Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
December 5, 2025
It has long been repeated in popular Christian and secular discourse that Christianity is a "feminine religion," evidenced by the predominance of women over men in Orthodox worship gatherings. This is not true everywhere. Now, some accuse Orthodoxy of being "masculine" simply because they have observed an increase in young men joining the Church. Yet this phenomenon does not apply to all parishes, and therefore this claim is not accurate.
Both assumptions rely on local realities that differ from one country to another, and from one historical circumstance to the next. In countries ruled by totalitarian (communist) regimes, for example, the elderly dominated the attendance of the few churches that remained open. Is it reasonable to rely on that observation alone to claim that Christianity is a religion "for the old"?
Priests in our Archdiocese report that the influx into Orthodox Christianity is not limited to young men, as some media reports have suggested, nor is it accurate to portray this phenomenon as "masculine." Today's pastoral reality clearly shows that families are coming to the faith at a rate equal to, if not greater than, that of single men. These families include fathers, mothers, and children of all ages, all of whom find in Orthodoxy a deep spiritual environment, an integrated way of life, and a peace they desire to offer to their children.
These families also exhibit a mature awareness of complementarity between man and woman — not conflict, not competition. There are men who love their wives to the point of self-sacrifice and work together with them in managing their family, financial, spiritual, and social life with joy and gratitude. In turn, women find in the Orthodox Church a place where they can fulfill their spiritual and human femininity in peace, for they are treated with love, respect, and honor — and because the husband is commanded to love his wife "as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her" (Eph. 5:25).
… Read the rest at Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
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