Divided by Gender: How Sociology Can Help

Gender ideology and practice are perennial sources of contention within American Christian culture.  We seek to apply a sociological analysis to the changes in and conflicts over gender in order to help the church engage these issues with greater clarity and insight.  Building on the critical differences between the concepts of sex and gender, we show that gender ideals have changed significantly over time, within and across cultures.  If culture changes, but biblical truth does not, gender ideals in the church should have remained stable over time.  Utilizing the tools of sociological analysis, however, we find that the opposite has been true; Christians in different times and places have taken their cues on gender ideals and practices from their host culture, rather than from Scripture.  Our hope is that recognizing this tendency toward “gender cultural relativism” will help Christians to question the assumptions about gender in both the culture and the church, re-examine Jesus’ teaching and practice, and heal the divide within the church caused by the “gender wars.”