Women in Christianity

Women have played important roles in Christianity^[1] especially in marriage and in formal ministry positions within certain Christian denominations, and parachurch organizations. Although more males are born than females naturally, and in 2014, the global population included 300 million more males of reproductive age than females (mainly in the Far East) in 2016, it was estimated that 52–53 percent of the world's Christian population aged 20 years and over was female,^[2]^[3] with this figure falling to 51.6 percent in 2020.^[4] The Pew Research Center studied the effects of gender on religiosity throughout the world, finding that Christian women in 53 countries are generally more religious than Christian men,^[3] while Christians of both genders in African countries are equally likely to regularly attend services.^[3]

The New Testament, which is the core of the Christian faith, begins with the Gospel of Matthew. Judaism finds its strength in the study of Jewish scripture and vigorous debate as to its meaning, which was not considered blasphemy then nor down to the present day. Jesus is challenged by the priests with the question if a woman can divorce a man, since Moses himself mentions only a writ of divorce from a man. Jesus claims that men and women are equal in God’s eyes because in the beginning God made humankind male and female. If a man can divorce, so can a woman, but it is better to remain one flesh. Throughout the Gospels, he defends the spirituality of women and gathers both boys and girls around him, curing the ailments of both. In perhaps his best known defense of a woman about to be stoned for adultery he challenges anyone without sin to cast the first stone.

Many leadership roles in his day, such as that of priests of the Temple, were taken by men, as they were the family wage-earners. In later centuries, the church organised around the belief of Christ's messianic role maintained the division of labor between men and women, although in the long centuries before birth control, a woman who preferred an intellectual path could join a convent. King John of Magna Carta fame was educated by nuns.

Many churches in modern times have come to hold an egalitarian view regarding women's roles in the church now that childrearing is no longer an almost inescapable role. In the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, only men may serve as priests or elders (bishops, presbyters and deacons); only celibate males serve in senior leadership positions such as pope, patriarch, and cardinals. Women may serve as abbesses and consecrated virgins. A number of mainstream Protestant denominations are beginning to relax their longstanding constraints on ordaining women to be ministers (priesthood), though some large groups, most notably the Southern Baptist Convention, are tightening their constraints in reaction.^[5] Most all Charismatic and Pentecostal churches were pioneers in this matter,^{[citation needed]} and have embraced allowing women to preach since their founding.^[6]^[7] Other Protestant denominations such as the Quakers have also embraced female preachers since their inception; the Shakers, a Protestant monastic denomination that originated from the Quakers, were also distinctly egalitarian in their original leadership.

Christian traditions that officially recognise saints as persons of exceptional holiness venerate many women as saints. Most prominent is Mary, mother of Jesus who is highly revered throughout Christianity, particularly in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, where she is considered the "Mother of God". Both the apostles Paul and Peter held women in high regard and worthy of prominent positions in the church, though they were careful not to encourage anyone to disregard the New Testament household codes, also known as New Testament Domestic Codes or Haustafelen. The significance of women as the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus has been recognised across the centuries.^[1] There were efforts by the apostles Paul and Peter to encourage brand new first-century Christians to obey the Patria Potestas (lit. 'Rule of the Fathers') of Greco-Roman law.^[8] The New Testament written record of their efforts^[a] in this regard is found in Colossians 3:18–4:1,^[9] Ephesians 5:22–6:9,^[10] 1 Peter 2:13–3:7,^[11] Titus 2:1–10^[12] and 1 Timothy 2:1,^[13] 3:1,^[14] 3:8,^[15] 5:17,^[16] and 6:1.^[17]^[18] As may be seen throughout the Old Testament and in the Greco-Roman culture of New Testament time, patriarchal societies placed men in positions of authority in marriage, society and government. The New Testament only records males being named among the 12 original apostles of Jesus Christ. Yet, women were the first to discover the Resurrection of Christ.

Some Christians believe clerical ordination and the conception of priesthood post-date the New Testament and that it contains no specifications for such ordination or distinction. Others cite uses of the terms presbyter and episkopos, as well as 1 Timothy 3:1–7^[19] or Ephesians 4:11–16,^[20] as evidence to the contrary. The early church developed a monastic tradition which included the institution of the convent through which women developed religious orders of sisters and nuns, an important ministry of women which has continued to the present day in the establishment of schools, hospitals, nursing homes and monastic settlements.

^ ^a ^b "Women and Christianity". The British Library. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
^ Johnson, Todd M.; Grim, Brian J., eds. (2020). "All Religions (global totals)". World Religion Database. Leiden, Boston: BRILL, Boston University.
^ ^a ^b ^c "The Gender Gap in Religion Around the World". Pew Research Center.
^ "Religion Information Data Explorer | GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
^ "Southern Baptist Convention > SBC Search". www.sbc.net. Retrieved 3 April 2018.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ Roebuck, David G. "Loose the Women". Christian History | Learn the History of Christianity & the Church. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
^ Theology (2015-06-04). "Women in the Pentecostal Movement". Fuller Studio. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
^ Powell, Mark A. Introducing the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic. 2009. p.337.
^ Colossians 3:18–4:1
^ Ephesians 5:22–6:9
^ 1 Peter 2:13–3:7
^ Titus 2:1–10
^ 1 Timothy 2:1
^ 1 Timothy 3:1
^ 1 Timothy 3:8
^ 1 Timothy 5:17
^ 1 Timothy 6:1
^ Stagg, Evelyn and Frank Stagg. Woman in the World of Jesus. Westminster Press, 1978. ISBN 0-664-24195-6
^ 1 Timothy 3:1–7
^ Ephesians 4:11–16

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[Women_and_Christianity-1] "Women and Christianity". The British Library. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2021-05-20.

[2] Johnson, Todd M.; Grim, Brian J., eds. (2020). "All Religions (global totals)". World Religion Database. Leiden, Boston: BRILL, Boston University.

[Pew-3] "The Gender Gap in Religion Around the World". Pew Research Center.

[4] "Religion Information Data Explorer | GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Retrieved 2022-10-13.

[BFM2000-5] "Southern Baptist Convention > SBC Search". www.sbc.net. Retrieved 3 April 2018.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[6] Roebuck, David G. "Loose the Women". Christian History | Learn the History of Christianity & the Church. Retrieved 2021-06-22.

[7] Theology (2015-06-04). "Women in the Pentecostal Movement". Fuller Studio. Retrieved 2021-06-22.

[Powell-8] Powell, Mark A. Introducing the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic. 2009. p.337.

[10] Colossians 3:18–4:1

[11] Ephesians 5:22–6:9

[12] 1 Peter 2:13–3:7

[13] Titus 2:1–10

[14] 1 Timothy 2:1

[15] 1 Timothy 3:1

[16] 1 Timothy 3:8

[17] 1 Timothy 5:17

[18] 1 Timothy 6:1

[EFStagg-19] Stagg, Evelyn and Frank Stagg. Woman in the World of Jesus. Westminster Press, 1978. ISBN 0-664-24195-6

[20] 1 Timothy 3:1–7

[21] Ephesians 4:11–16

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