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COM | 2014
IS THE BIBLE BIASED
AGAINST WOMEN?

Domenic Marbaniang

othing is more harmful than the doubt that the Bible is
governed by prejudice. The reason should be clear:
doubts about the Bible being prejudiced are bred in a
mind that has begun to question the infallibility of Scriptures;
but, truth and prejudice cannot stand together.

Now, there are some who would say that it is impossible to be
unbiased at all; everybody brings some kind of pre-judgment
(pre-judice), pre-understanding to a text or event. What we
already have believed in determines how we interpret
anything else. Thus, women in some cultures would find
biblical texts regarding head-covering as axiomatic, while
women in other cultures might find them very oppressive. The
very fact that there are a number of interpretations (some in
defense of affirming that the rule is mandatory; others in
defense affirming that the rule is mandatory only in few
cultures; some others doubting that the commandment is
prejudiced) tells us that pre-understanding has a great bearing
upon ones interpretation of a text. However, with regard to
those who seriously take Scripture for what it is, the
hermeneutical circle (the circle of interpretation) cannot be
ignored: ones prejudgment brought to the text can be
radically altered through engagement with the text; in other
words, a persons biases can be severely challenged and
changed as he continues to explore Gods word, giving rise to a
new understanding that is once again brought into fresh
engagement with the text once again.
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Accusations about the Bible being prejudiced against women is
often brought forth by some feminists who doubt that the
Bible can be fair with women especially when its overarching
culture is patriarchal (as they believe it to be). For such,
anything patriarchal is prone to be biased against women. But,
that is a prejudiced belief itself. Further, it can be unhealthy to
label something (a generation, a culture) as patriarchal and use
that caricature to condemn it. On the other hand, some might
say No, the Bible is not biased, but interpretations of it are.
This could be possible, where scripture twisting occurs to
manipulate interpretation in order to use scriptural authority
to validate a man-made rule. However, what the Bible says in
this regard might be very different from what people usually
think it says. Is the Bible biased against women? The question
has many issues at bottom; however, in this article, well
examine only a few Biblical passages that have been more
often challenged than others.

The Image of God in Woman
We start at the first record of woman in the Bible. In Genesis
1:27, she is not referred to as woman yet, but only as
female. The passage says: God created man in His own
image; in the image of God He created him; male and female
He created them. (Gen 1:27) With regard to the image of God,
neither the male nor the female are inferior or superior to each
other. Note the singular and the plural in the passage: in the
image of God He created HIM; male and female He created
THEM (emphatics mine). Man, here in this passage, is not
merely Adam; man here is humanity (both male and female).




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Headship and Authority

In chapter 2 of Genesis, we find for the first time the
expression woman; and, in a way it is patriarchal because it
was not God who called the female as woman, it was the man
who called her so (2:23). The expression woman in verse 22
is based on the name that the man gave her. But, what did God
call her? We dont find Him call her by any name except that
He said that He wanted to make for the man a helper
comparable to him. Adams naming the woman as Woman (as
one taken out of Man) was only an act that acknowledged
that God had given him a helper comparable to him, bone of
his bones and flesh of his flesh. However, the Genesis narrative
in chapter 2 is rudimentary, relating only to the first man and
his wife. But, womanhood is not just about wifehood; a
woman is also sister, a mother, a daughter and those
relationships are diametrically different from the one spoken
of in Genesis 2:24: Therefore a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one
flesh. (Gen 2:24). The passage has been talking about the man
and his wife, predominantly. But, the basic premise is clear:
humans have been created as male and female in the image
and likeness of God.

In 1Corinthians Paul looks back at Genesis for answers to some
contemporary problems. He notes:

For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the
image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For
man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man
created for the woman, but woman for the man. (1Co 11:7-9)

This doesnt mean that the woman is not created in the image
of God; we have already looked at that earlier. Paul only wants
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to point out the order of succession here: the man was made
first, then the woman for the man.

Prior to this, Paul had stated, the head of every man is Christ,
the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
(1Co 11:3)

Certainly, this doesnt mean that every male on earth is the
head of every female on earth nor that every female on earth
has to submit to every male on earth. Very clearly, the head of
a woman is only her husband. As a daughter, she submits to
her father even as a son is commanded to obey his father and
his mother; however, with regard to headship, the Bible states
it clearly that the woman (i.e. the wife) was created for the
man. But, in other relationships, the Genesis rule doesnt
apply. And so, Paul continues,

Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor
woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came
from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all
things are from God. (1Co 11:11-12)

Certainly, from passages where it says that the son should
obey the voice of his mother, we dont extrapolate that the
Bible is matriarchal and oppressive against men. It is ridiculous
to point out that in the order of authority the authority of a
son is above his mother (or a female tutor at school) just
because of his gender. The Bible makes it very clear that a son
has to honor his mother and must not forsake her law
(Prov.1:8). However, when the children are grown up, they are
free from any tutorship that toddlers must have (Gal.4:1-2,5;
1Kgs.15:13). Mary could not have authority over her son after
He was grown up (Matt.12:47-50). However, children are
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commanded to render to their parents what is due to them
(1Tim.5:4,8).

The Biblical principle places the man as the caretaker and
protector of his wife, as being the stronger one in relation to
his wife who is the weaker vessel (1Peter 3:7). No husband
ought to treat his wife dishonorably; if he does that it will
invite wrath from God (1Peter 3:7). Also, the Bible makes it
clear that God is against unethical divorces (Mal.2:16;
Matt.19:3-9) and the Law of Moses made it sure that a woman
was always treated with honor (Deut.21:10-17; 22:13-19) and
that the man brought happiness to his wife (Deut.24:5). There
were also laws for the protection of slaves, widows, and
pregnant women.

Regarding Public Silence
In 1Corinthians 14:34-35, Paul instructs:

Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not
permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law
also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask
their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to
speak in church. (1Co 14:34-35)

By church here is meant a gathering of Christians at a place.
One important rule of biblical interpretation is the consistency
principle: we must assume that the author is being consistent
throughout his writing unless the inconsistency is blatant. The
purpose of this rule is to prevent skepticism from making
premature surface interpretations without having looked
deeply into the context of a text and the variable meanings of
the terms used in it.

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It is very clear from this very epistle that Paul doesnt imply
that women have to be absolutely silent in the churches. A
woman could certainly pray and prophesy in the public
(1Cor.11:5), which meant a lot; because prayer involved a
priestly representative role and prophesying involved
authoritative communication of divine oracles There is
neithermale nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Gal 3:28). Paul is certainly looking at order. He had been
speaking of how prophets have to prophesy in an orderly
manner, while the others judged. Obviously, then, Paul is not
saying here that only men should prophesy and women must
not prophesy but be silent. That being ruled out, the possibility
remains that he is forbidding disorderly chattering in the
church while a service is going on.

In 1Timothy 2:12, however, Paul instructs Timothy that a
woman is not permitted to teach or to have authority over a
man. The context here points to a family couple (a woman
and a man) and the rationale is given from the Genesis story
of the first Man and his Wife. In a husband-wife relationship, a
woman is not permitted to have authority over or try to
dominate her husband. Peter amplifies it further when he
instructs: Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own
husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they,
without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
(1Pe 3:1). However, this doesnt mean that a woman cannot
teach at all. Writing to Timothy again, he reminds him of the
faith of Timothys mother and his grandmother, and of how
from his childhood he was instructed in the Scriptures
certainly, by his mother and grandmother because Timothys
father was not a Jew (2Tim.1:5; 3:15; Acts 16:1).

This also implies that a woman can be a pastor in a church if
her husband is a pastor. However, if her husband is not a
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pastor, then her appointment as a shepherd of the flock can
assume her being in an authoritative position above her
husband in the church, which would immediately convey role
confusion with respect to the Genesis principle; therefore the
injunction that a woman should not have authority over a man.

In cases that a couple stands as a model and example for other
families (especially with regard to their public life), even
secular authority recognizes the importance of the Genesis
model (Esther 1:16-18). The Christian view of this model is
given in Ephesians 5: 22-33. However, in cases that the
authoritative position doesnt have a family-extrapolation (e.g.
modern business and politics in which family life is
individualist and private) a woman can be in authoritative
position above men.