Jesus loved women. During his earthly reign, he healed (Matt. 8:14–15; 9:20–22), protected (John 8:1–11), and taught women (Luke 10:38–41; John 4:1–26) from all walks of life. They were his friends, disciples, and supporters. Women were among the last to leave his crucifixion and the first to spread the good news of the resurrection (Matt. 27:55–56; 28:1–10).
Following Jesus’ lead, the first-century church also valued women and empowered them to serve alongside men in key leadership roles: Phoebe, Junia, and Priscilla are all commended by Paul (Rom. 16:1–16). Though this represented a fundamental change from Jewish tradition, it is congruent given Jesus’ treatment of women and that the Holy Spirit descended on everyone during the miracle of Pentecost, confirming the gospel’s radical inclusivity. The early church seemed to grasp that men and women would need to partner together if they hoped to bring God’s justice and shalom to the world.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for some church leaders and theologians to revert to pre-Christian thinking regarding gender equality and oneness in Christ (Gal. 3:28). Tertullian (AD 155–220), a Christian convert and influential apologist, charged women with Christ’s death in De Cultu Feminarium: “You are the devil’s gateway; you are the unsealer of that (forbidden) tree; you are the first deserter of the divine law; you are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God’s image, man. On account of your desert—that is, death—even the Son of God had to die.”
His harsh critique follows a familiar pattern of blaming women for suffering, pain, and the presence of evil. This pattern is visible in all cultures and predates Jesus by thousands of years. We can see an example in the Book of Genesis when Eve and Adam fall for the Serpent’s temptation and share the forbidden fruit, and sin, enmity, and death enter the world. When God confronts Adam, the man deftly shifts all responsibility for their actions (Gen. 3:6) onto “the woman you put here with me,” the same woman he had previously rejoiced over, poetically describing her as “bone of my bones” (3:12; 2:23).
Though ancient and widespread, blaming women is both counterproductive and unjust. It’s also a form of misogyny. Putting it in this larger context allows us to recognize that misogyny is part of a calculated attack against women that attempts to thwart God’s plan for all of us to image the Godhead in collaborative partnership.
The familiar definition of misogyny—the hatred of women—is not comprehensive enough to help us identify the many ways it manifests in North America. In For the Love of Women, I explain this term as “a persistent, insidious belief that men’s wants, needs, and experiences are more important than women’s and that political, religious, and social systems, as well as intimate relationships, should uphold this principle. These belief systems subsequently influence the laws, practices, and ethos of a given culture.”
Practically speaking, this “fuels discrimination, sexism, and other forms of unjust or biased treatment due to women’s biological sex.” When we trace this plot line, we can discern that it’s detrimental for all of us. By categorically subordinating women, we make it more difficult to see them as equal image bearers and value them as beloved daughters. If, as Scripture indicates, we all bear God’s image and are all equally loved, then deeming women less than men is an affront to God and contradicts his declaration that the pinnacle of creation is very good.
One of the most effective ways to subordinate and thereby diminish women is by blaming them when bad things happen—even if those bad things are outside their purview or have harmed them. This is not to say that women are categorically blameless. The gospel makes it clear that we’re all sinners and calls us to honestly and humbly admit our sins (James 5:16; 1 John 1:8–10). However, in both secular and faith-based settings, there’s a disturbing pattern of shifting blame onto women.
Adam’s choice to point the finger at Eve rather than refute the Serpent’s lies or own his contribution has echoed through history. We can hear that reverberation when pastor Mark Driscoll accuses women of trying to control men and usurp their authority, when a rapist claims his victim was asking for it because of what she was wearing, when teenage girls are blamed for men’s lustful thoughts, and when a high-ranking Southern Baptist Convention official refers to SBC sexual abuse survivors’ claims as “a satanic scheme to completely distract us from evangelism.”
Blaming women contradicts the gospel’s inclusion of women and compromises our ability to bring God’s restorative justice to the world. It is a form of false witness that discredits women and paints them as untrustworthy.
Further, when men refuse to take responsibility for their mistakes, they never address the injustice at hand. For instance, by accusing sexual abuse victims as the problem, SBC officials allowed perpetrators to continue their criminal activities and failed to facilitate healing for the survivors. While many pastors care well for abuse victims, others blame abused wives by claiming they’re not submissive enough and fail to help them move into safe spaces or hold their spouses accountable. Such leaders then give abusers permission to keep abusing and are thus complicit for any future harm that befalls these women and children.
If we hope to end injustice against women, the practice of indiscriminately blaming women must stop. Additionally, men will need to use their power and authority to protect women—not control or subordinate them—and to ensure that they thrive.
Jesus’ interactions with women reveal what this could look like. He didn’t blame women, even those who violated religious or social norms. When he encountered men preparing to stone a woman caught in adultery, his response exposed their hypocrisy, shattered conventional patriarchal customs, and called both her accusers and the accused to repentance (John 8:1–11). When the woman who had suffered from chronic bleeding grabbed his robe, rather than rebuke her, he heals her and commends her faith (Luke 8:43–48).
Jesus shows us how to untie the misogynistic knots that have bound all of us: by unconditionally loving and respecting women. If our goal is to become more like Jesus and bring peace, healing, and restoration to the world, we need to follow his example.
Dorothy Littell Greco is the author of three books, including For the Love of Women: Uprooting and Healing Misogyny in America. You can find more of her work on her website and Substack.
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