Paper short abstract:

Gender issues in Pauline theology is now misconstrued as the basis for women submission and unequal opportunities with men as claimed by feminists. This assertion constitutes a disruption of the cherished family structure in Africa where love-submission is the basis for the promotion of women.

Paper long abstract:

The paper examines heuristically gender issues in Pauline theology which has remained a juggernaut among scholars and feminists. Apostle Paul has been greatly criticised for being a misogynist and chauvinist since his epistles are replete with instructions bothering on women subordination, silence in the church, submission to man and facelessness within the society. The paper adopts expository, hermeneutical and phenomenological approaches to understanding the phenomenon that has remained a recurring decimal. It discovers that the feminists' question on equality lacks cultural context; the challenges of the Millennium Development Goals on gender equality as being fundamental to human right against the backdrop of women submission to men is well accommodated, therefore not a challenge to women's right within the household as perceived by feminist scholars. It concludes by stating unequivocally the continuity enjoyed from the Pauline theology in Africa that has contributed immensely to the overall development and sustainability of the households in Africa where women are encouraged to achieve enviable heights with adequate protection for dependants. To this end, feminists' interpretation and clamour as enshrined in the SDGs that are mere speculations simply constitute disruption of the family structure, which is the bedrock of the society. Africans therefore, are encouraged to protect and cherished the tradition, a mark of the peoples' distinctive.