where we did things like Tim Keller’s study on Galatians, a study on the book of Philippians, a Ligonier Ministries study on the book of Job, and currently another Ligonier study called Imprisoned, all about the people in the Bible who were jailed and how to have faith in all circumstances.  Can you really call it a Bible study if you aren’t studying the Bible? (*These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head before all of my coffee has kicked in.  There are definitely others.)

As far as learning things other than homemaking from women, this is so valuable! I can say that having women around me that are a step or two ahead of me in life stage has been incredibly helpful as I walk through these stages.  Watching how they weathered moving from one stage into another (like homeschool mom into empty nest, or those who have, unfortunately, experienced widowhood) has been so comforting.  I often see things that I file in my mind as the way I hope I would handle certain situations. And when we get together, the conversations are uplifting and encouraging.  My husband is definitely my best friend, but these ladies always lift my spirits because they understand being a woman the way a man never could.  I also love the wisdom I get when I talk to my dear grandma, who is 90 years young.  She tells me about her life and often throws in spiritual truth as part of her life experience, or counsels me through the valleys of life with Bible verses and her thoughts on them in a way only someone who has walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death can. And that example of steadfast faith has taught me more about how to be a faithful woman of God than if she only taught me how to keep house.  Stuff happens, but her joy, even in adversity, is contagious. You cannot separate out parts of the Bible and isolate topics into just one segment of life.  If you do, you wind up totally out of balance.  And since the line is imaginary, how do you know when you cross out of talking about how to be a godly wife and into "forbidden" theological territory?  The answer is, you don't.  And the more this influencer tries to justify that stand, the weirder the posts have become. (*"Biblical womanhood" is very narrowly defined by this blogger to include homemaking plus how to be a submissive wife.  Any theological truth outside of Titus 2 is a prohibited theological subject for women to discuss.)

In conclusion, I profoundly disagree with this “Titus 2” influencer about women learning from and being around other women.  While our home and family should be our focus, we definitely benefit from the life experiences of other women, and as we age, we should be the ones to encourage younger moms and wives with ALL we have learned, and not merely share our latest and most favorite pot roast recipe or bathroom cleaning tip.