In this article, I look at four passages from the Hebrew Bible: Leviticus 27, Numbers 30, Ecclesiastes 7:28 and Isaiah 3:12. These verses are sometimes brought up in comments that diminish women.
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The New Testament household codes in Ephesians 5-6 and Colossians 3-4 are not primarily about gender. They are about power and about mitigating the abuse that often comes with power.
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I was recently asked if 1 Timothy 3:4a (“managing his own household well”) is a command that shows men, and not women, are to rule or lead their households. Here’s my response.
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A few verses in Paul’s letters are frequently cited by Christians who exclude women from some ministries. Did Paul really restrict women in either ministry or marriage? This is part 3 of a series on gender roles in the Bible.
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The stance of the Roman Catholic Church in regards to mutual submission in marriage is much more egalitarian than the stance of many evangelicals. Here are some interesting excerpts from the Vatican document on the “Dignity of Women” (Mulieris Dignitatem).
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In this post, I show that the New Testament does not teach that a gentle and quiet spirit is an especially feminine virtue (cf. 1 Peter 3:4).
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Is there a better paradigm than male headship and female submission that more fully conveys NT principles for husbands and wives who are in Christ?
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Tertullian, famous for once describing women as “the devil’s gateway”, wrote some wonderful things about equality and mutuality in marriage. He did not regard the household code in Ephesians as either comprehensive or prescriptive.
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Churches which misunderstand Jesus’ teaching on divorce increase the suffering and scandal of divorced members. What is the context of Jesus’ teaching on divorce? Did Jesus teach that all second marriages, with a former spouse still living, are adulterous? I argue, from scripture, that he didn’t
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Do husbands have a particular responsibility for the spiritual growth of their wives? Will husbands one day present their wives to Jesus in much the same way as Jesus will present the church to himself? (Cf. Eph. 5:25-27)
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Why did Peter use the phrase “weaker vessel” in 1 Peter 3:7? This article takes into consideration how the word “weak” was used in papyrus legal documents by women seeking justice.
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In what way (or ways) is the relationship between Jesus and the church a model for marriage? What does Paul mean in Ephesians 5:22-33?
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