[Ali Imran]

Do Christians believe that men and women are equal?

This is a very interesting question - mainly because it depends very much on the denomination of Christianity that we are looking at. It is important to remember that when the Bible was written, society was very much male dominated, and therefore inequality between men and women was perfectly normal and accepted. Modern Christians living today would generally accept the idea that men and women are equal, not only because of the society we live in but in the loving approach that Christians take to everyone. These different responses can be shown through some biblical examples, such as St Pauls letter to Ephesians 5:21-22 which tells women to respect their husbands as if they were the Lord, and obey them completely. Let's remind ourselves though that this was a natural reflection of everyone in society of this time, not just Christians. On the other hand, other biblical texts would reflect the opposite, that men and women are completely equal in the eyes of Christianity. For example, St Pauls letter to the Galatians 3:28 states that "there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ." This demonstrates that God does not see our identity in terms of what we are, but loves us all the same.

Do you agree with that which means the teachings in Ephesians 5 are no longer applicable?