“The mistake we so often make is to assume patriarchy – at least some softer version of it – is the Bible’s message for us. But patriarchy is not the Bible’s message. Rather, it is the cultural backdrop against which the gospel message of Jesus stands out in the sharpest relief.” PatriarchyThe BibleThe Gospel Of Jesus Christ Book:Finding God in the Margins: The Book of Ruth Source: Finding God in the Margins: The Book of Ruth
“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh' (Genesis 2:24 NRSV). This radically upside-down statement would have shocked the original readers of Genesis and should shock us too. I don't know of any culture where men are depicted as clinging to their wives. Certainly within a patriarchal world, this is getting things backwards. There the wife leaves her parents and is absorbed into her husband's family.” MarriageMen And WomenPatriarchy Book:Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women Source: Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women
“In the beginning no power differential existed between male and female. God empowered both with full rights and responsibility to rule outward over all creation, not over each other. As we know all too well, the fall changed everything, precipitating male rule over women and also the rule of some men over other men, a.k.a., patriarchy. Within patriarchy, women no longer derive their value from their Creator, but from men - father, husband, and sons. Within patriarchy, a woman's value is gauged by counting her sons.” MenValuesFallFatherResponsibilityCreationChangedSonHusbandFemalePatriarchyEmpowered Author:Carolyn Custis James
“My book in a nutshell is about the deleterious effects of patriarchy down through the ages for women and for men and how the Bible dismantles this fallen social system. I'm completely persuaded that patriarchy is not the Bible's message, but that it runs counter to God's vision for humanity. It produces tension and disunity between men and women that run contrary to God's vision for his world.” MenWorldBookRunningAgeHumanityVisionMen And WomenFallenTensionPatriarchy Author:Carolyn Custis James
