Thomas Aquinas' Twofold Subjection Explained, Part 7

1970

A part of the church is absolutely convinced that feminism was born in 1970 and that Christian women happily accepted traditional theology and their subservient position until their secular counterparts made them unhappy with the arrangement. If we for a moment ignore historical facts that led to a shift in attitudes and focus solely on theology, we find the reason why 1970s stands out like a sore thumb: it was the decade when theologians challenged and defeated Thomas Aquinas' twofold subjection. This left two new strands of theology: a creation-based subjection of women by God, and a fall-based subjection of women by men. This is what the modern debate is all about.

Considering sin has always tried to infiltrate the church, it would be rather miraculous if the church had remained faithful to the original message, and suddenly out of the blue, succumbed to the pressure of feminism. What power did these women have that they were able to do what no other generation had done? Especially when we consider the modern interpretation of Genesis 3:16 that tells us that because of sin, women desire to control men. All those generations of women who desired to control men, and none were able to. How strange.

It all becomes less strange when we remember that the vote women gained in the early twentieth century made it possible for women to change laws. This was the one thing earlier generations had not been able to do, leaving them little choice but to accept their subservient position. One of the laws women changed, or we should say, added in the West, was the criminalizing of domestic violence. No longer would women have to accept violence from those who had vowed to love them, and this freedom emboldened them to challenge more than just their role in the home. Suddenly Western societies saw an influx of women into areas that had traditionally been the exclusive domains of men; theology was one these "Men Only" bastions that had successfully resisted integration.

When women began to do theology, more than one dogma found its way into the trashcan, and the debate that hadn't existed because there had been none to take up the challenge, began. Had God subjected all women to all men, or was the subjection of the woman caused by sin? The argument from hierarchical theologians was based on the woman having being created as a help to the man, the counter-argument from egalitarians was that even God is called a help. Hierarchical theologians countered with 1 Tim 2, which seemingly gives the man authority, egalitarians pointed out that the Old Testament doesn't know of such a concept. In turn, hierarchical theologians referred to 1 Cor 11 where the woman is said to have been created for the man, but egalitarians countered with the question, if the woman was created for the man, why did Paul say singleness was better than marriage?

This debate would end today if both sides realized that the creation-based subjection was created by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. Why debate something that never was, and never can become, biblical?