If you have come this far, having read about the WHAT HAPPENED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, and FEMINISM AND THE BIBLE, you are clearly aware that the Bible is set squarely against feminism. Yet millions of women have lived their lives by the Bible’s commands. In so doing they have led happy and full lives within the role defined by the Bible. They stand in stark contrast with the women who have rejected their assigned role, who have a career but are single mothers, or married many times over, often with children from several fathers. The subscribers to feminist ideas struggle through life and feel empty. What is it that makes a woman of the Bible’s method content and happy in her life? Her relationship with God, and a good man! The Bible has commands for the man as well as the woman and those commands are just as aggressively under attack from the feminists. What does the Bible say that a man’s role is in the family. Look at this verse and see what you can see that is speaking to men:
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 1 Corinthians 14:34,35.
This verse implies that the man is commanded to study and prepare as well as pay attention in the service and ensure his own understanding in order to be able to answer the questions of his wife. How can he answer her questions, which an intelligent woman will certainly have, if he is not prepared? He must actively participate in the service, or be found wanting. "Big deal!" you may be thinking. But here is highlighted where our society is breaking down. Men are seeing women as totally self-sufficient, and are washing their hands of them in the areas of protection and permanent bonding, rather than feeling that women need protection and consideration. Men are far more civilized in their behavior, they reach to much higher levels, when they are focused on taking care of their women. The old saying, "Behind every great man is a good woman!" is valid. If we want to have great men in our society we need good women behind them, inspiring them to greatness.
Next another verse which looks to be speaking to women but in reality is speaking just as much to men:
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3
A man is commanded to treat his wife with as much love and selfless giving as Christ has done for the church. When Christ is held up as the example of being the head, a man has a tough act to emulate. Will he abuse his wife, dominate her, and make her a slave? Absolutely not! He will have her happiness in mind at all times. He will strive to provide for her wants as well as her needs and honor her always. There is no room in such a relationship for abuse or abandonment.
Now for commands directed directly at the man alone:
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it... So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church... For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh...Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself... Ephesians 5:25, 28, 29, 31, 33
Where is there room for women hating here? I don’t see it. A man is commanded to love his wife as much as if she were a part of his own body. What man goes out and beats on his body with a hammer on purpose? What man goes out and intentionally hurts himself in any way. A man guards himself against injury, and strives to avoid personal pain. He now will extend that zone of protection around his wife. If she is injured, he is injured. If she is happy, he is happy. Her wishes and desires are foremost in his mind. He leaves his parent’s house and joins the rest of his life with hers. They walk a joint path and search for happiness together. Here is a biblical marriage. Here is a happy and permanent marriage.
Here also is what the feminists hate and are striving to destroy. This blissful relationship drives them crazy! The idea that a man and woman can work together so smoothly in this arrangement is impossible for them to comprehend.
In the same vein, it is stated in Colossians:
Husbands, love your wives, and be not better against them. Colossians 3:18
When a couple forgets the small things in a relationship, things can build up and bitterness is the result. When a wife does something nice for a man, he must thank her for it and let her know that it is appreciated. Flowers, and other small gifts can fill his wife’s heart with joy. When a man is thinking of making his wife happy, and she is thinking of making him happy, there is just no way that they will not be happy! Bitterness can never grow in a mutually giving house.
In speaking of a man seeking the office of Bishop in the church, it is commanded that he be:
One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 1 Timothy 3:4, 5
Here it clearly states that a man is responsible for the things the members of his household do. He is tasked with running a tight ship and keeping his kids in line. He is not free to dump all responsibilities for the house and kids on his wife, while he goes out with the boys or even strives to excel in his career. He is responsible for what goes on at home. He sets the bounds that the children will not cross, and he is the one to deal with them if they do. He ensures that his wife is treated with honor and respect, by himself and the children. If mother says, “Wait till your father gets home,” he is responsible for making his appearance that night something sufficiently memorable that mother’s future role in controlling the kids is made easier during the day while he is not present.
After speaking to the wives about their responsibilities to their husbands, Peter turns to the men and says,
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7
Men are commanded to honor their wives and protect them. Abuse, belittlement and derision is not acceptable! In fact it says that even your prayers will be hindered if you do not treat your wife with respect and honor.
Marriage is a team effort, with both members striving for a common goal. The roles are different, just like on any team. If either member of the team is not pulling in the right direction, the whole team suffers. Whether in business, sports or marriage, each member of the team has a role to perform. In doubles tennis, if both members of the team cover the left side, the right side is wide open, and the opponents will hit it there every time. If both cover the net, the baseline will be uncovered. When both partners in a marriage are trying to be bread winners, the kids will be left unattended. When both partners are trying to lead, nobody is following.
The roles for the marriage team have been spelled out clearly in the Bible. What it says is the complete opposite of what the feminists believe and teach. Their “enlightened” approach has led to divorce and single mothers. The Bible’s way has led to millions of happy, long-lasting marriages. For a Christian, feminism is not an option because it is anti-biblical, illogical, and a proven failure.
Adam and Eve were created as perfect beings without sin. They were created separately however. First, Adam was created, and later Eve was created. The Bible states:
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet [“helper” NIV] for him. Gen 2:18
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Gen 2:21-23
According to these verses, woman was not made at the same time as man. She was instead made later for man. Her role and reason for being was to be a “help meet” or “helper” for man. This is before Eve had sinned. She was not to be a competitor with Adam or to be his equal in role. She was designed and built to help Adam with his aims and desires. It must be remembered that this was in the perfect world of Eden before sin entered in. If sin had not come, Adam and Eve would still be living in Eden and Eve would still be Adam’s “helper.”
Next we are told that Eve sinned, and then caused Adam to sin. For this she was punished by God. After God pronounced a curse on the serpent who had deceived Eve, He continued on:
To the woman he said, I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Gen 3:16
Adam was then cursed also with hard work and sweat until he died.
All three of the parties involved with the fall of mankind were punished. The snake had to crawl in the dirt, the woman had to be subservient to her husband, and the man had to work hard to get enough to eat. Some have tried to claim that this was not a command of God, a curse upon mankind, but the verses are quite clear here. God commanded that man was to rule over his wife, but he would have to work hard to support her and himself.
Now, here we have a situation where no human tradition was in place. There was no bias of hundreds or thousands of years of male dominated society influencing what transpired. We do not have imperfect men making up some rule that is slanted to suit themselves. Instead, the Old Testament, which Jesus proclaimed to be perfect down to the very punctuation, states that God Himself proclaimed that a woman was to be “ruled over” by her husband at the very beginning.
God could have set any other arrangement that He wanted. He could have said to Adam, "OK, you want to follow your wife into trouble, from now on you will have to do whatever she says." Or He could have said, "From now on I want you both to think for yourselves and don't follow what the other says because we can see where that leads. Be equal." Instead, we see that biblically a male dominated society was dictated by God Himself because of Eve’s sin.
The feminist of today proclaim that their lot in life has been dictated by those evil creatures called men. They even go so far as to state that the Bible was written by a bunch of men who had it in for women. To disbelieve the Bible is certainly their right but it would be completely deceitful to then turn around and claim to be Christian, because without the Bible, they would not even know that Christ existed, let alone what He taught.
At no point in the Bible is this male-dominated arrangement countermanded. Indeed, we find that this Eden story is referred to by Paul thousands of years later to support the rule of the Christian church that women were not to teach men in the church and that wives were to submit to their husbands. From start to finish, the Bible states that women are to be ruled over by their husbands.
Paul says:
“For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” [I Cor 11:8,9]
He is not stating something new or original. As we have seen, he is just restating the facts as laid out in Genesis. Woman was made as a helper to man, not the other way around. And when Paul forbids women from teaching men or having authority over men he recalls Eden, the creation of woman as man’s helper, and the fall where the woman brought sin into the world:
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve, And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if she continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. 1 Tim 2:12-15.
Here is not some new doctrine. This is as old as the first book in the Bible. Paul is merely showing support for the command of God in Genesis 3:16. Even the reference to childbearing comes from there. The feminists who call Paul a woman hater, are pointing their fingers at the wrong source for their frustration! The Bible says that God proclaimed the role of women to be in submission to their husbands way back in the Garden of Eden as the first parents were being shown the way out.
If you look at what our society has become because of rejecting this biblical doctrine (see Feminism and Divorce), you will realize that our progressive and modern view is destructive to women, even more than men.
The term Christian Feminist is an oxymoron because the Bible clearly, and repeatedly, in both New and Old Testaments, states that a woman is not to have authority over a man, nor be his equal in role. She is to be ruled over by her husband, and be submissive to him. The feminist is saying just the opposite and therefore rejects the Bible. By rejecting the Bible, she is rejecting the only source of information about Christ and His teachings. She therefore is not and cannot be a Christian.
Since a Christian must look in the Bible to find what Christ taught, one, to be intellectually consistent and honest must accept the Bible as accurate in order to be a Christian. If the Bible is not accurate, and just a book written by a bunch of men who made it up to satisfy themselves, then Christianity is a fraud and you must reject it. There is no other honest alternative.
With that as our starting point, let us see what the Bible says about women, men and the church. We start with instructions written to the church in Corinth, and what the role of women was to be in church services:
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 1 Corinthians 14:34,35.
Here we see that men were to be the only instructors in church, and that even if a woman had a question about what was discussed, she was to hold her question until she got home and get the answer from her husband. Her role in church was to be one of sitting quietly during the service. Does this sound like there is room for women pastors, teachers or deacons?
Continuing on in the instructions to the Corinthian church, we see that the Bible states that men and women have different roles and status in relationship to the church and even the “chain of command” leading to God:
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3
Here is clearly stated the chain of status all the way to God. God is the head of Christ. Christ is the head of the man and the man is the head of the woman. Herein is the explanation of why women do not have a role teaching in church. The body does not teach the head. The subject does not lecture the king.
For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. 1 Corinthians 11:7-9
These statements strike right at the heart of feminist thought. Man is the glory of God, as the woman is the glory of man. The chain of status or command is consistent. Where is there room for a female pastor, when the woman is in subjection to the man and is to keep silent in church? It goes on to say that woman was specifically made for man. Man was not made for woman. Since this hearkens back to the very beginning, there is no room for change, modern thinking or enlightenment to modify it. Eve transgressed, and women are in subjection to their husbands. The Bible commands it, unequivocally. In Colossians it continues the same theme:
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Colossians 3:18
This is not a union of two equals. Men are not the same as women, nor do they have the same role as women. Women are to submit themselves to their husbands in the same manner as men are to submit to God. This should give the “Christian Feminist” pause. There is no room here for their philosophy.
Moving on to Titus we find additional instructions on the role of women:
That they [aged women] may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:4,5
Note the last phrase. If a woman does not follow the role spelled out here, she is blaspheming the word of God. Blasphemy! What is the role for older women? To teach the younger women their proper role. What is the role of the younger women? To keep house! To be obedient to their own husbands and to be chaste. A female pastor is blaspheming as soon as she takes the job! Any women who leaves her house-keeping, homemaking role to go into the workplace, and fails to be with her children and submit to her husband is committing blasphemy! According to the Bible, feminism is blasphemy.
Once again the hierarchy, or chain of status and command is spelled out in the letter to the church at Ephesus:
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Ephesians 5:22-24
Here once again women are told that they are subject to their husbands. And it is compared to the status of the church to Christ. This is not some minor difference that is subject to change with popularity of a political movement. It is set in concrete and clear. In “everything” woman are subject to their own husbands. There is no room for interpretation here. There is no matter spoken to here that would be subject to change with societal fluctuations. Modern thought cannot alter the clear unchanging principles here. Modern woman and ancient woman are locked together with Eve in a permanent relationship. As it states in 1 Timothy:
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. 1 Timothy 2:11-15
There it is again. The reason that feminism is blasphemous, counter to the Bible and therefore incompatible with Christianity, is because it refuses to accept the biblical statement that Eve sinned and therefore all women, for all time, are in subjection to their own husbands. Whether it is the 190’s or the 1990’s makes absolutely no difference. BC or AD are just the same on this issue. If you accept the Bible, which you must to be an intellectually honest Christian, you must reject feminism.
Peter sums it up rather nicely:
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. 1 Peter 3:5, 6
Holy women, Christian women, did and will, subject themselves to their own husbands, by definition. A feminist, by definition, will never do that. A feminist can never qualify as a holy woman, a Christian in good standing. By proudly rejecting that role, she just as surely rejects Christianity, even if she won’t admit it.
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