'In the image of God he created them. Male and Female he created them.'

This morning I watched a very interesting preach via my podcast by Greg Boyd on the roles of men and women. For me it made complete sense and as most of you know, I am a feminist and am excited about anything which builds up and empowers women in any way so am very keen to share on my Blog the findings that Boyd, a very respected theologian, found on this subject.

To start with I think it is necessary to identify what exactly a 'feminist' is. A feminist in the truest sense is not someone who attempts to degrade or pull down men. They do not aim to discourage or bully men and they are not there to upset the family unit. Feminists are simply interested in the empowerment of women and the improvement of equal rights and opportunities for women globally. Now you may argue that we have reached this equality and a woman can be anything she wants from a plumber to a ballerina. It is true that this country has seriously improved equal opportunities for men and women in terms of voting, working and property ownership. However, a person need only look at page 3 of  'The Sun,' to realise that women are unfortunately still sexualised and seen as objects which I believe is against God's plan for each man, woman and child. Further afield, and still underground in our country, oppression of women still very much exists in terms of human trafficking, female circumcision and the global problem or aborting/abandoning female children in preference for their male equivalents.

Personally, I think you need only look at Jesus' interaction with the woman at the well, a woman who had been married 5 times and was now having unmarried relationship, a huge deal in this time, who he spoke to as an individual with compassion and was the first person he revealed himself to as the Messiah. Or the woman who had committed adultery, who according to the law should be stoned, Jesus publicly forgave her and again, treated her as an individual. I believe firmly that the empowerment of women, AKA feminism, is still very much required in this society and that we are called to encourage and build up, like Jesus did.

1 Thessalonians 5v11- 'Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are doing.'

Furthermore, Boyd discusses verses at the conception of Adam and Eve that show that God's plan was for male/female equality.
In Genesis 2v18 it states: Then the Lord said,' 'It is not good for the man to live along. I will make a suitable companion/helper for him.'
The key word in this verse is 'companion/helper' which in the original Hebrew is 'Ezer.' In the past, largely male theologians have translated 'ezer' as 'servant,' 'subordinate.' Either way, the word 'ezer' in this context is seen as a negative connotation, that women were created to serve men. However, later in the Psalms, 'ezer' is used again to describe God as our helper. The same word 'ezer' is used in the place of 'helper.'
When you look at the translation, 'ezer' means 'a necessary, complimentary helper,' or elsewhere described as someone who completes and individual. Either way this certainly appears to be an elevated and important role which requires a form of equality NOT subordination... unless you're saying God should be subordinate to you? (Nahhh didn't think so.....)

Further on in Genesis 2 Adam openly  declares about Eve,
' This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.'
This part of the bible describes marriage as 'one flesh.' One solid unit, placed together and not broken. This declaration of love from Adam shows a one flesh reality, that he sees Eve as an almost mirror image of himself, a completion. In the truest sense here, being one flesh leaves no room for one individual being the boss, as there are no individuals in this one flesh! Being one flesh shows absolute commitment, absolute submission to each other but also, absolute equality.
Genesis also states that both men and women were created in the image of God,
 'In the image of God he created them. Male and female he created them,' that God inhabits both male and female characteristics and both men and women have the potential to be like Jesus. Boyd also mentions that the instruction of ruling the earth and all in it, is given to both Adam and Eve, not just Adam, which shows equality and working together as a unit, not just individuals.

One verse in Genesis that is often used out of context and for largely negative reasons is after Adam and Eve do what they shouldn't have. With God having given them the choice to opt into the awesomeness of Eden or not, Adam and Eve pretty much spit in the face of God and choose their own way. Because of this there are consequences (often spoken as curses) which happen as a result. One of these is to Eve which states:
'Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you.'
In the original Hebrew, 'desire' is better translated as manipulate or attempt to control and the word 'rule' is often used in verses to describe tyranny. Either way, manipulation and tyranny is generally not what God wants. Whereas many previous theologians (all men of course) have said that this is a prescriptive of what God wants in marriage, recent theologians have discovered that this is sadly a description of what is going to happen. God is not condoning the tyrannical rule of men over women, but is instead showing how this beautiful gift of marriage and soul mates that God has given the world, can be changed into a power struggle between manipulation and heavy handedness, which I think can be seen in many relationships we know. If anything we should be striving against this power struggle, instead striving for God's perfect plan and gift of marriage which as Corinthians describes is patient and kind.

Of course this argument of equality is not just over gender. It is important that it is applied to all walks of life. Hopefully, these verses in Genesis and the actions of Jesus have challenged you to think- we are all equal. There is no room for 'bosses' and no room for prejudice as we are all created in God perfect image. Whether the Queen or the homeless person on the side of the street, God knows and loves them and we are called to do the same.

As stated before, I am not for the oppression of men or the dissolution of the family unit, but simply encouraging people to think in a new way about the love Jesus has for both men and women. At the end of the say, Jesus died for both genders!
In general, we should also all strive to act as Jesus did which is so aptly described in Philippians 2:

'Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.'