The complementarian ideology that men are designed to lead, and women are designed to submit to male leadership, has many drawbacks, but in this post I highlight just one of them.
I have come across the concept of men elevating, or raising, women a few times and it has never sat right with me. It has usually sounded condescending and patronising, rather than encouraging and empowering. Now I understand why this concept has irked me.
Craig Keener, Leon Morris, F.F. Bruce, and many more well-respected biblical scholars can hardly be accused of playing loose with the scriptures, but they all believed that suitably gifted women can be leaders and teachers in the church.
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?
More than a century ago, church historian Adolf Harnack was honest and approving in his appraisal of women ministers who are mentioned in the New Testament.
In Ephesians 5:33 it says that a wife should respect (phobeō) her husband. What is the connection between respect & fear? Did Paul want wives to be afraid?
Chloe is a woman mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:11? Was she a pagan or a Christian? A concerned house church leader or the quarrelsome leader of a faction?
Here are links to free New Testament courses presented by top Bible scholars, as well as free books and other resources.
What was the ‘place of prayer’ in Philippi where some women, including Lydia of Thyatira, had assembled (Acts 16:13-15)? Was it a Jewish ‘prayer-house’?
In this article Rob Dixon writes about the egalitarian views of Count Zinzendorf (b.1700) who once stated “If we put women in the corner we will lose a jewel.”
When people think of the “masters” mentioned in the New Testament household codes, they tend to think of men. Many masters in NT times, however, were women. How does this realisation affect the notion of female submission?
In this post I provide links to ancient Gnostic works which present Eve in a very different light to that of the Bible. Do these works help us to understand Paul’s intent in 1 Timothy 2:13-14?
Andrew Perriman critiques the complementarian notion that Adam naming Eve displays man’s authority, or male headship, over woman.
How are we to understand “man was not created for woman, but woman for man”? Does 1 Corinthians 11:9 indicate that service or submission is the role of women and not men?
In his Church History, Eusebius wrote, “Ethiopia even to the present day is ruled, according to ancestral custom, by a woman” (cf. Acts 8:27). Is there any truth in his statement? As it turns out, there is.
In this short post, I look at what Paul meant by “A wife/husband does not have authority of her/his body” in 1 Corinthians 7:4, a verse that has been terribly misunderstood by some.
I love this powerful image of Mary consoling Eve. Just look at their feet!
Was the first man authorised by God to relay the command about the forbidden fruit to the first woman? What does the Bible say about Adam’s responsibility and authority?
Bathsheba is described as a seductress by some, a conniving political opportunist by others. I present a more sympathetic view of Bathsheba, and aim to highlight, without imaginative or salacious embellishments, how the Scriptures depict her.
In part 7 I sum up the previous 6 parts and comment on the fact that, unlike other early Christian ministers and writers, Paul was not reticent about using the same ecclesial titles for both men and women ministers.
In Part 6 we look at more evidence that deacons in the apostolic and post-apostolic period were travelling envoys and agents, and that some were teachers.
In Part 5, I look at 1 Timothy 3:8-13, concerning male and female deacons in the Ephesian church, and at Phoebe as a prostatis (patron). And I briefly compare her ministry with that of Olympias and also Stephanas (1 Cor. 16:15-18).
In part 4 I look at the deacons in the Philippian church, and at the development of church offices in the apostolic and post-apostolic church.
We have only two lines about Phoebe in the Bible, but Theodoret of Cyrrhus has more information about her. Did Phoebe travel to Spain with Paul? Did she deliver his letter to the Romans?
In Part 2, I look at what Romans 16:1-2 in the ancient Latin texts say about Phoebe. These indicate she was recognised as an official deacon (or deaconess).
Here I look at Paul’s introduction of Phoebe to the church at Rome. I also look at the ministry of certain women in the Gospels, and Tabitha’s ministry in Acts, and compare them with Phoebe’s ministry.
Some Christians have a mistaken view of mutuality, or equality, in Christ. In this post, I briefly explain my perspective of Christian Egalitarianism
A short post on why Christian women, as well as Christian men, are sons of God. What does it mean to be an adopted son of God?
It is helpful to have some insight into the values and customs of the first Christians. In this article I provide a brief overview of church life in the first century and I highlight the ministry contributions of women.
Here is a brief overview of eighteen women mentioned by the apostle Paul in his New Testament letters, as well as Lydia who is mentioned in Acts.
Surprisingly for me, people are still using 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 to silence women in church meetings. Here is my very brief interpretation of these two verses.
Titus 2:5 contains a word which is usually translated as “workers at home,” but the King James Bible has “keepers at home.” Which is the correct phrase? What is meant by “keepers at home”?
Some Ephesian women held the position of high-priestess (and other offices) in pagan cults. Did this culture of prominent women influence Christian women to behave inappropriately in the Christian community of Ephesus?
We need to use gender-accurate and gender-inclusive plural pronouns so that we do not imply a gender bias in the Bible and in church when none is intended.
Are you looking for a systematic theology or a book on Christian doctrine that has been written by a scholar with an egalitarian or mutualist ideology? Here are a few good books you might want to add to your library.
One subject that I keep mulling over is what it means to be a leader and have authority in the church. Did Jesus commission his first disciples to be church leaders? What was their job description?
Here is a link to one of the best articles I have ever read on so-called ‘biblical womanhood’. In this article Jenny Rae Armstrong writes that “the privileged frivolities of Western homemaking” have nothing to do with the gospel of Jesus.
This article addresses 5 questions about Adam’s role and prominence in Genesis chapters 2 and 3. For example, did God only call Adam in Genesis 3:9?
What does the Hebrew word “kenegdo” mean in Genesis 2:18 & 20? Was the first woman made to be subordinate or suitable or similar to the first man?
In this article I look at the men and women who were apostles in the New Testament church, and at their qualifications. I also look at what they did as apostles.
Here are 10+ books and resources on Christian marriage written for engaged and married couples, and for marriage counsellors and pastors. They all have an egalitarian, or mutualist, perspective.
Do you have experience with these resources? Are there others that should be added to this list?
Some Christians believe the Trinity is a model for marriage. Does the Trinity model distinct roles and separate spheres? Is there a hierarchy and subordination in the Divine?
Here are my notes from a talk I gave on the 28th of June 2014 at a public meeting hosted by the Sydney chapter of Christians for Biblical Equality.
As I was making a list of Bible women who ministered to men, I saw something I had not noticed before. Almost all of these women had a prophetic gift.
Here are some tips on how to maintain good relationships with Christian family and friends who hold different views on “gender roles”.
Here’s a fun fact: “Calvinism” and “chauvinism” share the same etymology. Both words are derived from a Latin word that means “bald.”
This article looks at Mary Magdalene, and especially at what “Magdalene” might mean. Does it refer to Mary’s home town? Was it her nick-name? Or does it imply that Mary was a prostitute?
Female martyrs in the early church, such as Blandina and Perpetua, “conformed themselves to Christ, even in death.”
The author of Luke’s Gospel often presents material using male-female pairs to highlight the full and equal inclusion of women and men in God’s new covenant and community.
Instructions for wifely submission and holy kisses are given in the NT, but one concept is often highlighted while the other is usually ignored.
Would you like to support my ministry of encouraging mutuality and equality between men and women in the church and in marriage?
© 2021 Marg Mowczko