Christian egalitarianism


Christian egalitarianism, also known as biblical equality, is egalitarianism based in Christianity. Christian egalitarians believe that the Bible advocates for gender equality and equal responsibilities for the family unit and the ability for women to exercise spiritual authority as clergy. In contrast to Christian complementarianists and Christian patriarchists, proponents of Christian egalitarianism argue that Bible verses often used to justify patriarchal domination in gender roles are misinterpreted. Egalitarians believe in a form of mutual submission in which all people submit to each other in relationships and institutions as a code of conduct without a need for hierarchical authority.

Gender equality

Christian egalitarianism refers to a biblically based belief that gender, in and of itself, neither privileges nor curtails a believer's gifting or calling to ministry in the church or at home. It does not imply that women and men are identical or undifferentiated, but asserts that God designed men and women to complement and benefit one another.
A wide range of denominations embraces egalitarian beliefs:
  • Quakers affirm the absolute equality and ministry participation of all members without gender distinction.
  • Wesleyan Church upholds equality of men and women, rooted in creation theology and the conviction that both were made in the image of God, stewarding ministry and leadership equally.
  • United Methodist Church also affirms the equal ordination and leadership of women and men across all levels of church structure.
  • ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians officially ordains women as pastors and elders; ECO was founded in 2012 and has a growing membership across the U.S.
  • Church of the Nazarene, Assemblies of God, and Free Methodist Church consistently affirm women in ministry, while maintaining traditional views on sexuality.
  • Episcopal Church ordains women at all levels, maintains an anti-sexism task force, and opposes gender-based discrimination in church and civic life.
Other denominations and movements that often embody egalitarian practice include some Mennonite groups, Moravians, and certain Evangelical Covenant Church and American Baptist congregations.

Biblical justifications

All three Synoptic Gospels record Jesus as saying:
Christian egalitarians interpret "lord it over" to imply oppressive leadership, whereas "exercise authority" is viewed as potentially neutral or relational, rather than abusive. Recent scholarship interprets Jesus' words as rejecting domination in favor of a servant leadership approach.
The Apostle Paul wrote:
Egalitarian scholars widely cite Galatians 3:28 as a foundational passage. Paul emphasizes that all believers share complete unity and equal standing in Christ, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or social class.
Christian egalitarians affirm that Jesus' example and teaching abolished discrimination against racial minorities, slaves, and women in both church and marriage. They believe that the Bible teaches the fundamental equality of believers across all racial, ethnic, and economic divisions.
They argue that overarching principles of the Bible affirm that men and women are equally created in God's image, equally responsible for sin, equally redeemed by Christ, and equally gifted by God's Spirit for service. Each person is held responsible for using their God-given gifts regardless of gender.
The New Testament mentions Aquila and his wife Priscilla together as a couple in all six occurrences. Their order of appearance alternates evenly: Aquila appears first in the first, third, and fifth mentions, and Priscilla appears first in the second, fourth, and sixth mentions. Some revisions of the Bible put Priscilla rather than Aquila first in Acts 18:26, following the Vulgate and a few Greek texts. Some scholars suggest that Priscilla led their ministry and household.
Christian egalitarians teach that all people possess equal fundamental worth and moral status, grounding this belief in the doctrine that God created humanity in the image of God.
Egalitarians argue that Jesus Christ did not conform to cultural prejudices against women but instead challenged gender-based inequality through his teaching and actions.
Illustrative of efforts to institutionalize this belief are excerpts from the Statement of Faith of Christians for Biblical Equality, a leading Christian egalitarian organization:

History

Anna Oliver was the first woman in the United States to receive a Bachelor of Divinity from a Methodist seminary. She formally challenged the Methodist Episcopal Church's policies at the 1880 General Conference. Although denied full clergy rights at that time, her efforts set in motion the eventual gradual acceptance of women's ordination, culminating in full ordination in 1956.
The first organization created with the explicit purpose of advocating Christian egalitarianism was "Men, Women and God," founded in the United Kingdom in 1984.
In 1987, American evangelical leaders—including Catherine Clark Kroeger, Gilbert Bilezikian, W. Ward Gasque, Gretchen Gaebelein Hull, and Alvera Mickelsen—formed "Men, Women and God: Christians for Biblical Equality," later shortened to "Christians for Biblical Equality". This group launched the journal Priscilla Papers and issued the foundational statement "Men, Women and Biblical Equality" in the early 1990s. Christians for Biblical Equality formally incorporated in January 1988 and now includes members from over 100 denominations across more than 65 countries worldwide.

Egalitarian anthropologies

Titled by Rosemary Radford Ruether's work in Christian theology, Egalitarian anthropologies explore varying views of gender equality in Christianity. These include eschatological feminism, liberal feminism, and romantic feminism. Ruether argues that all of these anthropologies share a common conviction: God originally intended gender equality, but humanity distorted that divine design. Ruether goes on to point out that the belief in the ideal of gender equality "leaves room for considerable variation in relating this equality to women's present subjugated state in history under patriarchy." In the preceding statement, Ruether qualifies the need for further exploration into the following anthropologies.

Eschatological feminism

Ruether connects eschatological feminism to mysticism and asceticism by way of its roots in transcendentalism. She asserts that the original human, Adam, was androgynous and that "the fall" was the initial creation of gender. She reaffirms this point in a later article, "Sexism and Misogyny in the Christian Tradition: Liberating Alternatives", referencing Galatians 3:28, saying that through baptism androgyny is restored. Sexuality, the main division between genders, is said to be the root of female subordination. Relationships that are typically rooted in sexuality place women in roles that are subordinate to society's patriarchal norms. The path to equality is believed to be found when women transcend these roles—traditionally through celibacy. Transcending worldly norms, which the Bible instructs Christians to do, brings men and women to the state of androgyny that eliminates gender subordination; thus, Christianity is intended to manifest gender equality. Ruether says that transcendence is the core of eschatological feminism; women reach equality with men by separating from the world, rather than changing it.

Liberal feminism

Liberal feminism rejects the notion that creation established the patriarchy; Ruether asserts that gender equality originally existed, but was distorted by historical injustices against women. This branch of egalitarianism advocates for the restoration of gender equality rather than its introduction. "Economic, political, social, and systemic reforms will restore this equality. Ruether includes the church in her discussion of social reform, highlighting its role in perpetuating gender subordination. Ruether continues saying, "The Church as a bearer of redeemed humanity ought especially to represent this equality of men and women in its institutional life. But it does so as a paradigm of what all social institutions should become, not as a representative of an eschatological humanity outside of and beyond history." Here she distinguishes liberal from eschatological feminism, stating that liberal feminism calls for liberation within society, rather than removal from it.

Romantic feminism

Ruether states that in romantic feminism, the distinction between genders is found primarily in "spiritual" traits. Ruether references a sixteenth century humanist, Cornelius Agrippa, saying that women have an "affinity with divine Wisdom that gives them moral and spiritual superiority". Women are perceived to be innately altruistic, sensitive, and pure—traits that are considered morally superior compared to "male traits". Ruether continues saying that men and women are both inherently capable of goodness. Still, because of the patriarchy placing men into positions of power, more negative character traits are manifested. Since women are not allowed into positions of power, Ruether supposes that they retain humanity's natural goodness. Romantic feminism contains varying ideologies in itself, which are as follows.

Conservative romanticism

According to Ruether, conservative romanticism suggests that women should remain at home to preserve their goodness. Ruether says, "If a woman leaves the home to take up a traditional male occupation, she will straightaway lose this good femininity and become a she-male, a monstrous virago, or will become debased to carnal femaleness, fallen woman." In one survey conducted in 1999, a researcher concluded based on participants' responses, "Even though husbands were not always the sole providers, for the majority of men they remained symbolically so, such that women's employment was nearly always described as secondary, even expendable, in light of wives' responsibility to rear and nurture children." Conservative romanticism opposes gender equality in the work force to better preserve traditional roles in the home. A woman's innate goodness makes her the ideal candidate to raise children and support her husband. In turn, this spousal support enables the husband to perform better in the workforce; this trickle-down effect, where women raise good husbands and sons, is how conservative romantics believe women make an impact.