Christianity, gender and sexuality

• Rationality


  (in classical economic theory) economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Rational agents will select the choice which presents the highest benefits
• Consumers act rationally by


  Maximising their utility
• Producers act rationally by


  Selling goods/services in a way that maximises their profits
• Workers act rationally by


  Balancing welfare at work with consideration of both pay and benefits
• Governments act rationally by


  Placing the interests of the people they serve first in order to maximise their welfare
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• A firm increases advertising


  Demand curve shifts right
• Marginal utility


  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• This is a subject that is currently the subject of hot debate within many of the Christian Churches
• There are significant disagreements both between and within the Christian Churches on the role of women within the Church
• Views on the role of women within the Church


  • Extreme traditional views held by many fundamentalist evangelical Christians
  • Very liberal approach of the Quakers
• Christian thinking is affected by a range of factors
• What New Testament texts have to say about the role and status of women
• Interpretation of those texts are also influenced by attitudes of nineteenth and twentieth century biblical scholarship and social attitudes to women, which have changed dramatically over the centuries
• The rights given to women by secular government, with a focus on the UK
• Jesus regarded women highly


  He taught them in the same way as he taught his disciples, for example, when he ate with Martha and Mary and whom he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well
• Jesus defended the woman who anointed him during a meal at Bethany for her action and rebuked those who criticised her
• Throughout Jesus' itinerant ministry, he had been accompanied by women as well as by his disciples and they assisted at his burial
• Feminists would object to the role of the women as they had cared for his needs; they were not carrying out preaching and ministry as the twelve disciples were, and after his resurrection, Jesus did not commission them as future leaders
• For most of this time, the views held by secular society about women were similar to the ones held by the Church
• In the early centuries of the Church's existence, some Church leaders held views that were often sexist and sometimes misogynistic
• Tertullian (155-244 CE) referred to women as the devil's doorway
• Augustine of Hippo and others blamed Eve for the Fall
• In the fifth century, a number of Church Councils banned women from being ordained as deacons, and the Pope stated his opposition to women's involvement in celebrating the Eucharist
• The role of women was generally restricted to marriage and motherhood, but the development of the monastic system with its rule of celibacy offered an escape from male domination for some
• Celibacy


  The choice to abstain from marriage and sexual relations
• According to Martin Luther, women should 'remain at home, still, keep house, and bear and bring up children'
• Some medieval women became highly influential, and have been regarded as early feminists
• Influential medieval women


  • Hildegard of Bingen (twelfth century) was not only in charge of her convent, but was also a respected musician, poet and naturalist who many medical men consulted about herbs that were useful for healing
  • The writings of Mother Julian of Norwich (fourteenth century) are still in print
• Because of the Industrial Revolution, men went out to work and women remained at home to carry out domestic duties and rear the children
• Changing ideas about the nature of humankind as endowed with reason encouraged the spread of education, and this included women
• Women gradually became accepted into professions such as medicine and many of those with money and influence became involved in charitable work
• Catherine Booth, the wife of the founder of the Salvation Army, claimed that women were particularly suited to public speaking and preaching
• The First World War meant that women played a key role in keeping the country going while the men were fighting, forcing society into a reassessment of their status
• Gradually women acquired equal employment rights, such as equal pay, though women are still a minority in senior management positions
• Additionally, some Christian denominations do not have women in leadership roles
• Politically, women exercise power, as currently demonstrated by Theresa May and Angela Merkel
• There are now far more women MPs than a few decades ago