Sharon James works as Social Policy Analyst for The Christian Institute, UK who has authored several books to address the gaps between current cultural thinking and historical reality. In the book, “How Christianity Transformed the World” she writes:
As far as the dignity of women is concerned, the birth of Jesus Christ was the most significant turning point in the human history.
“How Christianity Transformed the World” (Christian Focus, 2021)
In the first Century, the early Church leaders and apostles penned their accounts of the life of Jesus and wrote letters to the various newly formed churches throughout the Asia-Minor Gentile (non-Jewish) world. During this period, the concerns of women outside of the sphere of Christianity were an afterthought at best. In the areas of sexual & reproductive matters, men dominated outcomes. Men could force their wives to have abortions or to have the child abandoned at birth. This was especially so if the child was disabled or female although any another reason of their choosing was considered acceptable. Married men didn’t obligate themselves to being faithful with their wives. Sexual gratification with slaves was commonplace. Incest within the family home wasn’t unheard of. Roman rule ensured access to prostitutes for all – even the poorest in society could hire a prostitute for a pittance. Unsurprisingly, violence and coercion against woman and children was the order of the day. Sex was a commodity to be traded. Sex with temple prostitutes was a religious rite for those serving the pagan gods of the ancient Greco-Roman world.
In was into this world that Christians were advised to be faithful. Within this context of faithfulness, there was not to be any domination of one spouse over the other. The Apostle Paul writes to the fledgling church in Corinth, Greece:
1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
1 Corinthians 7 :1-4, Principles of Marriage
The same apostle writes to the church in Ephesus, Turkey:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…
Ephesians 5:25
Such teachings were utterly countercultural and as radical as, “love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you”. It has been said that the growth of the early church was in part due to the fact that women were adopted into a new (church) family whereby they could be safe and free from such demands. That ridicule was levelled at the Church by outsiders as it being a place for woman and children is testament to the refuge it was. As well as the aspect of safety, woman had equal status. They were not inferior to men. They were also made in the image of God. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, Turkey:
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:28
Legislative Progression in Favour of Women as the Christian Influence Expanded
As the early Christian Church expanded and established its institutions, decrees were enacted to uphold the dignity of women. The Christian Roman Emperor Constantine, who ruled from AD 306 to 337, played a pivotal role in this development by ensuring property rights for women and granting them guardianship over their children. This marked a significant departure from the previous legal framework, where children were exclusively considered the property of men.
Due to the impact of Christianity, Emperor Valentinian repealed the ancient patria potestas (Latin: “power of a father”) in the year 374, a tradition that had lasted for a thousand years. As a result, husbands no longer held the authority of life and death over their families, including their wives. This change also led to a decline in cultural practices that subjected married women to absolute rule by their husbands and granted fathers the right to sell their daughters to prospective husbands.
Basil of Caesarea introduced the radical concept that our modern legal framework takes for granted today – that the one exploiting prostitutes was to be counted guilty. If a slave was coerced against their will there was recognition that compassion should be shown whereas the perpetrator should bear the guilt for the offence. Emperor Theodosius II built upon this by stating those trapped in prostitution should be helped, not penalised, and given support so they could find another way of financially supporting themselves. Those responsible for the coercion were to be sentenced to hard labour in the public mines.
Modern-Day Influence of Christians for the Rights of Women
God’s Norms for Sexual Morality vs the Sexual Revolution.
If there had to be a choice of just one central value that would hugely benefit the dignity of women, it would be the Biblical command to keep sex between a man and woman within the confines of marriage. Exactly where it was intended to be. If you disregard the Maker’s instructions, problems will always ensue.
The Sexual Revolution originated in the West in the 1960s and 1970s. At its heart was to question and challenge tradition beliefs around sex and marriage. It was sociologically supported by the Feminist movement who sought sexual liberation and freedom. It was also technologically supported by the invention of the birth control pill. The thinking was that society could break free from oppressive sexual norms and become free. Note the root connection to Marxist thinking again. In popular culture, “free love” became a buzz word for sexual experimentation. The use of recreational drugs and interest in Eastern religion also exploded as culture sought freedom from its (alleged) oppressive past.
Considering the statistical facts around family breakups, crime, personal responsibility, poverty, etc. it is hard to argue against the reality that the Sexual Revolution has been one of the most damaging influencers in Western society. The taking of sex out of the context of marriage between a man and woman in a life-long commitment, has been a disaster for the dignity of woman. Even if we set aside the huge costs to society and the well-being of children, the removal of sexual boundaries has led not to freedom, but to oppression. Again, we have the predictability of the promised and actual outcomes of the Marxist doctrine: freedom from oppression promised, subjugation to oppression delivered. Without the removal of sexual boundaries, we wouldn’t be subjugating our children to sexual confusion (often against our wills) and we wouldn’t have the scale of the colossal sex industry, including the sex trafficking of woman and children.
The Sexual Revolution Continues
Despite the Sexual Revolution being one of the worst experiments ever conducted in the West and that criticism and cancellation results for those who dare to challenge it, it continues to innovate and fight for its desired utopia – freedom from oppression.
The situation is far worse today than when it was back in the 60s. The latest incarnation is the Transgender movement. As per the historical record, when God’s boundaries for sex and sexual identity are disregarded, woman and children suffer the most. In certain schools, where there is an embrace of liberal ideologies, children as young as five are being taught to question their gender and doors are being opened to sexual experimentation. In a post-God world, the enlightened elites of the State who “know better than you,” desire to be your sovereign guardian which means your authority as a parent to provide safe nurturing environment, must be overturned. At the time of writing, leftist governments are considering legislation that could result in the imprisonment of parents who engage in conversation with their children who wish to identify as a different gender than their biological sex (refer to Insight: Doctrines on which the West is being Re-shaped – LGBT+ and Trans activism). This is one of the strongest indicators yet that the West is taking baby steps into tyranny.
What next for the Sexual Revolution?
Sadly, although the degenerate race to no-limits sexual perversion is asymptotically approaching that of our pre-Christian era, there is more on the agenda. For some decades now, waiting in the sidelines is the horror of normalising paedophilia. This has already arrived, and the battle has commenced. In 2023, the WHO (World Health Organisation) caused controversy by publishing guidance for schools recommending that toddlers “ask questions about sexuality” and “explore gender identities”. Their guidance started with bullet-pointed suggestions on how to engage children in conversations about sex, their genitals and sexual identity from the ages of 0-4 years! Although we are not saying the WHO is openly promoting paedophilia, it is a step paving the way towards this from a highly visible, global, taxpayer funded, undemocratic organisation. As with the tried and tested slowly-slowly approach of leftist elites, the first steps are to “challenge” and “push-boundaries”. They encourage open debate but as soon as they have media momentum or they see the signs of governments caving in, they advocate to shut down debate. Promises are made that rights will be protected but the inevitable breaking of promises comes once their hard-fought normalisation sets in. Western governments have broken promises surrounding the re-definition of marriage (“don’t worry, we won’t force our ideals on the Church”) and surrounding legalised euthanasia (“don’t worry the young / vulnerable / healthy will be protected by law”).
The West had its fair share of wars in the 20th century. Horrific as they were, they were fought in geographical locations with a defined frontline and with majority support of the public. Those at home were by and large, although affected, not on the firing line. For example, for the duration of the Cold War, Marxist thought was confined largely behind the iron curtain. Today, we have been slow to counter a new form of warfare that is being fought by activist groups, the media, and public bodies within our shores. It is a guerrilla warfare that has crept up on us.
But the way to victory is clear. Don’t be silenced, have moral backbone, and speak up. We don’t need a re-adaptation of Sexual Revolution for the modern period, “attitudes have changed” etc. We need a 180-degree U-turn to push forwards to true healthiness of sexual expression that is non-destructive. Adhere to the maker’s instructions. God’s way is always best.