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Tuesday, March 18, 2008

What does the Bible say?

Every once in awhile I like to summarize some of what I've been hearing in comments on this blog. I'd like to do that now by listing some of the things that the Bible says or does say does not say about the gender issues. When I use the word "says," I am referring to some explicit statement in the Bible that directly says what at least some of us believe. Feel free to correct me if I make a mistake about any of these:
  1. The Bible says that Christians are to submit to "one another" (Eph. 5:21).
  2. The Bible tells wives to submit to their husbands (Eph. 5:22).
  3. The Bible does not explicitly tell husbands to submit to their wives.
  4. Husbands are instructed to love their wives as Christ loved the church and died for it.
  5. The Bible never says that husbands have authority over their wives.
  6. The Bible never says that husbands are to lead their wives.
  7. The Bible says that a husband is the kephale (literally non-symbolic meaning, "head"; there is debate about its symbolic meaning) of his wife.
  8. The Bible says that there is a unity of head and body.
  9. The Bible never says that a woman is subordinate to her husband.
  10. The Bible does not say that women are to "obey" their husbands.
  11. The Bible never says that a woman is in any way inferior to her husband.
  12. The Bible does not explicitly describe differences of responsibility based on whether a person is a husband or a wife.
  13. The Bible says that a woman is not to "usurp" authority over a man or to teach him.
  14. The Bible says that Priscilla and her husband Aquila "explained to [Apollos]the way of God more accurately."
  15. The Bible says that Eve was deceived by the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
  16. The Bible says that Adam yielded to temptation in the Garden of Eden.
  17. The Bible says that the ground was cursed after the Fall.
  18. The Bibles says that the serpent was cursed after the Fall.
  19. The Bible does not say that either Adam nor Eve was cursed after the Fall.
  20. The Bible does not say that a man's "rule" over his wife or a woman's pain in childbirth was part of the curse after the Fall.
  21. The Bible says that some women prophesied (Acts).
  22. The first person to tell the good news that Jesus had come back to life was Mary, a woman.
  23. Jesus taught men, as well as women.
  24. Jesus did not treat women as inferior to men as was the cultural norm of his day.
  25. Jesus submitted his will to that of his heavenly Father.
  26. Jesus taught his disciples that greatness comes from serving others.
  27. The Bible teaches that both fathers and mothers are to manage their home life.
  28. Children are to obey their parents, both fathers and mothers.
  29. The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 6 5) are not gender-based.
  30. The Bible does not say that any of the gifts of the Spirit are gender-based.
What else would you add that the Bible explicitly says or does not say about gender issues?

Do you spot any errors n my list?