“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”—Galatians 3:28
Biblical Feminism
Biblical feminists believe that Scripture affirms the worth and value of men and women equally – and that all who have accepted Christ’s offer of new life should have equal opportunity to serve God. They take seriously Paul’s statement that “there is neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus”. Biblical feminists advocate partnership, not competition; mutual submission, not dominion by one sex over the other; the priesthood of all believers, not a male hierarchy.
However, in rejecting the traditionalists’ patriarchal teaching that male is norm, biblical feminists also reject any reactionary matriarchal notion that female is norm. For biblical feminists, only Christ is norm.
Biblical feminists believe that being rooted and grounded in Christ (Col. 2:7), aiming to grow up into the fullness and stature of Christ (Eph. 4:13), and seeking to serve as Christ commands us to serve (John 13:13-17, 13:34-35) must mean following Christ’s example of giving up one’s rights for others (Phil. 2:3-8, Mark 10: 42-45). Any limitation or denial of the human rights of women cannot be reconciled with Christ’s clear call to take up our cross and follow him.
For biblical feminists, Calvary is both the great leveling agent and the great unifying agent. We are all the same at the foot of the cross, all equally needy of the same gift of salvation equally offered to all who believe (John 1:12, I Cor. 5:17). In this larger perspective of our spiritual equality, we who would be Christ’s disciples dare not discriminate against our fellow human beings for whom Christ died. When we seek to obey Christ’s new command to love as he loved, we find that to Christianize sexism is to end it.
In biblical value, yes, in biblical role, no.