Status of Women in the Bible

How the Status of Women Changed in the Bible

Why is it that the Bible seems so unfriendly to women? After all it would appear that most of the members and committee volunteers in a congregation are female. Yet holding office, being ordained, serving in any real capacity is pretty much forbidden. Some congregations even hold up the marital status of a woman (i.e., divorced or not) as to whether or not a woman can truly advance within the denominations hierarchy.

Other than male dominance, prejudiced tradition, and/or a misunderstanding of the scriptures, why is that? The short answer is: male dominance, prejudiced tradition, and a misuse of the Bible. This short article cannot discuss male dominance or prejudiced tradition. Well focus on the misuse of the scriptures.

To read and digest the Bible we must understand several things: the mind and situation of the writer; the mind and situation of the audience; and the message the writer was trying to communicate. Having understood that, we can begin to strip away the external trappings of the writer (e.g., those elements of the Old Testament texts that clearly belong in the late Bronze Age or of the New...