Kristen

Finally, I would point out that not only does Paul never say the authority of males is a divine right– Peter actually puts husband-authority in a list of “human instititutions” that Christians are being asked to voluntarily yield to. 2 Peter 2:13 is the introduction to the section that begins with kings and ends with husbands. “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every institution of men.” Peter’s first letter is largely about how Christians are to get along in a hostile world and its institutions of power. There is no indication that when Peter starts talking about husband-authority, he is suddenly switching to some divine mandate.
Paul, on the other hand, writes in Ephesians about being “in Christ,” and makes it clear that marriage “in Christ” is more than a human institution– and in Paul’s view, it involves husbands laying down their power and raising their wives up to be beside them– as God first intended in Eden when he gave the woman as the man’s “face-to-face strong aid” (which is what “help meet” really translates as) to have dominion together with the man.