You can’t be a Christian and a Feminist

Hey you! 

There’s something I have been meaning to ask you. Do you think God is a misogynist? 

Or maybe you wouldn’t go as far as that, but you may believe some portions of Scripture, particularly the writings of Paul, are incredibly chauvinistic.

If so, you are not alone. So many women are convinced that it’s impossible to be Christian and feminist because both ideologies are incompatible. Their reasoning isn’t entirely strange when you consider Bible passages that prescribe silence, submission, and obedience for women without a corresponding requirement on men. 

But I want you to think about this for a moment. How can the same God who made you be against you? How can the same Apostle who declared that there’s “neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” be seen as an oppressor of women? 

You’d agree with me that something is not adding up somewhere. Let’s start with the Bible. It’s a divinely inspired book that is considered to be God’s word, even though it was written by humans. Since the Bible is God’s word, it is authoritative and serves as a roadmap for every believer. Our lives must be built around and centred on Scripture. 

Also, the Bible has a rich historical and cultural context, so every part must be read with this perspective. The Bible is a whole book comprising several small books, and its verses must not be taken in isolation. Since chapters and verses did not exist at the time of writing but have since been introduced for efficiency, we must read Scripture within a larger context. Thus, when you read your Bible, you should ask questions like:

Who wrote this book?

To whom was it addressed?

What’s the context in which the author is writing?

What was the historical context/culture of the day, and how has it influenced this text?

How does this passage align with what I already know about God, as revealed in other passages?

Let’s practise with a highly controversial Scripture.

“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 NIV

1 Corinthians was written by Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1:1 - “This letter is from Paul…”) and addressed to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2 - “I am writing to God’s church in Corinth…”)

The context in which it was written was to address church/Christian conduct. Beginning with the first chapter, Paul addressed divisions in the church, sexual immorality among believers, avoiding lawsuits with Christians, marriage, and food sacrificed to idols, among others. In chapter 11, he zones in on public worship and tackles topics like communion and spiritual gifts. By chapter 14, the relevant chapter for this discussion, his focus is on tongues and prophecy. 

If you read through the whole book, you will see that the context of this letter is orderliness in our conduct as Christians - orderliness in our relations with others and the world, as well as orderliness in the church. Chapter 14, in particular, focuses on orderly worship and judgment/interpretation of prophecy. Therefore, the context in which he writes verses 34 and 35 is with this kind of orderliness in mind.

Moving on to the historical context of the day, Corinth was a gentile nation, so its people were not well-versed in the knowledge of God. Furthermore, if there were any Jews in the city and the Corinthian church, it is highly probable that only Jewish men knew Scripture and could fully participate in the judgment/interpretation of prophecy, as the women of that day were not allowed to be formally taught God’s law. It was a cultural thing and had nothing to do with God. So, chances were that women would typically chat amongst themselves, trying to figure out/understand what was happening in the church, especially as they did not have a formal educational background. For orderliness, Apostle Paul asked that they direct their questions and inquiries to their husbands at home (who would probably know more because many of them were possibly better educated) rather than disrupting the church service with their chatter.

In addition, the word “speak” in these verses is the Greek word “laleo”, which has nothing to do with public speaking per se. Instead, it means chatter or any form of disruptive speech. So, Apostle Paul did not forbid women from speaking in church altogether. Instead, he condemned disruptive chatter because it undermined orderliness during a church service.

Finally, what we do know of God is that He created man and woman in His image, and we are all equal before Him. Jesus had female followers, and even at a time when men would naturally shun women in public, He spoke to a Gentile woman in broad daylight. When He had the chance to condemn a woman for adultery, He showed mercy and compassion instead. Therefore, God is pro-women, and any Biblical interpretation that contradicts this fact must be false.

I’ll wrap it up here. I hope you can see that God is not against women, neither is Apostle Paul a misogynist. God made women and He loves them dearly. His Word is a testament of His heart for us. It is unfortunate that we live in a fallen world that has suppressed and oppressed women for thousands of years, and we must continue to fight for the liberation and empowerment of all women. But you must remember that the most authentic source of freedom is in God. He embodies perfect justice and fairness. As a believer, you are automatically pro-equality and equity.

At the end of the day, true feminism and Christianity are way more similar than what we see on face-value.

I hope I’ve been able to convince you of God’s true nature and His perfect divinely-inspired Word. I look forward to reading your thoughts on this topic. If you have more questions on the subject, I’ll be more than happy to provide an answer if I can or direct you to the right resources.

All my love,

Eniola

(Throwback because I’ve been looking too much like screp these days. I need a vacay 😮‍💨)

P.S: here’s a fun fact about Apostle Paul - the Gospel advanced into Gentile territories because of his ministry, thus leading to the abolishment of many repressive laws against women.