“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27

1. God – Theism
2. Human – Humanism
3. Male, Masculine – Machoism
4. Female, Feminine – Feminism

For each “-ism” listed above, I believe there is a good and a bad counterpart. Take Humanism for instance. I believe there is such a thing as Christian Humanism, and I am convinced it is Biblical. There is also such a thing as Secular Humanism, and I am convinced it is blasphemous.

This post will primarily deal with the two counterparts of Feminism. I believe there is a Biblical Feminism that all woman should embrace. That being said, I believe some women who call themselves Christians have strayed into the error of Secular Feminism, which is overtly Anti-Biblical, and Anti-Christian.

I. Biblical Feminism

A. According to Scripture, God made woman in His likeness, along with man. Women were distinct from men. Genesis 2 goes into detail how the first woman, Eve, was formed. Nature confirms the difference between men and women. Biblically, a woman should rejoice in being made in God’s image as female. She should embrace God’s glory as being God’s fearful and wonderful creation, made for His glory. She should not wish to be a man or be like a man, for that would be to question God’s wisdom. On an infinitely smaller scale, it would be like questioning Caravaggio why he uses dramatic lighting in his paintings. Caravaggio has the privilege to paint the way he wants to paint, and God has the privilege to create how He wants to create. Thus, neither should a man wish to be a woman or be like a woman. This is Biblical Feminism: women rejoicing in being women, the glorious image bearers of God.

B. The outworking of Biblical Feminism flows out of obedience to the Creator, God. The Creator said women are the ones to conceive and bear children. He also said women’s desires shall go to their husband, and their husband is to rule over them. “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Genesis 3:16

II. Secular Feminism

A. Secular Feminism upholds that women are not made in the image of God. It also upholds that women are equal to men in every way. There is much more that could be said about Secular Feminism, but one could easily Wikipedia it. It’s not a very enjoyable read. These two tenets should suffice: 1) women are not made in God’s image, 2) women are equal to men in every way.

B. The outworking of Secular Feminism is primarily seen by women refusing to give God glory. Second is their refusal to obey God. Such women refuse to obey God because they refuse to give their desires to their husbands and position themselves “under” their husbands. Many Secular Feminists believe it is far far better to live their own life; they are repulsed by the idea of living “restrained” under a husband, tied to a house with the real possibility of enduring the slave-like condition of pregnancy.

III. Conclusion

A. This is the lure that causes us to throw off restraint: complete independence, the freedom to be our own person, make our own choices, and live our own life without Christ’s involvement or restraints. That’s the lure, and it’s unbiblical. It defies 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” Some women think it is better to live life with 100% freedom, exploring themselves without a covering. St. Jerome rebuked the women who grew wanton, even widows who loved their new-found freedom in their husband’s death. These widows supported priests financially, but their hearts were far from pure. If God is truly wise, He knows why the body should submit to the head. If the body does not submit the head, then that body has the freedom to be nothing! Sure, it may be a beautiful body, but without a head, it’s dead.

B. God didn’t mess up His value system of equality when He said a woman should submit to her husband. He knew the love of Christ, the love every husband should have, is a love that dies for the other. Christ’s love is the Wing of God we are to take refuge under. If women refuse to take refuge under His wing, they will lose their glory, and the shame of their nakedness will be revealed.

C. I think the most beautiful picture of Biblical Feminism is found in Luke 2:36-38, where a young widow grew old serving God night and day. Serving night and day looks like restraint, doesn’t it? But when this woman was old, she saw Jesus. From that day on, she told everyone about Him. What glory it was for this woman to hide fervently under the shadow of God’s wings both in marriage and in widowhood. God grant us Your children grace, that we might love Thee as we aught, and serve Thee as Thou art worthy.

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