What the Bible Really Says about Women's Rights

[Dusty Britches]

Since most of you know me as a fairly strong woman, it may surprise you to learn that I often wonder if I'm in a right standing with God and the Bible on how women should behave. I've always been very independent but I want to be a better wife for my husband. I often struggle with some interpretations of "submissive" wife, mostly those that lean towards lesser of a person. Until I read this article in the Daily Wire. Suddenly, it makes sense. We are all equal in God's eyes - slave or free, rich or poor, male or female, we are all on equal ground. I think by submissive to my husband, it is really more supportive to him in his standing.

Kinda like the cow dog that keeps the herd together under the master's calls. Partner's, each excelling in what they see and know and keen in their own abilities but inadequate without the other.

Here's the link to the article for you to share. I'll copy the text in case you need a subscription to read it. What the Bible Really Says About Women's Rights.

[Dusty Britches]

By Michael Brown
DailyWire.com


There is no question whatsoever that the books of the Bible were written against the background of strongly patriarchal societies, from the ancient Near East to the Greco-Roman world. In these societies, men’s and women’s rights were certainly not equal, and the subservience of women to men was virtually taken for granted. The question is: how much does the Bible continue to reinforce this mindset, and to what extent does it plant seeds for dramatic change?

On the one hand, there are Torah laws, which reinforce the status quo, such as a husband can nullify his wife’s vow to God (Num 30:13) and a husband can bring a charge to the priests if he suspects his wife has committed adultery (Num 5:11-15). There is no provision, however, for a wife to do the same.

In the New Testament as well, wives are urged to be submissive to their husbands (1 Peter 3:1-6), and it is taken for granted (or explicitly stated) that congregational leaders will be male.

However, there is much more that the Bible has to say about the importance of women and the status of women.

In the Old Testament, Deborah became the leader of the nation, known for her courage in the face of danger and putting other men to shame (Judges 4-6). She was Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir several thousand years before their time.

There were also women who served as prophetesses, including Miriam, the sister of Moses, and Huldah, a contemporary of Jeremiah. The Old Testament even spoke of the day when both sons and daughters, male servants and female servants, would prophesy (Joel 2:28-32). The Holy Spirit would be poured out on everyone.

Even more significantly, the book of Proverbs ends with a lengthy passage (22 verses, in fact), praising a godly woman – not for her looks, but for her industriousness, her wisdom, her confidence, her entrepreneurship, her independence, and her spirituality. Read it when you have a chance (Proverbs 31:9-21), then ask yourself: how can a passage like this find its way into a so-called misogynistic book?

Going back to the New Testament, Miriam (Mary), the mother of Jesus, was highly honored, while a number of women played important roles in the life and ministry of Jesus. Not only so, but after He rose from the dead, it was women who first learned of His resurrection and women who were sent by Jesus to tell the other men. They, in turn, didn’t believe the women.

As for wives being called to submit to their husbands, the husbands had a responsibility too: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

Yes, husbands, you are called to love your wives the way Jesus loved the church, laying down your life for them. That’s a pretty high calling! There is some major reciprocity here, to say the least.

When we look at the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul – who penned the just-quoted words from Ephesians – there is a long list of women who were prominently involved in his own ministry work (see Romans 16), including Priscilla, who is normally mentioned before her husband, Aquila. Acts also tells us that both of them – again, with her name being mentioned first – instructed Apollos (Acts 18:24-26).

It was also Paul who penned the radical words that, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The implications of this single sentence have been felt through the centuries.

To be sure, he was not saying that there were no such categories as Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. Rather, he was saying that, in Jesus, there was no caste system or class system and that all were equal in Him. The implications of this were (and are) massive.

That’s why it is no wonder that, as the early Christian faith spread through the ancient world, women found it especially attractive.

In his 1996 book, “The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries,” respected anthropologist Rodney Stark explained: “Amidst contemporary denunciations of Christianity as patriarchal and sexist, it is easily forgotten that the church was so especially attractive to women that in 370 the emperor Valentinian issued a written order to Pope Damascus I requiring that Christian missionaries cease calling at the homes of pagan women.”

Stark also explained that, “Christian women did indeed enjoy considerably greater status and power than did pagan women.”

One primary reason was that “Christians did not condone female infanticide,” and in the ancient world, female babies were discarded at much higher rates than male babies. The spread of Christianity changed that, making infanticide illegal.

Stark also noted that, “the more favorable Christian view of women is also demonstrated in their condemnation of divorce, incest, marital infidelity, and polygamy. . . . Like pagans, early Christians prized female chastity, but unlike pagans they rejected the double standard that gave pagan men so much sexual license.”

So, the double standard that required sexual purity for women but not for men was also obliterated by the cross.

Stark also added that, “Should they be widowed, Christian women also enjoyed very substantial advantages,” noting that, “Close examination of Roman persecutions also suggests that women held positions of power and status within the Christian churches.”

This is not surprising in the least.

In sum, while the Bible is written against a heavily patriarchal background, with some of those patriarchal concepts reinforced in the biblical text, it is the very principles laid out in these books that have proved so emancipating for women through the centuries. (For information on traditional Judaism and women, see here and here.)

These principles combat unfair male domination, on the one hand, and radical feminism, on the other hand. They are principles of life and liberation, as hundreds of millions of Christian women can attest to today.

Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries and is the author of 40 books. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

[PoppinPiggies]

Great read!
A major way the Devil is influencing humanity today is helping spread the lie that Men and Women are the same, no difference exists. The fact that two things can be separate but equal is for some reason incomprehensible by many. Kind of like the fact that hunters can be the biggest advocates of conservation.
Women and men have different roles biblically and biologically, neither of those roles are any more or less important than the other and in tandem are instrumental to success.

[easeup]

it is level ground at the foot of the cross for all people.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Tracey, the very nature of your posts is a testimony of a Godly woman... The two become one flesh comes to mind. Wives have a role and husbands have a role... Strictly speaking, the Husband has a burden on him that is difficult to bare sometimes... We husbands are supposed to Love our wives like Christ loved the church... He gave up his life for The Church... Husbands who love their wives like Christ loves the church are to serve their wives like Jesus served the Church. That's a tough row to hoe sometimes... A Godly woman like yourself would make it easier for any man to serve his wife if she were of your character.

[Texas Grown]

Great read.

The fish are biting and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

[jake03]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterSlick

Tracey, the very nature of your posts is a testimony of a Godly woman... The two become one flesh comes to mind. Wives have a role and husbands have a role... Strictly speaking, the Husband has a burden on him that is difficult to bare sometimes... We husbands are supposed to Love our wives like Christ loved the church... He gave up his life for The Church... Husbands who love their wives like Christ loves the church are to serve their wives like Jesus served the Church. That's a tough row to hoe sometimes... A Godly woman like yourself would make it easier for any man to serve his wife if she were of your character.

When a man does this properly, his wife will want to be "submissive" to him....as the OP alluded to in the original post, this is as a helpmate in doing the same and having the same end goal.

Great read!
A major way the Devil is influencing humanity today is helping spread the lie that Men and Women are the same, no difference exists. The fact that two things can be separate but equal is for some reason incomprehensible by many. Kind of like the fact that hunters can be the biggest advocates of conservation.
Women and men have different roles biblically and biologically, neither of those roles are any more or less important than the other and in tandem are instrumental to success.

Absolutely....the first line of defense is the family and that is the primary and initial battleground. Women are absolutely created equal to men and, as previously stated, have different roles designed by God. My family would not be where or who we are today without my wife, who fully understands and supports being "submissive" to me. Although I fail over and over in loving her like Christ does, she knows that is my desire and intent...and she is not afraid to let me know, which is part of being that helpmate.

[Gumbo Man]

Amen sister Tracey.

[AntlerCollector]

When Jesus washed others feet wasn’t He also being submissive?

[AntlerCollector]

OP, I’m curious to know what is your opinion of female pastors?

[Geezy Rider]

Originally Posted by AntlerCollector

When Jesus washed others feet wasn’t He also being submissive?

He was being the example of true leadership.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Originally Posted by AntlerCollector

OP, I’m curious to know what is your opinion of female pastors?

He was being a servant. He was submissive only to The Father, submissive unto death.

[rolylane6]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterSlick

He was being a servant. He was submissive only to The Father, submissive unto death.

This^^^ It was a perfect example of how a man should love his wife the way Christ loved the church.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[Death from Above]

Women can give birth…God knew who the stronger gender was lol.

The Imagio Dei demands that all have equal standing before God.

Jesus came for all of humanity…

Great post OP

[AntlerCollector]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterSlick

He was being a servant. He was submissive only to The Father, submissive unto death.

Well said

[Dusty Britches]

Originally Posted by AntlerCollector

OP, I’m curious to know what is your opinion of female pastors?

My opinion? I have not met or heard a female pastor or deacon that I like.

[jfk47]

Great read, really makes one stop and think !!

[Chief Big Toe]

A great read for sure. A true man, will wholeheartedly agree with it
IMO..

[Pineywoods]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterSlick

Husbands who love their wives like Christ loves the church are to serve their wives like Jesus served the Church. That's a tough row to hoe sometimes...

Originally Posted by PoppinPiggies

Great read!
A major way the Devil is influencing humanity today is helping spread the lie that Men and Women are the same, no difference exists. The fact that two things can be separate but equal is for some reason incomprehensible by many. Kind of like the fact that hunters can be the biggest advocates of conservation.
Women and men have different roles biblically and biologically, neither of those roles are any more or less important than the other and in tandem are instrumental to success.

Originally Posted by jake03

When a man does this properly, his wife will want to be "submissive" to him....as the OP alluded to in the original post, this is as a helpmate in doing the same and having the same end goal.



Absolutely....the first line of defense is the family and that is the primary and initial battleground. Women are absolutely created equal to men and, as previously stated, have different roles designed by God. My family would not be where or who we are today without my wife, who fully understands and supports being "submissive" to me. Although I fail over and over in loving her like Christ does, she knows that is my desire and intent...and she is not afraid to let me know, which is part of being that helpmate.

Yes sir!