Arguments typically used to prop up male supremacism in Christianity can perhaps be better illustrated with parody or satire than academic debate alone. So I have decided to use the same method many use on scripture to argue for female supremacism. Please note that I am not actually arguing in favor of female supremacism, as I believe any kind of supremacism is against the very fiber of the teachings of Jesus.
Brother Bob has felt The Call; he is sure God wants him in full-time service to the Body. So he goes to those who have been called to such service before him: the Women of God.
With much passion and conviction, Bob relates his unmistakable calling, his heartfelt desire to please God, and his devotion to seeing the lost saved and the saved discipled. Others testify to his proven dedication and action in other areas, and his lifelong practice of all Jesus taught. He is ready, willing, and able to serve in leadership.
But the Women of God respond: “You are a male, and God has only ever used female terms for all areas of public ministry. In Genesis, we see that God saves His best work for last: humanity. And on this divine principle we observe that Eve, the woman, was made last of all, and is therefore shown to be in authority over Adam, the prototype. No authority was given to them over the animals until they both existed, which proves that the female is the one charged with authority over the male. Eve was created because Adam was not able to stand alone, but never does scripture state that Eve was in any kind of need.
“Scripture says plainly that sin entered the world through Adam, because he refused to guard the garden from the serpent and stood idly by while Eve was tempted. The serpent targeted Eve because she was Adam’s guardian, his ally and partner, so he had to take her out first. Satan knew very well that Adam could not stand alone.
“After the temptation and fall, God promised the Savior through the Seed of Eve alone, again showing her preeminence, and clearly illustrating her rank as federal head since her seed would be his remedy. Notice also that God has called a man to leave his parents and join to his wife; the inferior moves to join to the superior. All men have shared Adam’s weakness and should therefore never be given responsibility over the family.
“In addition, God predicted that men would lust for leadership and be prone to usurping authority that does not belong to them. They have a history of violence and passing blame, qualities not suitable for the nurture and responsibility of either the home or the church. Speaking of the church, God has only ever used female terms to describe her. She is His Bride, His beloved, the one He sacrificed for and came to serve. She, as the glory of man, is his crown and the symbol of perfection.
“Jesus included women among His disciples and chose only women to appear to first after His resurrection. Only women were brave enough to stand by Him during His trial and execution, and to boldly approach the tomb that glorious resurrection morning. They believed, but the men had to be convinced, and Jesus Himself had to appear to them and scold them because they wouldn’t believe the women.
“Later, as the church grew, women figured prominently in working along side such luminaries as the apostle Paul. He counted many of them among his co-workers and praised many more. He never restricted their ministry nor ordered them to marry; in fact, he held up singleness as the ideal Christian state on several occasions. He reacted with indignation at the attempt of some to oppress women, asking them quite sarcastically whether they thought they were the authors of the Word of God. He had to remind such men that women too would someday judge angels, and were therefore quite capable of judging whether to cover their heads in worship. The men wanted to bow to culture, but Paul kept setting them straight.
“We should not be surprised that men lust for leadership. But we must guard them against their natural craving to rule and oppress and urge them to be happy in their proper role. The woman, designed to rescue the man from his weakness in being alone, is the bearer of the Savior and thus the rightful bearer of the gospel. She who could only be felled by the most devious trickery is the remedy for man’s weakness. Be happy in your proper role; there are many other areas in which you can serve God, such as fixing things and putting up buildings. Isn’t that enough?”
Bob is devastated. How could he have been so wrong? And why would God call him to something so clearly yet forbid him to pursue it? Does God really prefer women and “look on the flesh”? After all, it was the woman’s seed that crushed Satan; is it true that the reason is males alone carry the “sin gene”?
But Bob, being a good solid Christian who wouldn’t think of going against the wisdom of the Women of God, consigns himself to his proper place. He even buys a toolbelt and takes classes in woodworking. He spends the rest of his life building and repairing, but never quite loses that old feeling, that perhaps God really had meant more for him.
Do you see how easy it would be to take the very same kinds of arguments as male supremacism and make an equal case for female supremacism? And why is it that history has almost no witness to female supremacism? Could it be that men really do crave to rule over women, just as God predicted? Yet you won’t find any of us egalitarians--- meaning no supremacy at all between believers--- arguing that because men crave rule, then women must restrain them. What I hope to have done here is to illustrate the inherent flaw in the male supremacist approach to scripture. It argues from silence, it bows to culture, it selectively applies only those parts that seem to favor its agenda while forbidding such selection to egalitarians.
The best approach to scripture is one that does not require enough fine print to make a crooked lawyer jealous. And as I’ve said before, the proof is in the reaction: if men are only serving and not bossing, then they will not fight to keep their humble position.
Article adapted from my main website