Paul's statement that a husband's body belongs to his wife, just as hers belongs to him, was an extraordinary assertion of physical equality in marriage for its time. Most subsequent Christian theology, particularly in the East, actively spiritualized or ignored this radical concept.

Joan's decision to wear men's clothing was a profound theological transgression, explicitly condemned in the Book of Deuteronomy. She never justified it on practical grounds like safety, but as a direct command from her voices. This framed the act as one of religious obedience that paradoxically broke religious law, making it central to her heresy charge.

Contrary to popular belief, Christianity's monogamy isn't rooted in Judaism, which practiced polygyny. Instead, it was a strategic adoption of the prevailing Greco-Roman norm, a move crucial for the new religion to be taken seriously and spread within that society.

Jesus' proposed revolution was entirely internal: a fight against greed, cruelty, and prejudice within each individual. He taught that by changing themselves, his followers would change the world. This focus on personal transformation over structural reform is a profound model for creating lasting cultural change.

A key transformative act of the Reformation was Martin Luther's push for clergy to marry. This dethroned the celibate monk as the pinnacle of Christian devotion and elevated the married pastor and his family as the new, accessible model for all believers to emulate.

When exiled from their sacred land and temple, the Jewish religion fundamentally shifted. It moved from a place-based sacredness to one defined by portable, non-geographical markers like dietary laws and circumcision, allowing the religion to survive and thrive in diaspora.

Joan adopted the martial glamour of a male knight while leveraging the spiritual power associated with female virginity. This unique combination of potent gender archetypes made her an exceptionally compelling and authoritative figure, transcending conventional roles.

Once clergy were mandated to be celibate in the 12th century, the laity became the sole group sanctioned to practice sex. This logical division forced a theological shift, defining lay marriage primarily by its openness to procreation, a concept not central before this period.

Social movements build on one another. The campaign against slavery was not an isolated event; it directly inspired and provided the organizational template for the 19th-century women's rights movement. Similarly, the US Civil Rights movement created the model and momentum for the gay rights movement, showing how progress on one issue makes progress on others more likely.