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Girl power (in Christ)
By Kaitlin Kaiser — Written on Dec 23, 2019
What does the Bible have to say about women and gender equality? There are lots of great women found in the Bible, and more then likely these females were early feminists. When you are involved in personal Bible study, it can be hard to find mutual identity in both feminism and Christianity.
Christianity has some harsh verses that if taken at a surface level can feel demeaning and sexist toward women, and put off to females who are feminists.
What is feminism?
Feminism is a word that comes with many different implications. But the actual definition is inarguable.
The definition of feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. Feminism is just the principle of advocating for equal rights for both women and men.
As Christian women, it's hard to know what are we to do as feminists when it seems that we are to accept our fate as forever being a vessel made for a man. It is our responsibility to dig deeper and really discover the message behind these oft misinterpreted verses.
First, we must discover what feminism is. We must also determine why it is important in modern-day Christianity.
We must also learn how to interpret and apply Biblical verses with seemingly antiquated and demeaning messages to modern-day gender roles.
And finally, we must remember the verses that prove that God sees us all as equal, no matter our gender.
Why is feminism important in modern-day Christianity?
Feminism is important in modern-day Christianity because all fights for human equality are important in every aspect of life.
It is important to know that gender, race, and orientation have nothing to do with the way we worship, and the way that God loves us.
It is important that everyone feels at home in the eyes of the Lord.
How to interpret gender roles from Biblical verses with antiquated and demeaning messages
The Bible has a lot of verses that can seem antiquated and demeaning toward women. Ephesians Chapter 5 is a tough read if you take it at surface level.
It says, “22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in everything.”
This verse can read as a bummer to the modern-day Christian Feminist. Wives subject yourselves unto your own husbands.
The husband is the head of the wife? He is the savior of the body? It can be interpreted as cringy.
It makes it sound like the wife is indebted to her husband, for he saved her from being a “loose woman”.
If you look deeper into this verse, there is a lot more to it. It is calling both husband and wife to commit to each other wholeheartedly.
It is a metaphor, where the woman is the church and the husband is a leader of faith.
It is not that the husband is in charge of the wife, it is that he worships in her. He comes to her to find his home, and to celebrate.
Through her, he can spread the word of God. And the same for the wife.
She is not in charge of the husband but builds a foundation where through him she can spread the word of God.
They can each celebrate God’s love on their own, but together they can reach a deeper understanding, acceptance, and love of their faith.
Bible verses that celebrate Gender Equality
There are a lot of verses that remind us that each gender holds equal strength and control over their path and that God’s love finds us all equally.
1. All men (and women) are created equal, according to the Bible.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 2:28
It reminds us that regardless of gender, creed, orientation, religion, or race, we are all loved equally in the eyes of God.
2. We are made for each other.
“For as the woman [is] of the man, even so [is] the man also by the woman; but all things of God.” — 1 Corinthians 11:12
God made us all different, but still for each other. No matter our gender, race, religion, or orientation, we are all made in God’s image.
3. God has no favorites.
"For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes." — Deuteronomy 10:17
4. God does not see gender.
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..." — Ephesians 2:14
5. Gender equality promotes peace.
"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14
6. The Bible says to love people as you love yourself.
"Love your neighbor as yourself, there is no greater commandment than this." Mark 12:31
7. According to the Bible, everyone is equal because all are children of God.
"Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all." Proverbs 22:2
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Kaitlin Kaiser is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationships topics.