When we read the NT household codes, we need to keep in mind that some “masters” were women. How does this affect our understanding of these passages?
Here are excerpts from ancient Gnostic texts that present Adam and Eve in a very different light. Do they help us to understand 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.
What did Paul mean by “A wife/ husband does not have authority of her /his body” in 1 Cor. 7:4? This verse 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 has been described as a seductress and as a conniving political opportunist. Who was she really? What does the Bible say?
This is a summary of the previous 6 parts. Paul was not reticent about using the same ministry terms (or titles), including deacon, 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). 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 churches.
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 our 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?
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.
Some people are still using 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 to silence all women in church meetings. Here is my quick take 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”?
A few Ephesian women held the position of high-priestess in pagan cults. Was there a culture of prominent women in Ephesus that influenced Christian women?
We need to use gender-accurate and gender-inclusive 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.
What does it means to be a leader and have authority in the church? Did Jesus commission his first disciples to be 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 Gen. 2:18 & 20? Was the woman made to be subordinate, suitable, or similar to the man?
In this article I look at people who were apostles in the New Testament church, at their qualifications, and at what they did as apostles.
Here are 10+ books and resources on marriage written for engaged and married couples, and for marriage counsellors. They all have an egalitarian, or mutualist, perspective.
Does the Trinity model distinct roles and separate spheres? Is there 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 nickname? Does it imply she was a prostitute?
Female martyrs in the early church, such as Blandina and Perpetua, “conformed themselves to Christ, even in death.”
In Luke’s Gospel, some material is presented 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 five times each, but one concept is often emphasised while the other is usually ignored.
I had imagined that only a few women accompanied Jesus during his ministry and only a few witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection, but the Gospels state many women were with Jesus.
Kristen Rosser has written an excellent article on the so-called “feminization” of the church, and how we can address this issue. With her permission, I have posted it here.
Jesus promoted the social values of humility and equality where the humble are exalted, the lowly are the greatest, and the last are first.
In Matthew 20:1–16 Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard workers and points out that there is equality in his kingdom. To those who have so far been sidelined, Jesus says “Go work in my vineyard.”
Does Paul refer to wives of apostles or female coworkers of apostles in 1 Cor. 9:5? Was their role companionship or teaching Christian doctrine?
Was Eve alone when the snake spoke to her? Here is a summary of Julie Parker’s essay, “Blaming Eve Alone: Translation, Omission, and Implications of עמה in Genesis 3:6b.”
John the Evangelist chose his words carefully when describing the ministry of certain apostolic women in his Gospel, women such as Mary Magdalene. [500 words]
Matt Chandler states unequivocally, “I teach to men . . . I go after the men.” So what happens to the “lost sheep” who are female? And how does Matt’s focus affect the thousands of women in his flock?
Gal. 3:28 isn’t only referring to our identity/ status before God. It’s also about our identity/ status in the Christian community (the church).
Most modern translations of the New Testament rely on the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament. One of the editors of recent editions of this Greek New Testament is scholar Barbara Aland. This article provides a brief history of the Nestle-Aland text and a brief biography of Barbara Aland.
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© 2022 Marg Mowczko