Theology

Challenge: The Bible Says Men Are Superior to Women

Author Amy K. Hall Published on 02/23/2016

We’re back to “40 Problems with Christianity” again this week:

There are numerous scriptures in the Bible that clearly pronounce that a man is superior to a woman, which was consistent with the times it was written. Consider the following scriptures:

1 Corinthians 11:3: But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

1 Corinthians 11:8–9: For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

But times have changed. Societies the world over have bent over backwards to give women equal status and opportunity. Most marriages are now viewed as a 50/50 venture, a two-person team, as opposed to a master and a helper. The sticking point is that a real God and those he allegedly inspired would have foreseen this ultimate evolution of societal mores.

There are definitely some unstated assumptions behind this challenge, so there’s much to say here. I recommend starting by thinking through those Bible verses to determine whether or not they’re speaking of a hierarchy of value. (I think there’s enough in the first verse alone to prove otherwise.) His views on the grounding of morality (see his last sentence) and the place of roles in determining value are also problematic. I’d like to hear your positive case, as well: What does the Bible actually teach about the value of men and women?

Tell us how you would respond to this objection in the comments below, and Brett will post his video response on Thursday.

[Update: View Brett's video response. Explore past challenges here and here.]