most of the Bible—from Genesis 3 until the last epistles of the New Testament—bespeaks a pattern of patriarchy. Men are in charge, and they are supposed to be in charge. Second, God depicts his own relationship with Israel, and then Christ’s with the church, in terms of a patriarchal marriage of non-equals. God/Christ is the superior power, the initiator and sustainer of the relationship, the leader and the provider, while Israel/church is the grateful respondent.2 Third, Jesus does indeed welcome
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