The fundamental aim of radical feminism is the\u00a0eradication of patriarchy from our society. They\u00a0see the structure of patriarchy as an oppressive\u00a0and abusive system designed to subjugate and enslave\u00a0women. Thus any institution that maintains\u00a0distinctions based upon gender is the enemy of\u00a0radical feminism. That being the case, God, the\u00a0Bible, and the church have all come under heavy\u00a0criticism from radical feminists.<\/p>\n
However, patriarchy is not the defective\u00a0brainchild of self-serving men, but rather it is a\u00a0manifestation of the wisdom of God. It was God\u00a0who from the very beginning placed the man in\u00a0a leadership position (1 Corinthians 11:3-12). This\u00a0leadership was not designed to oppress or enslave\u00a0women, but rather to enrich and liberate women\u00a0from responsibilities that would belong to the man\u00a0instead.<\/p>\n
Has patriarchy ever been abused? Of course\u00a0it has. I can\u2019t think of a single good institution that\u00a0hasn\u2019t been twisted and perverted by people themselves\u00a0who were twisted and perverted. But don\u2019t\u00a0equate patriarchy with the abuses that occur under\u00a0a patriarchal system.<\/p>\n
God designed men and women differently.\u00a0While radical feminists may argue long and\u00a0loud that men and women are the same and gender\u00a0is neutral, it simply is not the case. The Holy\u00a0Spirit instructed the apostle Peter to write that\u00a0women are to be treated with a special measure\u00a0of honor as a \u201cweaker vessel\u201d (1 Peter 3:7). When\u00a0God created Eve, he did not simply replicate Adam,\u00a0but he created a woman, different from the man,\u00a0but who was suitable and who complemented the\u00a0man (Genesis 2:18).<\/p>\n
While there are many philosophical mistakes\u00a0within radical feminism, the overarching mistake\u00a0that I see is that they see \u201cfairness\u201d and \u201cequality\u201d\u00a0as the same thing as \u201csameness.\u201d But they\u00a0are not. Any parent with children can attest to the\u00a0fact that \u201cfairness\u201d doesn\u2019t mean you treat your\u00a0children the same way. Likewise \u201cequality\u201d is not\u00a0to be confused with \u201csameness.\u201d It is because of\u00a0this confusion that radical feminism is opposed\u00a0to God, the Bible, and the church, for they recognize\u00a0and approve of gender-based role distinctions.<\/p>\n
There was a time when in the days of the apostle\u00a0Paul, he and other Christians were accused of\u00a0turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6). However,\u00a0today it appears that the impact of the radical\u00a0feminist movement and their message of \u201cgender-neutrality\u201d are turning the church upside down.<\/p>\n
In order to understand how this has been accomplished,\u00a0we might begin with Galatians 3:28.\u00a0This verse affirms, \u201cThere is neither Jew nor Greek,\u00a0there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male\u00a0nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And\u00a0if you are Christ\u2019s, then you are Abraham\u2019s seed,\u00a0and heirs according to the promise.\u201d Are the\u00a0radical feminists correct in affirming that\u00a0Christianity should be gender-neutral? After all, this passage does teach that in Christ, we are\u00a0neither male nor female.<\/p>\n
To reach such a conclusion is a tragic mistake. In fact, it is a very old mistake. It is the very mistake\u00a0made by Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On which we read about in Numbers 16. In this passage,\u00a0Korah and his companions gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron, and accused\u00a0them of \u201ctaking too much upon themselves.\u201d In other words, they were accusing Moses and his brother\u00a0Aaron of doing some things that some of the rest of them would like to do. They didn\u2019t think it\u00a0was fair for them to be able to do certain things while they were excluded from doing them (the\u00a0\u201cfair = sameness mistake\u201d).<\/p>\n
Note carefully their reasoning which led them to their thinking that Moses and Aaron weren\u2019t\u00a0being fair. They said, \u201cFor all the congregation is holy, everyone one of them, and the Lord is among\u00a0them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?\u201d (verse 3). The mistake\u00a0that Korah was making was that he was confusing \u201cvalue\u201d and \u201cright standing\u201d with \u201cresponsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
In other words, he was saying, \u201cSince God loves all of us and we are all holy, and equally\u00a0valued, then we should all be able to do the same things.\u201d\u00a0But Moses refuted this line of reasoning by reminding Korah, who just so happened to be a son\u00a0of Levi, that he himself was privileged to serve God in ways that the rest of the congregation could\u00a0not. Of course, the outcome of this disagreement was settled by God when Korah and his followers\u00a0were swallowed up by the earth. Moses was right. Value and responsibility are not the same\u00a0thing. Equality and responsibility are not the same\u00a0thing. While God may value His people equally, that\u00a0does not mean His people all have the same responsibility.<\/p>\n
This is the very mistake that radical feminists are\u00a0making with respect to Christianity and the church.\u00a0They oppose the church for practicing male spiritual\u00a0leadership, using Galatians 3:28 as a proof text.<\/p>\n
However, Galatians 3:28 is not speaking about responsibility,\u00a0but is rather affirming that regardless\u00a0of one\u2019s nationality, social status, or gender, we are all one in Christ and heirs of Abraham. The mistake\u00a0they\u2019re making is their incorrect assumption that equal standing and worth before God equates\u00a0to equal responsibilities. But such is not the case and can easily be proven. In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus\u00a01, when God limited the eldership to men \u2026 no, men who are husbands \u2026 no, men who are\u00a0husbands and who are also fathers, He demonstrated that role distinctions exist within the church.<\/p>\n
While God is a God of justice and equality, He did ordain gender-based role distinctions in the\u00a0home as well as in the church. God ordained the husband to be the head of the wife (Ephesians\u00a05:23), and He ordained that the wife is to be subject to her husband (Ephesians 5:24). This difference\u00a0is not an issue of equality, but rather an issue of responsibility. The responsibility of headship\u00a0that has been given to the man is not given to him so that he can \u201cprove he\u2019s a man\u201d by some sort\u00a0of heavy-handed, oppressive leadership. Rather, it is given to him so that he can \u201cprove what kind\u00a0of man he is\u201d by leading his wife in such a way that it demonstrates that he loves her more than\u00a0his own life (Ephesians 5:25).<\/p>\n
Likewise, within the church God ordained gender-based role distinctions. He ordained that the\u00a0men would be leaders in the church (1 Timothy 3:1-2; Titus 1:5-6), and that women were not to preach\u00a0or have authority over the man (1 Timothy 2:11-15). Again, these differences are not an issue of equality,\u00a0but rather an issue of responsibility.<\/p>\n
While it may not be politically correct to teach male spiritual leadership in the home and the\u00a0church due to the influence radical feminists have had in our culture, it is precisely the message\u00a0that is needed today. Culture must not determine the teachings of the church. That should be\u00a0determined by the Bible. And while some may not understand why God chose to use patriarchy and\u00a0male spiritual leadership and are too near-sighted to see its benefits, it is God\u2019s way, it is His Word,\u00a0and His way is always best.<\/p>\n
The irony of radical feminism is that in their effort to supposedly free women from \u201cbondage\u201d\u00a0to men, they have in reality brought women into bondage to feminism. Unwittingly, women have\u00a0become slaves in the name of freedom! In short, radical feminism is born out of selfishness and\u00a0rebellion; rebellion against God\u2019s divinely appointed order for the home and the church. The freedom\u00a0that so many women are seeking is not to be found in picking up the burden of radical feminism,\u00a0but rather by giving their burdens to Jesus and making him their Lord.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free \u2026 Stand fast therefore in the\u00a0liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage\u201d\u00a0(John 8:32; Galatians 5:1).<\/p>\n