Within a patriarchal culture, Jesus and his followers planted seeds of revolution, including equality for women. Through the sweep of Christian history, however, women have not experienced the respect for their dignity, worth, potential, leadership, and authority they deserve and that was called for by the essential teachings of the Christian tradition.
In the early church, women served as religious leaders. Later, however, many men within the church sought to reproduce more faithfully that patriarchal culture of the first century after Christ than the teachings on women characteristic of Jesus’ ministry. Thus, male leaders of the church — while advocating a theology that restricted women’s leadership roles — depended on women to carry out much of the hard work in the ministries of the church.
As in relation to so many other issues, a gaping chasm exists between the spirit and substance of the Christian Scriptures applicable to women and the theological and moral perspectives from which many Christians make decisions about women. A similar gap exists between the official policies on women in many Christian institutions and the roles actually played by women within those same institutions.
Women should not be excluded from any position or role in religious, social, or governmental institutions. To discriminate against women in any way is to violate the fundamental principles of Christianity and -- in my opinion -- the fundamental moral truths of other religions as well.
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