This book is about men and misogyny in the
early Christian churches - not specifically about
women and their contribution to the life of the
primitive church, though, of course, the two
cannot be separated. In truth, this book is about
power, and who should exercise it. It is about
men's clubs and the rules and regulations devised
by members to exclude their womenfolk, about
theological nonsense dreamed up and preached
to keep women in their place, to undermine the
fundamental and foundational values of Jesus'
kingdom - to keep the keys of that kingdom
safely in clerical hands.
The place of women in the life of the early
church is a vast area of historical and theological
study, but my principal focus is confined to the
startling prevalence of misogynistic attitudes and
practices in the various regions in which Jesus'
gospel was spread. The world has moved on from
those earlier times - and for the better. Society
now has female prime ministers, governors,
judges, lawyers, surgeons, cricketers, soldiers,
commentators, journalists and jockeys - but not
archbishops or bishops or even common priests ...
at least not in the Roman Catholic Church.