Is God a misogynist?

Of all the allegations issued against God by those antagonistic to the Christian faith, the strangest one will have to be misogynism. It is so strange I think that one has to have read the Bible by skipping each eighth word and each fifth page to come to that conclusion. 

 But how does one get to such a conclusion? Like all other misunderstandings of scripture, from a lack of context. 

Misogyny = dislike, contempt or an ingrained prejudice against women. Also refers to actions spun from the mindset that women are inferior to men. And finds expressions in systems of social inequity, violence against women, to name a few. 

 The favorite talking points of those that call God a misogynist are: Eve's punishment compared to Adam's at the Fall; Levitical laws regarding rapists; Apostle Paul's position on women teaching; lack of female representation in Jesus' team and in the famous faces of the Faith - prophets, etc; and His perceived silence in the face of female oppression. 

 Most of these are plain falsehoods that unravel with the slightest dose of intellectual honesty. The others crumble like cardboards with a critical reading of the same scriptures that talk of them, in light of the true cultural backdrop. 

 This might leave the question of why misogyny is allowed to thrive in religion. My favorite response to this is in the story of the daughters of Zelophehad - Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. These women stood up to a religious leader (Moses), challenging an inheritance law that put them at a disadvantage. And the Bible makes certain to record God's precise response when this leader asks God how to resolve the matter: 

 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them" - Numbers 27:7. 

 God acknowledges the women are right. He doesn't say "Yield to them so these noisy women don't disrupt the peace", or something else straight from the stables of misogyny. In this short response, God validates their right - and that of women by extension - to equal ownership alongside men, to express an opinion (even one that challenges the religious authority), and access to livelihood and other financial resources that typically accrue to land owners. 

 A read of scriptures will show God is clearly pro-women. He does not cosign on societal standards that categorize women's worth according to their compliance with societal and moral expectations. He is, across scriptures, reaching out to hear, help and heal women who as a result of circumstances, both within and outside their control, are considered the "dregs": unworthy of love, regard, or validation. The outsiders, and those deemed "incomplete". 

A few of them: 

 The Gentile stranger (Matthew 15:21-28) 

 The woman with the debilitating gynecological issue (Matthew 9:20-23) 

 The paralysed woman (Luke 13:11-13) 

 The unloved, abandoned wife (Genesis 29:33) 

 The loved but barren and mocked wife (1 Samuel 1:20) 

 The multi-time divorcee (John 4:11-20) 

 The prostitute (Luke 7:37-39) 

 The demon-possessed (Mark 16:9) 

 The woman caught in adultery (John 7:53) 

 The side chick - yes, even her! (Genesis 16:4, 21:17) 

 One might counter: He's God, so why doesn't He do more to break the oppressive systems that put women at a disadvantage? This notion is a common error that arises when we mistake God's quietness on evil as consent or His endorsement (Psalm 50:21). He is not in agreement or idly watching by: He is executing a mission through His Son and His Spirit to permanently destroy all works of evil (1 John 3:8) - which include systems of oppression. And that's the crux of the salvation story - the gospel message.