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Christian views of women vary considerably today and have varied even more throughout the last two millennia, evolving with the societies in which Christian people have lived. There are differing interpretations of the Bible, differing traditions of various churches and differing cultures in which these churches exist. Some groups express an official view, others do not.

Among those churches that do express or have previously expressed a view there are three main views:

1. Full equality of roles and rights, a view currently professed by:
   • The Uniting Church in Australia.
   • The Evangelic-Lutheran Church in Germany
2. Full secular equality but restricted ecclesiastical roles and privileges, a view currently professed by:
   • The Presbyterian Church of Australia.
   • The Roman Catholic Church.
3. Restricted roles and rights for women, a view no longer compatible with human rights under current International Law but often professed in the past and also by some current sects.

(The above lists are examples and are obviously not exhaustive.)

Despite this diversity both past and present, there are also a number of threads common to all of these views.

The Wesleyan tradition and the Holiness and Pentecostal movements, as well as a growing number of contemporary Charismatic churches which draw from it have increasingly accepted women as leaders on an equal footing with men. The following are just a few of the scriptural references that are interpreted to allow this:

1. Jesus said very little about the roles of men and women, but the way he acted shows how he considered the subject. In John 4:7 we find him talking to a woman as an equal, something no Jewish or Roman male of that day would lower himself to do. He talks with the Samaritan women at the well, and treats her with respect, though her own neighbors obviously treat her with disdain. In the rabbinical literature of the day, women were regarded as simply property. They were denied any education beyond the tasks of housekeeping. Men were considered unclean if they touched a menstruating woman. There was also no public respect; women could not be witnesses in government proceedings as they were said to be "all liars."
2. In Luke 8:13 and several other passages, we see that Jesus had women disciples.
3. Jesus calls a woman, Mary Magdalene to be the first witness to carry the good news of the resurrection. This is extraordinary, and notable with regard to the fact that women were not allowed to be witnesses in legal proceedings under rabbinical law. Many women ministers have held this to be the main justification for their equal calling.
4. In Acts 2:14-18, in Peter's sermon at the initiation of the modern church, he quotes the prophet Joel about the pouring out of the Spirit in the last days. Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit, and said that He would guide us into all truth. The benefits of the Spirit are shared equally by men and women. In fact, both sons and daughters will prophesy. (Prophecy here is not so much a foretelling of the future, rather the primary meaning is to speak for God.)
5. Paul is accompanied by house-church leaders Priscilla and Aquilla. Priscilla, a female, is a dominant figure in Paul's ministry and leads over Aquilla.
6. A woman named Junia is mentioned as an apostle.
7. There are also numerous accounts of female deaconesses, elders and bishops.
8. Pliny the Younger, in a correspondence to Emperor Trajan of Rome, writes of two female deaconesses whom he had tortured.
9. In Galatians 3:27-29, the author (Paul) makes a blanket statement that baptism into Christ constitutes putting on or clothing one's self with Christ. This passage :

..."There is neither Jew nor Greek, no bondservant or freedman, neither Man nor Woman, for you are all one in Christ"

This effectively removes all conditions of separation based on race, gender, and social status e. g. slave or free. According to Paul, one's faith in Christ makes one an equal heir, as a descendant of Abraham, thus becoming one in Christ Jesus.

Two passages, which do not specifically mention women, are seen to also support any person who does Christ's work. In Mark 9:38 the disciples report to Jesus that someone is casting out demons in his name. They said they forbade him, because he is not "one of us." Jesus tells the disciples to leave him alone. Those who are not against us are for us, he says. Even a cup of water given in Jesus' name should not be opposed and will have its reward.

Jesus' stories often centered on deeds of compassion and generosity, traits often associated with womankind. An example is the Tale of the Widow's MiteThe Parable of the widow's mite refers to a story from the New Testament of the Christian Bible: : Gospel according to Saint Luke Chapter 21: : And he looked, and saw rich men putting their donations into the treasury. And he also saw a certain poor widow, in which a tiny gift from an impoverished woman is regarded by Christ as being a generous gift, equal with a lavish gift from a rich man.

Many Christians also see Mary, the mother of JesusGabriel delivering the Annunciation to Mary. Painting by El Greco (1575) In Christianity and Islam, Mary ( Judaeo-Aramaic Marym "Bitter"; Septuagint Greek Mariam Maria Arabic: Maryem is the mother of Jesus Christ and the betrothed of Joseph. Historicity M as the prototypical Christian, as in the Bible, she was the first to hear the Good News of Jesus' coming. She is one of the few of Jesus' followers reported to be present at his crucifixion. Thus it is a woman who is most imitated among Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saints. Every pregnant woman is seen in the Orthodox church as an iconAn icon (from Greek εικων, eikon "image") is an artistic visual representation or symbol of anything considered holy and divine, such as God, saints or deities. An icon could be a painting (including relief painting), sculpture of Mary pregnant with Jesus.

Similarly, much of the biblical imagery of the Church depicts the Church as a bride, with Jesus Christ as the bridegroom. Therefore, every woman is in some sense an icon of the Church. Men are also encouraged to live as icons of Christ, but to imitate Christ's humility and laying down of his life, rather than attempting to imitate Christ's lordship. See Ephesians 5.

The modern feminist movement, while having moved far from its roots, began in Methodist Christianity in 18481848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). Events Sri Lanka The Revolution of 1848 (qv. a series of widespread but failed struggles for more liberal governments, from Brazil to Hungary. January 24 California gold rush: Jame at a conference in Seneca Falls, New York where 100 men and women signed a declaration that "all men and women are created equally." Early leaders were Elizabeth Cady StantonElizabeth Cady Stanton and her daughter Harriot In the degradation of woman the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source. at the Seneca Falls Convention, July 19-20, 1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton ( November 12, 1815 October 26, 1902) was a leadin and Lucretia MottLucretia Mott ( January 3, 1793 November 11, 1880), was the first major American women's activist in the early 1800s and is credited as the first " feminist", but more accurately, the launcher of women's political advocacy. She was a Quaker, a women's rig. This group worked to end slavery and give women equal rights. Slavery was officially ended in 1863 by the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. When the United States finally recognized women's right to vote in 1920, only one person of the original 100 was still alive to cast a vote.