Ordained Inequality: How a Quiet Movement Redefined Women’s Roles in Christianity.
Behind closed doors, a small group of leaders shaped a movement that would reach into churches, homes, and seminaries across America — redefining women’s roles for generations to come. Ordained Inequality is an investigative podcast uncovering how the rise of complementarian theology — and organizations like the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood — quietly but powerfully redrew the lines for women in Christianity. Ordained Inequality traces the origins, influence, and real-life consequences of a theology that claimed to honor women while systematically limiting their voices. This podcast peels back the polished language of “equal in value, different in role” to expose the cultural, institutional, and personal cost behind the rhetoric. This isn’t just history. It’s the story of real women — silenced, shaped, and sometimes shattered — by a movement they were told was for their good. Produced by Knotty Spies Inc. Narrated by Shannon Patterson.
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Episodes
Saturday Apr 26, 2025
Saturday Apr 26, 2025
A quiet movement reshaped the modern church — and women paid the price. Ordained Inequality uncovers how complementarian theology, born behind closed doors and framed as biblical, redefined women’s roles in churches, homes, and seminaries across America.
Sunday Apr 27, 2025
Sunday Apr 27, 2025
Imagine being the most gifted leader, teacher, or storyteller—
and being told you could never step onto the stage.
In this episode, we uncover how the theology of “roles” didn’t just organize the church.
It erased the voices it feared most.
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Ordained Inequality Will tell the story of how a quiet movement in the 1980’s reshaped women’s place in the church — not by accident, but by design.
It’s about the gifts we never saw, the voices we never heard, and the damage we’re only just beginning to name.
Tuesday Apr 29, 2025
Tuesday Apr 29, 2025
Episode 3 explores the biblical foundations often cited to restrict women’s roles in the church and home. We examine how scripture has been interpreted, misused, and weaponized — and how Jesus himself challenged those cultural norms.
Friday May 02, 2025
Friday May 02, 2025
Before we dive into Episode 4, this bonus episode takes a step back to answer a bigger question: Why this podcast, and why now? Shannon Patterson offers a personal and pastoral reflection on the purpose behind Ordained Inequality—and the double standards that still silence women’s voices in the Church. It’s not about blame. It’s about giftedness. And it’s time we start asking better questions.
Saturday May 03, 2025
Saturday May 03, 2025
What happens when theology meets a printing press? In Episode 4 of Ordained Inequality, we pull back the curtain on the publishing empire that helped cement complementarianism into the evangelical bloodstream. From study Bibles to bestsellers, we trace how ideas once debated in academic corners became untouchable truth in the hands of everyday believers.
12 hours ago
12 hours ago
Why have so many Christians never heard a biblical case for women in ministry?
Maybe it’s not because the arguments weren’t strong.
Maybe they just weren’t… published.
In this episode, we follow the paper trail—from locked editorial doors to selective bookstore shelves.
We name the publishers.
We expose the platforms.
And we uncover how a small group of gatekeepers shaped what millions of Christians could read, hear, and believe.
This isn’t just about theology.
It’s about power, distribution, and whose voices got silenced before they ever had a chance to speak.