Introduction

There is always inequality in life.

-John F. Kennedy
There is something about Western society that cant seem to
separate from inequality. America, especially, has a terrible track
record for constructing inequality from almost every aspect of the
human being: namely, a persons race, sexual orientation, or gender.
These imbalances have been fought and are still being fought, but
perhaps the most infinite and deeply-rooted battle is that for gender
equality. The recognition that men and women are not treated equally
is not a recent epiphany, and resistance to the inequality not a new
movement. The inequality is so ingrained in our societys minds that
many still accept it as truth.
Naturally, the fight against gender inequality leads to the search
for the root of the construction that women are lessless powerful,
less intelligent, less worthythan men. One of the most cited texts
surrounding this argument is the Bible. Some turn to this text with
fingers blaming it for inequality, others turn to it and find only
messages of equality; Ive known men and women who read inequality
in the Bible and accept it as their intended nature. The text can be
read either to support inequality or female liberation, and good cases
are made for both. Bible verses are often summoned to support many
positions in many social arguments, and the evidence would seem

irrefutable when the words say what they do. However, in many cases,
especially Christian Feminism, context is key.

The Case Against Christian Support for Gender Equality

There are countless places where the Bible states that women
were made less than man, and even more where instances where the
idea seems implied. The male gender is a dominant theme throughout
the textsGod is referred to as male, man is often the term used to
describe humans in general, and even Jesus disciples were all male. It
seems that male is implied as the default gender, which is only a trend
noted to supplement the stories that seem to explicitly state the
inferiority of the female gender.
The Bible begins with Genesisthe book that tells the story of
how everything began, and seems riddled with implications on the
beginning of the gender inequality. What is known as the second
creation story in Genesis states that God created woman from man.
He made Adam from the Earth in his own image, and made Eve from
Adams rib, with the purpose of creating a helper for Adam (Genesis 2).
This passage implies that Eve was not created with the same intent as
Adam. Rather, Eve is contingent on Adam and was created for his
benefit. Eve was formed out of Adam, and is only a secondary
character; woman owes her existence to man, who came first. Genesis

then goes on to tell the story of mankinds fall from the Garden of
Eden. After creating Adam and Eve, God had instructed them as
humans not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. After
being persuaded by the serpent to eat a forbidden fruit, Eve persuades
Adam to replicate her actions, leading to the imposition of pain and
suffering on the world and human banishment from the Garden of Eden
(Genesis 3). This story is often referred to in support of the image of
woman as a temptress. Eve sinned and used her tempting ways to
bring Adam down with her, and the female gender is therefore to
blame for pretty much everything wrong with the world.
People often disregard the Old Testament as outdated and full of
misinterpret-able stories and commands. However, in terms of gender
equality, the New Testament seems to have similar messages. In First
Corinthians, Paul writes with a seemingly misogynistic attitude. He
teaches that man should submit to Christ, and woman should submit to
man. He also commands women to cover their heads during prayer,
but exempts men from doing so because they have been made in the
image of God (1 Corinthians 11, v 1-15). This passage seems to argue
a hierarchy of Christ, then man, then woman. Because woman is the
lowliest, she must submit to man, and cover her head. Woman was
not created in the image of God, but in the image of man, and
therefore doesnt get the same privileges, such as praying with an
uncovered head. Paul writes again in Timothy, discussing womans

role in the church. He says that women are expected not only to dress
modestly, but also to learn quietly and in submissionwithout any
authority over man. He backs up this claim by referring to the second
creation story, stating that Adam came first, and Eve was the one who
was first deceived and sinned (1 Timothy 2, v 7-15). Paul seems to be
implying a sort of punishment for women as a result of Eves sinning,
and women therefore should not be allowed the same freedoms as
men. This passage seems to so explicitly state that women are not
worthy of the same status as men, and its all their own fault.
From these passages, the Bible seems easily interpreted as
evidence that women are not equal to men, but rather are lesser
beings. It was womans fault that humans no longer live in paradise,
and for that it seems she should be punished and degraded throughout
the rest of time, without ever attaining the same freedoms or
responsibilities as men.
The Christian Case for Gender Equality
While the Bible contains many stories and implications of
womans inferiority in relation to man, one can argue that stories of
female empowerment are also plentiful. The Old Testament contains
stories of heroic women, and the New Testament introduces Jesus and
his unprecedented public acknowledgement of women, and his
feminine values.

One of the most prominent women in the Bible is Ruth, a recently

widowed Moabite who finds herself in destitution along with her
mother-in-law, Naomi. After remaining the support of Naomi despite
her urges for Ruth to abandon her in pursuit of a new life, Ruth ends up
scraping up a job gleaning leftovers from the fields overseen by Boaz.
Ruth then follows Naomis plan to pretty much seduce Boaz, who ends
up marrying Ruth and buying out Naomis husbands lands to keep the
property in the family name (Ruth). This story of Ruth is remarkable
for many reasons. Ruth seemed to defy many social customs of the
time, the first pertaining to her status as a widow. Instead of searching
for a new husband as a still young woman, Ruth stayed with her old,
widowed mother-in-law whose life was basically over. Ruth knew that
Naomi had nothing to offer her lifestyle, and would only prevent Ruth
from remarrying, but she maintained loyalty and support anyway. Ruth
degraded herself even more by taking an unofficial job gleaning
leftovers from the fieldnot even doing servant work, but picking up
the scraps of servant work, hoping to maintain life for her and Naomi
off of them. And lastly, Ruth put herself in a scandalous situation to
appeal to Boaz, a man of great power. Having heard her story, Boaz
only felt admiration toward Ruth and essentially saved her life. Ruth
achieved this all as a Moabite, which would signify equivalent status of
an African American during Americas period of slavery. Ruths story is
inspirational and empowering to women, as she defied many odds and

showed that societys molds can be broken. Another inspirational

woman of the Old Testament was Esther. A Jew in a time when her
people were being persecuted, Esther sought out a way to help at the
request of her Uncle, Mordecai. When the Queen at the time was
banished, Ruth entered the contest to become the Kings new wife,
hiding her identity as a Jew. After winning the contest, Ruth married
the King and planned to use her power to save her people from their
planned slaughter. While uncustomary for a Queen to do, Ruth spoke
out to her new husband and persuaded him to cease the plan to kill
Jews (Ruth). Similarly to Esther, Ruth risked a lot to achieve a lot. At a
time when women had almost no power, Ruth lied about her identity
and spoke out as a woman to not just a man, but the most powerful
man in the country. Ruth displayed confidence and power as a woman,
and essentially saved her entire culture from near genocide.
The New Testament has many examples of Jesus honoring both
women and feminine values. One of the most remarkable stories is
told in the book of John. A Samaritan woman came to get water from a
well where Jesus was sitting and he asked her for a drink. The woman
argued that she is not worthy to do so, and Jesus went on to list her
shameful attributes, regarding the amount of men she has married and
been with, displaying his full knowledge of her history (John 4, v 7-30).
Jesus actions in this story are truly remarkable considering the time in
which he lived. At this time, it wasnt even customary to speak to a

woman in public, let alone a promiscuous Samaritan woman. His

message from this story was that despite societys conditions
regarding gender, and despite her character faults, this woman was
just as worthy of the Son of God as anyone else. Jesus acted the same
way in a similar story in which an adulterous woman was about to be
stoned for her actions. Jesus came in and saved her, daring any sinless
man to throw the first stone (John 8, v 1-11). Not only did Jesus speak
to this woman, but he saved her from the actions of menactions
which were perfectly customary of that society in that time. From his
teachings and these stories, its evident Jesus preached many feminine
values (lecture, Oct. 16). His messages consisted of love, compassion,
forgiveness, and acceptanceall values which were either feminine or
seemed to go against the societal institutions.
Refutation of the Former
Its clear there is evidence to support both sides of the argument
on whether or not the Bible supports gender equality. The first
argument outlined seems to explain the root of the inequality for
women, and the second argument is backed by stories of women and
Jesus defying such inequality. My opinion associates more with the
latter argument: that the Bible supports gender inequality. My belief
comes much from context, which I maintain provides an explanation
for why the first argument really aligns with the second on a closer
look.

Beginning with the second creation story, I believe the argument

that woman came from man and is therefore inferior to be invalid. In
this story, God created Adam out of dirt in the image of himself, and
then created Eve straight from Adam. It is arguable that Eve is created
even more honorably, because instead of dirt, she comes from man
the closest thing the Earth has to God in flesh form. Furthermore, the
fact that the being of woman originated from man is redeemed by
childbirthno man can now exist without woman, and every man must
now come from a womans flesh.
The story of mankinds fall from Eden does not consistently
explain the fault of woman to me. Yes, Eve was the first to take the
fruit from the tree and presented the idea to Adam. But Eve did not
fabricate this notion herself, rather she was persuaded by the Serpent.
The true evil in the situation is the Serpents persuasion, which is
merely translated through Eve to Adam. They both acted of free will
and failed at obedience, and were punished equally for their actions.
Pauls teachings in the New Testament must especially be looked
at in context. His idea that the head of man is Christ, and the head
of woman is man, can be convoluted based on the meaning of head.
I believe head not to signify superiority, but rather source. In
relation to the creation story, it would make sense for man to be
defined as the source of woman. This teaching does not seem to be
meant to establish mans authority over woman, just as Christ has

authority over man; rather, the passage signifies the source of

everything being Christfirst man, and by translation because of the
creation sequence, woman.
Furthermore, Pauls teachings that women should wear headcoverings during prayer while men can keep their heads bare is simply
a reflection of the times. Men and women dressed differently in
society, and to pray dressed not according to custom would be
disrespectful, perhaps implying that God is not worthy of what society
is even worthy of.
Lastly, Pauls teachings of women learning in submission and not
having authority over men take on a much different meaning in the
context in which his letters were written. His letters had been written
to a new Christian church, where the people were exercising their
newfound freedoms in Christ. These freedoms included learning for
women. The fact that Paul even suggested women were learning at all
was a progressive idea, and he most likely intended to tone down what
probably was chaos at the time. Women were previously uneducated
and flaunting their new freedoms without the knowledge to use them
wisely. By teaching women to learn quietly, Paul simply emulated
Jesus teachings of humility. Furthermore, submission does not
necessarily imply inferiority. Submission is a voluntary act, and was
most likely suggested with the intent of keeping peace in a time of
excitement and confusion, not forced servanthood.

Conclusion
And the result of this whole discussion is that I know nothing at all.
-Socrates (Platos The Republic)
These arguments seem to dispute most of the case for the idea
that the Bible supports inequality. That being said, the argument I lean
most toward is that the Bible really does support feminist ideals and
the equality of women and men. The Old Testaments stories of
incredible women defying their social restrictions combined with Jesus
blatant outreach to women and feminine preachings both seem explicit
evidence for the argument. This explicit evidence combined with a
closer interpretation of the creation stories and Pauls teachings make
a solid case for the Bibles support of women and gender equality.
The biggest lesson I have learned from studying the Bible more
thoroughly than I ever have is that context is essential. The more
depth with which I read passages, I have learned their entire meaning
could change from the first impression. However, because I have
never lived through the times in which this text was written, I dont
know that I can ever fully understand much of the true intended
meaning.

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