The Status of Women in the Bible and in Early Christianity
I'm linking to a site that has biblical and theological quotes on the status of women. It's found gathered together by a group advocating religious tolerance as their goal in a world filled with religious hatred. They do this by educating their readers. LINK. While I think they don't look deep enough into the roles of women in the life of Jesus, there is a YUGE difference between how an apologist like David Marshall deals with this data and how they do. They tell the supposed good, but also the bad and the ugly. At least they're trying to deal honestly with the status of women in Christianity, even if they don't completely succeed at it with regard to Jesus.
Marshall's big complaint has been I only highlight the bad and the ugly, not the good of women under the reign of Christianity. He can say that no longer. Nonetheless, my task is to uncover the dirty little secrets apologists and theologians try to keep hidden from the fleeced flock. That MUST be my focus since that's what they do. If they wouldn't hide (or obfuscate) the truth, I wouldn't have to expose (or clarify) the truth they try to hide. Get it? There are thousands and thousands of Christian essays and books and sermons extolling the supposed high status of women in the Bible and how Christianity liberates them. Very few Christian voices can be heard above this rabble telling the rest of the ugly truth. Marshall only tells us a partial truth (at best), and because it's only a partial truth (at best) it's also misleading and dishonest. Think of it this way, a partial truth can be more misleading precisely because it has some truth to it. Apologists know this. So they are experts in deception and obfuscation.
If you want to know the biggest dirty little secret theologians and apologists try to hide, which needs to be exposed, read The Bad Jesus: The Ethics of New Testament Ethics, by Dr. Hector Avalos, especially chapter 9, with these sections in it:
Marshall's big complaint has been I only highlight the bad and the ugly, not the good of women under the reign of Christianity. He can say that no longer. Nonetheless, my task is to uncover the dirty little secrets apologists and theologians try to keep hidden from the fleeced flock. That MUST be my focus since that's what they do. If they wouldn't hide (or obfuscate) the truth, I wouldn't have to expose (or clarify) the truth they try to hide. Get it? There are thousands and thousands of Christian essays and books and sermons extolling the supposed high status of women in the Bible and how Christianity liberates them. Very few Christian voices can be heard above this rabble telling the rest of the ugly truth. Marshall only tells us a partial truth (at best), and because it's only a partial truth (at best) it's also misleading and dishonest. Think of it this way, a partial truth can be more misleading precisely because it has some truth to it. Apologists know this. So they are experts in deception and obfuscation.
If you want to know the biggest dirty little secret theologians and apologists try to hide, which needs to be exposed, read The Bad Jesus: The Ethics of New Testament Ethics, by Dr. Hector Avalos, especially chapter 9, with these sections in it:
The Misogynistic Jesus: Christian Feminism as Male Ancestor Worship
Mark 7//Matthew 15: The Misogynistic Jesus
Mark 10//Matthew 19: Divorcing Equality
The Womanless Twelve Apostles
The Last Supper: Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner
The Egalitarian Golden Age under Jesus
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