OPINION Paul Clark
The recent decision of the Lutheran Church to ordain women has sparked familiar debates. Too often discussions quibble over a few isolated verses, losing sight of the larger, transformative narrative woven throughout Scripture—a story that charts the restoration of women within fallen society. Let me invite you into that grand narrative.
Creation: Equality in the Beginning
Genesis 1 beginswith God creating the world and finishing creation making human beings in God’s image – male & female. That is, both men and women are image bearers. It is arguable from the text that it is when we come together as one that we are ‘most divine’, as we can only complete our mission – be fruitful and multiple – together.
In Genesis 2 Adam is created first. It is quickly found that Adam is flawed, ‘it’s not good for adam to be alone’ and God ‘splits the adam’.
Verse 18 says, ‘I will make a helper suitable for him’. The Hebrew word helper, ʿēzer, has been misused to demote women. The word ʿēzer is used more often of God than women in scripture (cf. Psalm 115:9-11). Ie God is our helper! So the role of a helper is not secondary but essential – Adam is incomplete without Eve. Eve is, quite literally, ‘one side’ of Adam.
I find it profound that Genesis 1 climaxes with the creation of humanity, Genesis 2 climaxes with the creation of woman – humanity finding completion through companionship. Eve even gets a song! When we run out of words, we sing.
Genesis 1 and 2 offers not a hierarchy, but a partnership—one in which humanity is only “very good” when men and women are united in mutual purpose.
The Fall and the Curse of Patriarchy
The tragedy of Genesis 3 is not just the entrance of sin, but the distortion of relationships. Following the fall, God declares to Eve, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” This is not a prescription for how things should be—it is a curse, a reflection of a broken world where inequality and domination become the norm.
Patriarchy, then, is not part of God’s original design but a consequence of human sin. The Bible’s portrayal of male dominance reflects the reality of life in a fallen world—not an endorsement of it. To cling to patriarchy is to remain within the curse, rather than embrace God’s redemptive work toward equality and restoration.
Glimpses of Redemption in the Old Testament
Despite the limitations imposed on women in the ancient world, Scripture surprises us with moments where women defy cultural expectations. Figures like Sarah, Deborah, Rachel, Hagar and Hannah play pivotal roles, and two entire books—Ruth and Esther—are named for women.
These women’s stories shine through a context of oppression, offering glimpses of God’s intent to restore creation. The story of redemption was always bubbling under the surface, waiting for its fulfillment.
Jesus: A Revolutionary Relationship with Women
The culmination of this narrative is found in Christ. Jesus’ treatment of women was radical in his time—and remains so today. As the writer Dorothy L. Sayers put it in Are Women Human?
“Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man like this Man … A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronised; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them either as “The women, God help us!” or “The ladies, God bless them!” … who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female.
Jesus did not merely tolerate women; He affirmed them as individuals, disciples, and co-labourers in God’s mission. Mary was praised for sitting at Jesus’ feet as a disciple (Luke 10:38-42), and the Samaritan woman became an evangelist to her entire community (John 4).
But the climax is the cross.
At the point of the breakdown of the relationship between God and humanity we find a woman front and centre – Eve. It is no mistake that at the cross and tomb, where the relationship is restored, women are at the centre. The symmetry is divine.
Through Christ, the curse begins to unravel—men no longer need to rule over women, and women are freed from dependency on men for their worth and purpose.
St. Paul so declares, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:27-28
The Reversal Begins
We see the reversal of Jew and Gentile (and the difficult journey) through the book of Acts. In Acts 15 Gentiles are fully accepted into God’s household (contrary to the everlasting covenant given in Gensis 17:7 – i.e. seemingly contrary to Scripture.)
We see the journey through history of slave and free – where the church was central to emancipating slaves. Again, contrary to some verses of scriptures. (i.e. the grand narrative transforms individual scriptures like 1 Peter 2:18).
We see the early church began to live this reversal of male and female. The early church included women in leadership. Phoebe is called a deacon (Romans 16:1), Junia is celebrated as “outstanding among the apostles” (Romans 16:7), and Priscilla is a teacher, mentioned multiple times alongside her husband Aquila. Even in the face of societal norms, women played key roles in spreading the Gospel.
However, this momentum slowed with the institutionalization of Christianity under Constantine. As the church became aligned with state power, the curse of patriarchy was reinscribed, and it persists to this day. Yet, throughout history, the spirit of the Kingdom has continued to stir—calling for the full inclusion of women in the life and leadership of the church. The decision of the Australian Lutherans joins this call.
Once you hear this grand narrative, verses like 1 Tim 2:11-12 and 1 Cor 14:34-35 become chromatic notes in a major triumph. Able to fall away as we embrace the whole.
I’ve been involved in a denomination that has understood this narrative, and sought to live it out as long as I can remember. It’s a tragedy to me that women still find themselves subject to the male curse in the world, let alone the church, when Christ’s restoration occurred almost 2,000 years ago.
I invite you to consider if the male & female declaration of St. Paul, is as true as the Jew & Gentile and slave & free ones.
Paul Clark is a Christian Minister, author, broadcaster, husband and father.
Image: Eve and Mary generated with DALL-E3. Credit: supplied by Paul Clark
Thanks Paul, for this sensible and careful survey of biblical material. Patriarchy and all its manifestations—including “headship” and “complementarianism” are indeed sinful and not at all consistent with the divine intentions. Would that “biblical believers” today would acknowledge this!
One small correction: Jesus was not as radical as you claim. Women were leaders of Jewish synagogues, patrons of households, and exercised priestly functions in a number of Hellenistic religions. His affirmation of equality would have been accepted in certain enlightened Jewish and pagan quarters!