The male-dominated church structure that solidified in the fourth century would dominate Christianity for the next sixteen centuries. It would lead to the silencing of women’s voices, the elimination of women leaders, and the shameful scapegoating of women by church officials. The two largest groups in American Christianity today, the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, still do not ordain women as priests or senior pastors. They maintain the patriarchal structures codified under Constantine and defend their position using a few verses from the letters of Paul. Other branches of the church, however, like the United Methodist, the American Baptist Churches USA, the United Church of Christ, and the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America, support women in all positions of church leadership.
From “Scapegoats: The Gospel Through the Eyes of Victims” by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw – Fortress Press