We are launching a weekly roundup of blog posts from around the web that advocate for gender equality from a biblical perspective*. From time to time we’ll also highlight top posts from The CBE Scroll as well. We hope that by curating these posts and linking up with other bloggers, we’ll be able to celebrate the wide community of Christians who promote and proclaim mutuality.
On Changing Theology:
When I Opposed Women in Ministry, by Suzanne Burden (The Well Blog, InterVarsity)
It was shocking, really: upon close inspection, it seemed Jesus was behaving in revolutionary ways with the women in his path. Each time he met a woman I became a bit more unsettled; his behavior was not only countercultural, it seemed, but groundbreaking. My internal script began to unravel.
On Male Authority:
5 Myths About Adam and Authority: What Really Happened in the Garden? by Bob Edwards (The Junia Project)
One would have to read a lot into these texts to come to a conclusion that God’s original design was for Adam to be in authority over Eve. The bottom line is that male-dominated hierarchy was not intended in creation as God’s original plan for men and women or for husbands and wives.
On Gender Justice:
Reclaiming Adam: Challenging Men To Take on the Sex Industry, by Beth and Chris Bruno (SuzanneBurden.com)
In the entanglement of sexuality, far too many men have been deceived into believing that sex is their most basic need. Indeed, the most core aspect of the human heart, the most primitive place in every human soul, is to worship. Everyone worships something or someone. Everyone. Inundated and overwhelmed by sexually explicit messages, images and experiential opportunities, many men have found sex a worthy idol. It delivers the comfort and pleasure they have come to believe they deserve. It provides momentary power without demanding strength. It offers intimacy without insisting on relationship. The insidious trap is set, and men by the millions find themselves bound in the tentacles of arousal and shame. This is their hell.
On Identity:
Male and Female: One Image, One Purpose, by Dr. Mimi Haddad (CBE)
Scripture points to a “human essentialism,” which is not associated with gender. The fixed and unchangeable essence of humankind is that both male and female are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26–28)! And, to bear God’s image is an identity with a purpose: both Adam and Eve share authority in caring for the world. Scripture emphasizes not the differences between Adam and Eve but their unity and oneness.
On Submission and Kisses:
Wifely Submission and Holy Kisses, by Marg Mowczko (Marg’s New Life blog)
I suggest that the wifely submission verses in the New Testament were given as a concession to Greco-Roman culture, a culture where the subordination of women was deeply ingrained. Both kisses as greetings and wifely submission are cultural phenomena, and neither are culturally relevant today in many modern, western societies.
On Masculinity:
Reframing Biblical Masculinity, by Tim Krueger (CBE)
We can say that women and men are equal in value and dignity, but as long as our philosophy about men is “boys will be boys,” it won’t matter. What matters is our response to the manifestations of patriarchy in daily life—from sexual violence and degrading jokes to television ads and sitcoms. And how do we respond?
Read any excellent articles or blog posts about gender equality this week? Share the title, author name, and URL in the comments.
*Note: Linking to these posts is not a CBE endorsement of previous or future written work or statements made by the authors.
