Early Christianity and Social Status

One of the most common critiques of Christianity is that not only does Christianity oppress women, but "the Bible got the easiest moral question that humanity has ever faced wrong. Slavery!" (Sam Harris, Dan Savage respectively). 

In contrast to this view and in light of church history, we can look back at where the church began and find evidence of a historical movement that made an end to slavery possible (and eventual) and also took away the degradation and oppression of women. Since this is a church history post, I'll leave a biblical explanation of this topic to James Hamilton. For now, we will look back at what Christianity actually did for Women & slaves (starting in the early church).

In thinking about the growth of the early church, a common complaint against Christianity was this:

The Christian message is like this; Let no one educated, no one wise, and no one sensible come near.” He said, “By the fact that Christians admit that these people are worthy of their God they show that they want and are able to convince only the foolish, the dishonorable, and the stupid, only slaves, women, and little children.” - Celsus (an opponent of Origen in the 2nd century)

Christianity began as a social movement among those who had little influence, authority or worldly power. Christianity was not a top-down religion, or the most persuasive among many. It didn't blossom in a vacuum because there simply weren't a lot of options. On the contrary, in the 1st century AD, there were several opportunities to pursue your spiritual or philosophical side. 

You could easily participate in the pagan rites & worship of the old Roman Pantheon, though, the worship of Zeus and Artemis was slowly going out of style. If you disliked the formality and indifference of the pagan idols, you could try out one of the mystery religions like the cult of Isis or Mithras that promised personal salvation and a spiritual relationship. If all of the rituals & sacrificial system was too mystical for an individual to handle, then one might find solace in the rational philosophies of stoicism and epicuraneanism that lead to a good life and hope and beyond death. Above these options was the imperial cult (or the worship of the emperor). You could believe in all or none of these religions/philosophies, but you were required to worship the emperor. In the midst of all of these competing philosophies & religions, Christianity emerges with its exclusive claims and begins to be accepted initially by the lower and forgotten classes of society. Minucius Felix, a Christian apologist, said ,"That many of us are called poor is not our disgrace but our glory." 

When the Renaissance looked back to the glories of Rome & Greece, they looked back to a time when even the most advanced and enlightened philosophies promoted slavery as a necessity and denied women participation as citizens and members of its religions and philosophies. Christianity was different. Christianity openly embraced women and slaves as full members. It was unique to the point that a slave named Callistus became Bishop of Rome in the early 3rd century. The end of slavery in the English Empire was accomplished in large part by a Christian man, William Wilberforce. Women were no longer second class citizens, but given the privileges denied to them in every other religious system. 

Christianity created a world that would set slaves free and give women separate but equal footing in the world. No other system, philosophy, or religion can boast that.