Women and Gender Equality
By: Adolphus Chinedu Amadi-Azuogu

The Attitude of the Apostle Paul and the Church Today

This book is written by a New Testament scholar. It deals with the problem of gender and equality in the church. It addresses the one-sidedness in the church that creates male privileges to the disadvantage of women. This situation creates a state of inequality in the Household of God. As a result, in some churches, there is a male reserved sacrament. Consequently, women are denied the right of ordination. Alternatively, they are not appointed to senior ministry positions. The reason for this is because they are women. The author calls it gender profiling. This unfair practice presents God in bad light because it makes him a gender-obsessed deity. Hence, God is made to take sides in our gender struggle. He is made to be the patron of men. Conversely, he is presented as an anti feminist deity, who looks down on women with disdain. Accordingly, God is falsely made to be the author of gender inequality, which He is not. Against this background, the author shows that every Christian is equal. The “no male, no female” in Paul is used to underline this. In other words, gender inequality is a man-made problem. It is not divinely ordained. This means that the churches can change it, if and when they want. The only hindrance the author foresees is power intoxication by a male clergy unwilling to share authority with women in the church. In a church where men are almost becoming an endangered specie the fear of an unpredictable power contest with women becomes a sufficient discouragement from allowing them to participate fully in the ministry of the church. As long as women are kept out, there is less competition and job security for men is assured. However, the facts presented in this book show several instances from Paul, which establish the equality of the genders. In view of this, the author advocates for a Christianity of equals, where gender discrimination will be relic of a bye gone age. As a result, the author proposes a non-discriminatory model of ecclesiology for the whole of Christendom. His final prayer is for a Christianity in which the equality of man and woman will be meticulously, religiously and conscientiously upheld. The good outcome of this will be the suspension of patriarchal privileges and the establishment of a level playing ground for all Christians.

This is an interesting book for all those who believe in divine justice, fairness and equity.