Feminism: Equality not Hierarchy (Christian Feminism is Godly)
- Elaine R Kelly
- Jun 10
- 16 min read
Updated: Dec 8
Some people are uncomfortable calling themselves a feminist. Perhaps it stems from their understanding of feminism. Do you see feminism as advocacy for equality and freedom, or as advocating for female domination? Do you see feminists as following Jesus or enemies of Jesus? Do you see feminism as promoting godliness or ungodliness?
Test yourself: How do you see this image?
A. A woman aiming to have power over men, to rule over men. The woman is prepared to fight against men. The image challenges the traditional gender role of female submission. She is usurping a man's goals and aspirations.
B. A woman aiming to have power over herself, to have freedom to rule over her own life. The woman is prepared to fight for herself. The image shows a woman's strength, determination, and female empowerment. She is pursuing her own goals and aspirations.
C. A woman aiming to have the power to help men in the WW2 war effort by entering the workforce. The woman is rolling up her sleeves to prepare to fight for the nation. The image shows women as capable and strong workers. She is pursuing the nation's goals.
Your (unscientific) Results:
A: You have a patriarchal hierarchical worldview and likely oppose feminism.
B: You have an egalitarian worldview that values each person identifying and pursuing their individual gifts without reference to gender.
C: You have a historically accurate view without gender stereotypes.
What is Feminism?
The Oxford dictionary defines feminism as the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. It is about women having the same rights and freedoms as men.
I am a Christian and a feminist. This means I understanda the Bible to endorse equal freedoms and responsibilities for all people, and because I follow the Bible, I advocate for equality between men and women. I encourage others who call themselves followers of Christ to imitate the equal respect Jesus showed for women and men. Equality is a basic concept most people agree with, so why write about it?
The patriarchal hierarchical worldview is often promoted by many Christian churches and Christian leaders. In some cases, opposition to feminism comes from the patriarchy in religion.
In this article, I counter three relatively recent articles that demonstrate how and why some Christians actively oppose feminism. Each of the three is written by a woman who shows she is fully steeped in Christian male hierarchical communities. These women have internalized the view of a power hierarchy from God that places men over women. Perhaps it helps them feel belonging in their church community. These female writers are all younger than myself, and what I've found over the years is that when a life crisis happens, the pat answer that it was "God's design" is insufficient. Decades of believing you are created to be "less than" a man can wreak havoc with your self-confidence. I pray that when a crisis happens in the lives of these female writers, they will be able to cast off the shackles that now enslave them and feel for the first time the love and freedom that Jesus brought.
Kristen Clark begins by stating that feminism focuses on gaining equality in all domains, that all traditional gender roles in all domains are equal, and women and men can freely swap roles.
So far, okay. However, she goes on to say that being able to swap roles means being the same. She got that wrong. No feminist claims that women and men are the same. Feminists are focused on gaining equal freedom and opportunity in all domains.
Next, Kristen Clark says,
In most feminists’ eyes, equality means women must have the same jobs as men. Same life plans as men. Same roles in marriage as men. Same roles in parenting as men.
Again, feminism means the same opportunities for jobs, so that a male applicant is not chosen in preference over a female applicant because of his sex. It's about getting rid of the idea that a man needs the job more than a woman, or needs higher pay than a woman, or is naturally better suited because of his gender.
Feminism does not say women have to have the same life plans as men, but that women may and should make their own life plans, just as men make their own life plans. She has the same rights and freedoms, and these are not lost because she is a woman.
Feminism does not endorse the same roles for men /women in marriage or in parenting, but endorses getting rid of the idea that there are male/female roles in marriage or parenting. Both partners are to mutually serve, both contribute to providing financially for the family, and both must nurture and teach the children. Both parents must do the work of parenting. As Christians mature in the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit are the same for both a man and a woman. The Bible endorses mutual submission, serving one another, and yielding to one another in love.
Girl Defined is
"100% in favor of equality between men and women."
How can she not? From the beginning, God stated that men and women are made in God's image (Genesis 1:27). She points out that this idea comes from God, not from feminism. I agree. The idea of equality between men and women is from God, and that is the reason I advocate as a feminist.
However, she has a different idea of what it means to be equal, saying,
The man and the woman were created by God to be equal in value but different in roles. God didn’t design us to be the same. He didn’t design us to do all the same things. He created one male and one female with differing roles and jobs.
This idea of God designating roles based on gender is false. God told both the woman and the man to be fruitful; God told both the woman and the man to have dominion over the earth. Obviously, we have different bodies, but that does not logically lead to limited roles for women and unlimited roles for men. The Bible gives ample evidence in the Bible of women and men in a variety of roles. Feminists are not arguing that women and men are the same, but that equality means having the same rights and freedoms. God gives all humans the same freedoms and responsibilities.
Conclusion:
Girl Defined: Kristen Clark | Elaine Kelly |
Equality means having the same jobs | No, equality means having the opportunity to perform the same jobs, eliminating barriers |
Feminists want women to have the same life plans as men | No, feminists want women to be able to pursue their own life plans, just as men pursue their personal life plans |
In favour of equality between men and women, but believes God designed genders to have different roles | In favour of equality between men and women, and believes that God designed all humans to have dominion over the earth with no roles determined by gender. The Spirit distributes gifts without regard to gender. |
God did not design us all to do the same things, so males and females have different jobs. | God did not design us all to do the same things: all men are not the same, and all women are not the same; God gives unique jobs to individuals regardless of gender. |
Feminism is ungodly; God's design is for women to be submissive, and a wife must be secondary to a husband. By rejecting the view that God created a patriarchal hierarchy, feminism rejects God's authority. | Feminism is godly; God's design is for women and men to be fruitful in unity and partners in having dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28). After the Fall, man desired to usurp God's place and become a ruler (Genesis 3:16b). Rejecting mutual service and mutual respect, and supporting man's rule, is rejecting God's authority. |
Feminism encourages a woman to see herself as superior to men and to God, following her selfish desires. | Feminism encourages a woman to see herself as an equal, with a valid purpose and individual goals. We reject a man or woman following selfish desires for power or fame. Feminism rejects one-way submission in favour of mutual partnership, yielding to one another in love. "Submit to each other out of respect for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21, following the example of Roman wives who submit to their husbands. |
Good female characters in fiction are multi-faceted and rise to overcome challenges. This article is for Christian writers who want to write strong female characters but believe that feminism is ungodly. The KingdomPen website is for those who want their fiction to mirror their idea of what the Bible teaches, including the portrayal of gender roles.
The author, Hope Ann, states,
I am not just talking about a proper view of marriage or the fact that God created us male and female. In a biblical worldview, men and women have different tasks and roles of authority in which the woman is a helpmeet to the man. This contrasts sharply with feminism that elevates women in the wrong way. The right to vote and receive equal wages are admirable goals. But unbiblical feminism is a mindset in which a woman steps outside of her God-given role to try to usurp the role God has given to men.
There's a lot to unpack here, as the writer seems to have a narrow view of marriage, of gender, of gender roles, and of women as subordinates. In addition, this paragraph opposes feminism's elevation of women, while I would say that feminists simply advocate elevating women to having the same God-given rights, freedoms, and responsibilities as men. This author does not seem to leave room for a feminism that is biblical, stating that any mindset where a woman steps into a man's role is ungodly.
Like the former writer, this anti-feminist writer claims that she believes in equality:
Let me be clear, men and women are equal before God and as human beings. One is not better than the other. No soul is of greater or lesser worth. Yet, men and women are different. They are designed for specific tasks and biblically assigned distinct roles.
But equality is not equality if some groups have restrictions and other groups don't. It's like saying we are all equal, but only landowners can vote, or only second-generation citizens have the rights of citizens. If one person has fewer freedoms based on who they are and how God made them, that person is not equal to the person who has unlimited freedoms. Let me be clear, the idea that there are biblically assigned distinct roles based on gender harms both men and women. Our functions must be the fruition of our individual gifts.
Hope Ann admits that there are strong female characters in fiction, but suggests that their character arc would bring them to learn to happily accept their place in the home. She suggests that the strength and daring of these female characters be portrayed as a woman struggling with her flaws. She suggests that your story would show how feminism is inconsistent with biblical womanhood, and the character discovers that feminism has bad consequences.
Hope Ann admits that in a novel, as in life, characters may perform outside gender roles. A woman may be a hero, and a man may care for the home, but the novel should reinforce gender roles:
Whether your character follows feministic or biblical ideas is determined not by her deeds but by her overall demeanor and how she relates to men.
Hope Ann suggests that Deborah in the Bible became a judge because Israel was under a curse, where there were no available men, and that Deborah submitted to General Barak's request that she accompany him into battle. Many excellent scholars have written about how God chose Deborah as a blessing to Israel, and Barak asked for her leadership because she was gifted and godly.
Hope Ann says that in Christian fiction, a woman can lead, spy, fight, but ensure that these female characters are not acting from selfish motivation. She cautions that a female character should not act in order to prove she is as good as a man.
Why are they leading? Is it because there is no one else to do the job? Is it because the men are fighting or wounded or in need of aid? Or are your female characters pushing forward to seize the task from those who ought to be leading?
As a feminist writer, I would like to ask why male characters are leading. Are they doing it for selfish glory? Or are they doing it to serve a higher purpose? In my novel, Finding Her Voice, Junia does not ask to be an apostle out of selfish motives, but because God equipped and called her to deliver the message to break ethnic divisions in Christian worship. Whether or not she becomes a preacher and apostle does not usurp a role from a man; she has created her own platform in order to fulfil God's mission. And she's definitely advocating for an equal right to speak regardless of sex - just as God endorses in Genesis, and just as feminists everywhere.
The key to making your women strong, and even leaders, is how they view men. Do they heed, honor, and help the men in their lives?... Focus on the motivation and attitude of the women in your story, which will cause them to be either feministic or supportive of the men in their lives.
The conclusion of the KingdomPen article clarifies that women can be strong leaders, but to avoid making them appear as feminists, these female characters must honour, follow, help, and support the male characters. In other words, she can be strong, but only if she is not portrayed with the respect that is equal to that shown to the male characters. This type of Christian fiction would dramatize the idea that women must remain in a subordinate position.
Conclusion:
Kingdom Pen: Hope Ann | Elaine Kelly |
Men have authority; women are men's subordinate helpers. | God authorized men and women equally; Eve was called Adam's "ezer", a strong ally or rescuer. |
Feminism elevates women the wrong way, having women step out of their God-given role and usurp a man's role and authority. | God assigned no roles based on gender. Genesis warns Eve that the man wants to usurp God's role and rule over her. Jesus elevated the weak and pulled down the powerful to make us equal. |
Feminism aims to establish a female hierarchy where women rule over men. Feminist ideas can be portrayed as sins, and female characters learn to discipline themselves to be submissive. | Feminists aim to eliminate all hierarchies so that no gender rules over another gender, but God rules over all. Men and women are interdependent on one another as equals. "For just as woman came from man, so man is now born of woman. But all things come from God" (1 Corinthians 11:12) |
Ensure your Christian female characters are not leading or speaking from a selfish motivation, seizing a job from a man, or that they learn to submit and find happiness in their role as wife and mother. | Ensure your Christian female and male characters are not leading or speaking from a selfish motivation, but actually seeking to bring God's kingdom to earth by fighting injustice. They learn to lead boldly and find happiness in obeying God's call. |
A good female character must always listen, respect, follow, and help the men in their lives. Feminist characters are not supportive of the men in their lives. | A good female character must always listen and be listened to, interact with mutual respect, help and be helped. Feminist characters support the weak and marginalized and oppose those who exploit and harm others. It may mean speaking against men, admonishing them and bringing them to submit to God's command to stop the exploitation of others. |
Summer Jaeger notes that early feminists were Christians who believed in God and "pleaded for fair treatment for both women and slaves". (Actually, these Christian feminists advocated for the complete abolition of slavery.) She sums up what early feminists believed about God's design for women and men and how we relate to each other as,
In order for a woman to be truly free, she must not enter into a marital union. Women must be freed not from sin, but from men.
Feminists are not opposed to marriage. Many feminists, including myself, are happily married. However, many women are not happy in a marriage that dooms them to drudgery, disrespect, and servitude. Summer Jaeger outlines three trends that she calls feminist lies.
The Me Too Lie
Summer Jaeger agrees that the church should be angry and vocal against the crime of sexual abuse, and that churches should be a safe haven for victims, and seek justice for victims. Jaeger points to pornography as a way that men regularly enjoy watching the abuse of women. We agree up to this point; the MeToo movement has brought abuse, pornography, and exploitation to our social consciousness.
But Jaegar criticizes the MeToo movement for not doing more. She argues that the MeToo movement makes no distinction between an inappropriate whistle and a rape, thereby minimizing the true crimes. She suggests that the feminist movement diagnoses these sins "with a similar amount of acuity".
However, it is a false argument to say that feminists see harassment in the workplace as the same as rape. While feminism sees sexual crimes in a wide variety of behaviours that dehumanize and disrespect women, feminists do not see these crimes as being equally severe. Identifying patriarchal structures as the source of abusive behaviour does not suggest that the behaviours are equal crimes or should have the same consequences.
The Intersectional Lie
Here is Merriam-Webster's dictionary definition of intersectionality:
The complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups
Intersectionality means you may be part of more than one socio-economic group, and where these identities overlap, you may experience multiple sources of discrimination or oppression. Those who are not in oppressed groups may be said to have privilege.
Summer Jaeger calls Intersectionality a religion, which it is not. Jaeger also calls these socio-economic groups "false categories" (race, gender, and sexual orientation).
Jaeger suggests that Intersectionalism means that only those who are in a certain socio-economic group can understand the experience of oppression. It asks us to respect a person's lived experiences more than an academic viewpoint. She calls this an ungodly partiality. Jaeger correctly states that Christians are warned against showing partiality or judging a person based on their appearance, class, income, or ethnicity.
However, instead of advocating against how our society and churches show partiality, she criticizes Intersectionality for pointing to those with privilege as the source of societal ills. She is effectively suggesting that uplifting these oppressed groups is persecuting those who benefit from the status quo. While Jesus fought to bring down those in positions of privilege and uplift the marginalized, Jaeger's message seems to support those with privilege. It is possible that she does not realize that she is speaking from a position of privilege to be able to afford to stay at home, and that women who work outside the home need to have opportunities for education, careers, and fair wages.
By telling the reader to focus on original sin as the source of societal ills instead of the oppression by the privileged, she effectively ignores the sin of the oppressor. She silences the victims by suggesting that disagreements be resolved by "men of good repute", whether or not they listen empathetically to those in oppressed groups.
The Lie of Unbelief
Jaeger says that feminism is a type of unbelief, that feminists claim God's design is drudgery, and that feminism offers freedom. She points out how the Protestant Reformation uplifted marriage as a noble calling for women and that marriage does not necessitate suppressing our nature.
Our fear of Biblical womanhood is a commitment to unbelief.
As a Christian feminist, I oppose "biblical womanhood". I am not afraid of it. I believe it is unbiblical. I believe that God's design is freedom for women and men. Jaeger points to Proverbs 31 as a model for women managing the home and children, without noting that the woman in Proverbs 31 is an industrious businesswoman showing initiative and taking action to pursue her own goals.
Jaeger paints feminists as being selfish, unwilling to obey, and needing to repent. Jaeger says God requires a woman's obedience, and feminists are partnering with the world instead of bowing down to God. However, Jaeger does not suggest that women and men are both equally obedient to God and that God tells us to mutually submit to each other.
Jaeger suggests feminism leads to bitterness and resentment. I have lived it for many decades, and I can tell you equal treatment for women does not lead to unhappiness. I am free, and I am happy. I enjoy respect. I am saturated in God's love. I celebrate being an equal heir in God's family, with the rights of sons. I am a Christian, and I am a feminist.
Conclusion:
Summer Jaeger | Elaine Kelly |
Feminists want freedom from men; Christians should only be concerned about freedom from sin; men are not the problem. Feminists encourage dislike or hatred of men. | Feminists do not hate men; they hate male hierarchical power structures which limit the freedoms of both women and men. Women and men need freedom from these sinful power structures. |
Churches should be a safe haven for victims, and Christians should avoid pornography and seek just justice. | Amen |
The MeToo movement is harmful because it equates all sexual harassment as the same, minimizing true crimes. The MeToo movement does not differentiate between sins like disrespect and crimes like r*pe. | The MeToo movement is beneficial because it shows that many true crimes against women begin with the objectification of women, harassment, and what has been called harmless locker room talk. True crimes remain distinct and should be pursued in court, with suitable punishment for r*pists. |
Intersectionality is a religion with false categories. Feminism exaggerates the disadvantages suffered by women; women are not a minority. Those who are both Black and Female are not doubly oppressed. | Intersectionality is not a religion and not related to the spirit world; it is an academic concept to help understand true socio-economic groups and how oppression impacts some more than others. While some women are not oppressed, females do face disadvantages in our society, culture, and religion. Jesus overturned these inequities and calls us to follow him in overturning these inequities. |
Opposition to biblical womanhood is a commitment to unbelief. | Biblical womanhood is a relatively recent phenomenon created by men and not supported by the Bible. The belief in unequal freedoms based on gender is a commitment to unbelief in our loving God, who sent Jesus to make women and men equal heirs in God's family, all with the rights of sons. |
Feminism oppresses men or shows a prejudice against men. | Feminists do not support the oppression of any group and oppose both preferential and prejudicial treatment based on sex. These imply inequality. Losing a privilege and becoming equal to others is not an act of oppression. Jesus uplifted the lowly and called out those who put down others. If we follow Jesus, we need to uplift the downtrodden to an equal place. This is not hurting, hating, or oppressing those who are in places of privilege or power. |
Conclusion:
Don't be afraid of the word feminism. Feminism is about equality, and equality is a central message of the Bible. Christian feminists see that the Bible says God does not show preference or favouritism, and does not discriminate on the basis of biologically determined characteristics such as sex and race. This applies not only to salvation, but to all aspects of our lives.
God created all humans as equals, and God looks at the heart, not at outward appearance. Jesus opened the door, and no man can shut it (Revelation 3:8). Jesus feminists base their view of equal rights for women and men on the words and example of Jesus. In Christ, there is no more male and female. Women and men in Christ are equal heirs, receiving the rights of sons in God's family.
Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:
Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1, A Novel (2022)
The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)
Because She Was Called from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church (2024)
Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)
Finding Her Voice from Broken to Bold, Book 3, Acts of Early Female Apostles: A Novel (2025).
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