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.

Illustrative background for Conservative view: men in chargeIllustrative background for Conservative view: men in charge ?? "content

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.
Illustrative background for Conservative view: dominant menIllustrative background for Conservative view: dominant men ?? "content

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.
Illustrative background for Counterview: old-fashioned idealsIllustrative background for Counterview: old-fashioned ideals ?? "content

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.
Illustrative background for Liberal view: equality of rolesIllustrative background for Liberal view: equality of roles ?? "content

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.
Illustrative background for Liberal view: Biblical supportIllustrative background for Liberal view: Biblical support ?? "content

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.
Illustrative background for Conservative view of familyIllustrative background for Conservative view of family ?? "content

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.
Illustrative background for More liberal view of familyIllustrative background for More liberal view of family ?? "content

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.

Jump to other topics

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

1.10Religious Language: 20th Century Perspective

2Religion & Ethics

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

3.11Challenges

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