Is Christianity Sexist? Let’s Talk About It

Does God hate women? Does Jesus view women as inferior? Is Christianity inherently patriarchal and sexist?

These questions consumed me for 10 years. They became the beginning, end, and complete reconstruction of my faith. I had to figure out what God really felt about women. Were we just tolerated? Were men truly meant to rule over us? Was submission our permanent position?

This is my soapbox. And the answer might surprise you.

A Surprising Place to Start: A Statue of Mary

I grew up Catholic. And one interesting thing about the Catholic Church is this: only men can be priests. Women become nuns, never leaders. The church structure is entirely male-dominated.

Yet Mary, the mother of Jesus, is constantly praised and honored. More than Joseph. More than most biblical figures. Catholics recognize the miracle that this woman had something to do with the life of Jesus, and they celebrate it.

As a little girl, I would sometimes leave Mass and wander the church hallways. In one room stood a statue of Mary in a glass enclosure. To my child’s mind, she seemed massive and magnificent. I would visit her regularly, just staring at her beauty. She was like my first Disney princess, an amazing woman I could look up to.

I didn’t fully appreciate what that meant until years later when I was wrestling with whether God valued women at all.

Walking Away and Coming Back

I left the Catholic Church at 13. I tried evangelical churches, charismatic churches, and eventually landed at a non-denominational church. But as I wrestled with the “does God hate women” question, I kept thinking about that statue.

One day, I decided to return to that childhood church. Not for Mass. Just to see if the statue was still there.

I found her. She was smaller than I remembered (I was taller now), tucked into a modest glass enclosure with kneeling benches and free rosaries. I knelt down before her.

And yes, I know some Christians are already upset about that. Stay with me.

I remember thinking: “I want to believe in God. I miss having a connection with Jesus. But I don’t know if I can do that. I need something like you. I need you to minister to me right now.”

In that season, I felt emotionally abandoned by God. The world of masculinity felt abrasive and forceful. I needed maternal presence. I needed someone to see that I wasn’t okay.

Men often emotionally abandon each other. They have no framework for checking in on each other’s wellbeing. That’s why so many men are unwell, they have no one looking out for them emotionally.

I needed that maternal force. And Mary represented it. She helped me hold on.

God’s Answer Came Through Scripture

Other women entered my life too, becoming like sisters and spiritual mothers. They guided me and nursed me back to spiritual life.

Then one day while reading the Bible, God answered my question. Not the way I expected.

I’d asked before: Why was Jesus a man? Why were all the apostles men? Why weren’t women part of this?

His answer was simple but profound.

Mary: God’s Feminist Statement

Do you realize the first person who ever knew about the existence of Jesus was a woman?

Think about that. Jesus could have materialized as an infant without a mother. He could have appeared as a full-grown man. But He didn’t.

God chose to package one of the most important pieces of information to ever exist inside the body of a woman. He allowed her to partner with Him to raise the Messiah.

Mary is God’s feminist statement. God didn’t have to use a woman, but He did.

Women Were Central to Jesus’s Entire Ministry

Jesus was constantly surrounded by women. Women financially supported His ministry. Women followed Him to the cross when the male apostles abandoned Him. Women came to anoint His body for burial.

Jesus’s life from beginning to end was marked by the presence, compassion, and ministry of women.

And it doesn’t stop there.

Sarah: The Woman Who Made Judaism Possible

Think about how Judaism started. God made a promise to Abraham that Abraham didn’t even ask for. God said, “I’m going to start a new family, a new dynasty, and I’m doing it with you.”

But who carried out that covenant? Sarah.

Abraham couldn’t fulfill God’s promise alone. He needed Sarah. Sarah is as much a part of Judaism’s history as Mary is to Christianity’s history.

Women Bookend the Gospel Story

Mary Magdalene (who wasn’t a prostitute, by the way, but that’s another topic) was the first person to witness the resurrected Jesus.

Think about the symmetry: A woman was the first to know about Jesus’s birth. A woman was the first to acknowledge His resurrection.

Women bookend the entire Gospel story.

The Demonic Lie That God Withholds From Women

Any person who makes a woman feel like her relationship with God is insignificant because of her gender? That’s demonic. I’m using Christian language intentionally here.

It’s the same spirit that came to Eve in the Garden of Eden, telling her that God was withholding something from her. That God didn’t want her to know what she could know.

Men today still tell women the same lie: God is withholding something from you. You’re less than. You’re inferior. You need to submit and stay quiet.

But when you look at Mary, Sarah, Mary Magdalene, and countless other women throughout scripture? That’s simply not true.

The Answer Is Clear

Does God hate women? Absolutely not.

Does God value men more than women? No.

Does God want women to be inferior to men? Never.

God knows that women are just as impactful to the ministry of Christ as men are. He’s been showing us that from the very beginning.

Women aren’t tolerated in God’s kingdom. We’re treasured. We’re chosen. We’re essential.

And anyone who tells you differently is preaching a gospel that Jesus himself would reject.

If you’re a woman who’s been told you’re less than because of your gender, hear this: God placed women at the absolute center of the most important moments in human history. Your voice matters. Your faith matters. You matter.

That’s not feminism. That’s just what the Bible actually says.