THE BIBLE AND GENDER

Men and women are often rigidly categorised as belonging to groups with different worth and roles. But as Christians we should not ground our understanding of gender issues in our own cultures but in biblical teaching.

The Bible teaches that our common humanness is more important than our biological differences. Both man and woman were created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). Both were assigned the task of caring for creation (Gen 1:28). Our shared status shows that there is no biblical justification for forbidding women to participate in certain activities or for female foeticide and infanticide, discrimination against girl children or neglect of single women.

God created the woman to be a helper (literally “a strong support” – Gen 2:18). She was created out of the man’s rib to show that they are of the same substance and stand side-by-side as equal partners (Gen 2:22). They become “one flesh” (Gen 2:24), interconnected and interdependent. In such a relationship, neither is ashamed of their sexuality (Gen 2:25). In fact, the Bible celebrates sexual love within marriage in Song of Solomon. However, the Bible opposes treating women as sex objects, as is done by many advertisers and supremely by those who create and view pornography. Those who rape women, visit prostitutes or force women into commercial sex work whether as prostitutes or devadasis demean the essence of sexuality. When women are seen simply as objects, their humanity is diminished and their external appearance becomes all-important rather than their inner beauty (1 Tim 2:9-10).

The creation story sets the pattern for the Christian marriage relationship. Because the wife is a helper and equal partner, she is not expected to slavishly obey her husband irrespective of his behaviour.

This contrasts with the attitude advocated by the Tamil proverb: “The husband is the husband even if he is a stone or grass.”

Indian women are socialised to have a devotion to the husband (patibakti) akin to the devotion normally ascribed to God. But devotion should not come solely from the woman. Rather, there should be mutual devotion and respect (Eph 5:33). This respect also means that a woman is not an object to be bought with a bride price or a liability to be given away for a dowry. The Bible does speak of exchanging gifts prior to a marriage (Gen 24), but it does not advocate demanding such gifts.

Biblical marriage involves a male-female, one-to-one, total, exclusive, lifelong commitment (Mark 10:2-12; Rom 7:2-3). The leaving and cleaving that Genesis 2:24 talks about underscores the importance of the couple working out their relationship as a unit.

They have to work out what it means to leave their parents and be united as one in the context of South Asian joint families. Unfortunately, the fall damaged marriage and gender relations.

Marriages are now torn apart by divorce, separation and desertion. Sexuality is expressed in homosexual and polygamous unions. Men consider it their right to dominate women, and so we have domestic abuse and denial of opportunities to women. Whereas the Bible taught care for widows (Deut 24:17-21), we see ill-treatment of widows and the practice of sati (widow burning). In South Asia, the veneration of women as mothers and brides often masks the violent realities that women endure.

It cannot be argued that God’s words in Genesis 3:16-19 justify the abuse of women. There God describes male domination and female subordination as a consequence of disobedience and does not prescribe it as the ideal order of life. It is also wrong to say that the fall was the woman’s fault. It was not about her tempting the man or taking authority. Both the man and the woman were disobedient and irresponsible. Mistakenly portraying the woman as a temptress has led to abuse of women in many cultures. For example, women may be kept in seclusion, so that they can avoid being a source of temptation and the male gaze. The Bible, however, does not distinguish between male gaze and female gaze – it simply says that any sinful gaze is prohibited (Matt 5:27-30).

Women are actually given a crucial role in God’s plan of redemption (Gen 3:15). Many women were collaborators and coworkers with God. The list includes Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, the Egyptian midwives, Moses’ mother and sister, the daughter of Pharaoh, Rahab, Ruth, Judge Deborah, Hannah, Jehosheba who protected Joash, Esther, Elisabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In NT times women supported Jesus financially, served him, listened to his teaching and experienced his loving care, healing and deliverance. His parables refer to matters concerning women. Women were present at his death, burial and resurrection. Whereas South Asian culture views women as unreliable, Jesus entrusted the news of his resurrection to women. Women were also given the command to preach the gospel to all people and were present at Pentecost. In the early church, women received the Spirit, witnessed, preached, taught (Priscilla), pioneered (Lydia), served (Tabitha), worked in church and mission (Tryphena, Tryphosa, Euodia and Syntyche), held positions as prophetesses (the four daughters of Philip), deacons (Phoebe) and apostles (Junia) and headed house churches (Apphia).

The Hindu Laws of Manu teach that the only way a woman can obtain release from the world (mukti or moksha) is by blind loyalty and faithfulness to her husband. But the Bible teaches that both men and women are saved only by faith in Jesus (Gal 3:28). Thus, when Paul says that women will be saved by childbearing (1 Tim 2:15) he is referring to the birth of one child – Jesus Christ. This verse cannot be used to justify ill-treatment of the childless.

The godly women mentioned above and the description of the capable woman in Proverbs 31 show that a woman’s abilities are not confined to the domestic sphere. Responsibilities should be distributed on the basis of giftedness and call. Some Christians dispute this, citing Paul. But Paul was writing to a particular society.

He told the Christian women in Corinth to cover their heads (1 Cor 11:13) because he did not want believers to appear immoral in a society where all respectable women wore a headcovering. When he told the women in Corinth not to ask questions in church (1 Cor 14:34), he was recognising that at that time men had better opportunities for learning. They could answer their wives’ questions and thus avoid interruptions during the time set aside for worship.

Similarly, Paul was concerned that women who were teaching had learnt from false teachers and needed to listen to the truth first (1 Tim 2:11).

Culture also influenced Peter’s reference to a wife as the “weaker partner” (1 Pet 3:7). Women were weaker because of the social, economic and political treatment of women in those times. Peter is not making a statement about women’s basic nature.

Thus the description of the relationship between husband and wife in terms of imagery involving the head and the body (Eph 5:23) should be interpreted based on the Genesis model of interdependence.

Finally, the Bible teaches that both men and women can look forward to full participation in the new heaven and new earth that Christ will establish (Rev 21:1-4).

Beulah Herbert