3.9.3
Christian Views on Gender Roles & Family
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Christian Views about Gender Roles and Family
Christian responses to modern secular views about gender roles and the family differ significantly.
Conservative view: men in charge
- Some very conservative Christians believe that it is a wife’s duty to obey her husband. Biblical passages like St Paul's letter to the Ephesians promote this kind of attitude.
- Similarly, some conservative Christians believe that the man should be in charge of the household and have responsibility for looking after his wife and children and providing financial support for the family.
Conservative view: dominant men
- Some conservative Christians argue that there should be a dominant partner in relationships for settling disputes, and this dominant partner should be a man.
- Some conservative Christians use the argument that men are physically stronger than women, and women are the ones who give birth and breastfeed, to justify the argument that men should have leadership roles in the family and women should have more caring, supportive roles.
Counterview: old-fashioned ideals
- Other Christians believe that these views are too old-fashioned for the modern world.
- The Bible was written a long time ago and society has developed since then.
- Many women nowadays don't promise to obey their husbands as part of their marriage vows.
Liberal view: equality of roles
- Many Christians believe that men and women should have equal opportunities in the home and at work. They say that the couple should share the childcare and housework and that the couple should both go out to work if they want to.
Liberal view: Biblical support
- Some Christians might support this view by drawing attention to the Bible, which says that everyone is equal and created in the image of God.
- “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3: 28.
- This passage suggests that Christians should not look at the differences between one person and the next and should recognise that they are all united through Jesus and his death upon the cross.
Conservative view of family
- When it comes to different types of family, different denominations of Christianity vary.
- Some more conservative Christians emphasise the importance of heterosexual married couples raising their family as one unit. This is based on teachings found in the Bible.
More liberal view of family
- Other Christians believe that because all humans are created in ‘the image of God’, same-sex parents create equally loving environments to raise children up in.
1Philosophy of Religion
1.1Ancient Philosophical Influences: Plato
1.2Ancient Philosophical Influences: Aristotle
1.3Ancient Philosophical Influences: Soul, Mind, Body
1.4The Existence of God - Arguments from Observation
1.5The Existence of God - Arguments from Reason
1.6Religious Experience
1.7The Problem of Evil
1.8The Nature & Attributes of God
1.9Religious Language: Negative, Analogical, Symbolic
2Religion & Ethics
2.1Natural Law
2.2Situation Ethics
2.3Kantian Ethics
2.4Utilitarianism
2.5Euthanasia
2.6Business Ethics
2.7Meta-Ethical Theories
2.8Conscience
3Developments in Christian Thought
3.1Saint Augustine's Teachings
3.2Death & the Afterlife
3.3Knowledge of God's Existence
3.4The Person of Jesus Christ
3.5Christian Moral Principles
3.6Christian Moral Action
3.7Development - Pluralism & Theology
3.8Development - Pluralism & Society
3.9Gender & Society
3.10Gender & Theology
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1Philosophy of Religion
1.1Ancient Philosophical Influences: Plato
1.2Ancient Philosophical Influences: Aristotle
1.3Ancient Philosophical Influences: Soul, Mind, Body
1.4The Existence of God - Arguments from Observation
1.5The Existence of God - Arguments from Reason
1.6Religious Experience
1.7The Problem of Evil
1.8The Nature & Attributes of God
1.9Religious Language: Negative, Analogical, Symbolic
2Religion & Ethics
2.1Natural Law
2.2Situation Ethics
2.3Kantian Ethics
2.4Utilitarianism
2.5Euthanasia
2.6Business Ethics
2.7Meta-Ethical Theories
2.8Conscience
3Developments in Christian Thought
3.1Saint Augustine's Teachings
3.2Death & the Afterlife
3.3Knowledge of God's Existence
3.4The Person of Jesus Christ
3.5Christian Moral Principles
3.6Christian Moral Action
3.7Development - Pluralism & Theology
3.8Development - Pluralism & Society
3.9Gender & Society
3.10Gender & Theology
Practice questions on Christian Views on Gender Roles & Family
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