EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: A resource list of books, journals and websites follows this article.
\n________<\/p>\n
While previous generations battled over the inerrancy of God\u2019s Word, a current debate among Southern Baptists deals with the sufficiency of Scripture to define the distinct roles of women and men.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big battleground today is not that the Scripture is inerrant and absolutely true — though that\u2019s still a battle ongoing — but among evangelicals and among Baptists the real battle today is whether Scripture is sufficient,\u201d Dorothy Patterson, a theology professor in women\u2019s studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a founding member of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, noted to the Southern Baptist TEXAN, newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.<\/p>\n
Patterson boiled the debate down to a simple question: \u201cDid God mean what He said [about gender roles], and if He did, did He give any way that we can live that way when it\u2019s obviously not popular [and] it doesn\u2019t seem workable because of the circumstances?\u201d<\/p>\n
Complementarian vs. egalitarian<\/p>\n
In many ways, churches are continuing to work out the implications of a movement started three decades ago. Concerned by what they described as \u201cthe spread of unbiblical teaching,\u201d a group of evangelical leaders met in December 1987 and drafted the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.<\/p>\n
Before adjourning that night, the group voted to incorporate as the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) — an organization that continues to be a key voice on the subject of gender issues today. The next day the newly established council — consisting of Dorothy Patterson, Bill Mounce, Wayne House, John Piper, Jim Borland, Tom Edgar, Wayne Grudem, Lane Dennis, Ken Sarels and Gleason Archer — voted to adopt the Danvers Statement, which can be accessed online at cbmw.org\/uncategorized\/the-danvers-statement.<\/p>\n
Grudem wrote in his 2006 book, \u201cCountering the Claims of Evangelical Feminism,\u201d that the Danvers Statement introduced the term \u201ccomplementarian\u201d in discussions of male-female equality and roles.<\/p>\n
Mary Kassian, whom the council added as a member in 1990, wrote an article on The Gospel Coalition\u2019s website on Sept. 4, 2012, to clarify the definition of complementarianism in a post titled \u201cComplementarianism for Dummies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThough the concept of male-female complementarity can be seen from Genesis through Revelation, the label \u2018complementarian\u2019 has only been in use for about 25 years,\u201d Kassian wrote. \u201cThe need for such a label arose in response to the proposition that equality means role-interchangeability (egalitarianism) — a concept first forwarded and popularized in evangelical circles in the 1970s and 1980s by \u2018Biblical Feminists.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Kassian debunked the myth that complementarians consider women inferior to men.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially, a complementarian is a person who believes that God created male and female to reflect complementary truths about Jesus,\u201d Kassian wrote. \u201cThat\u2019s the bottom-line meaning of the word.<\/p>\n
\u201cComplementarians believe that males were designed to shine the spotlight on Christ\u2019s relationship to the church (and the Lord God\u2019s relationship to Christ) in a way that females cannot, and that females were designed to shine the spotlight on the church\u2019s relationship to Christ (and Christ\u2019s relationship to the Lord God) in a way that males cannot,\u201d Kassian wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho we are as male and female is ultimately not about us. It\u2019s about testifying to the story of Jesus. We do not get to dictate what manhood and womanhood are all about. Our Creator does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexander Strauch, in his book \u201cMen and Women, Equal Yet Different: A Brief Study of the Biblical Passages on Gender,\u201d described the disparate views on gender within Christendom as an \u201cemotionally charged controversy that divides churches and denominations worldwide.\u201d Still, Strauch wrote, the gender roles debate is an issue from which no one can hide and one which no one should try to avoid.<\/p>\n
Strauch pointed out that each view is represented by a major organization — complementarianism by CBMW and egalitarianism by Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE).<\/p>\n
CBE\u2019s mission, as noted on its website, is \u201cto promote biblical justice and community by educating Christians that the Bible calls women and men to share authority equally in service and leadership in the home, church and world.\u201d The group formed on Jan. 2, 1988, led by Gilbert Bilezikian, W. Ward Gasque, Stanley Gundry, Gretchen Gaebelein Hull, Catherine Clark Kroeger, Jo Anne Lyon and Roger Nicole.<\/p>\n
Interpreting Scripture<\/p>\n
Complementarians draw their convictions on role distinctions from the \u201cplain, literal, straightforward teaching of the Bible on gender,\u201d Strauch argues in his book, with Patterson echoing that view, saying a natural reading of Scripture is the most appropriate hermeneutical approach to understanding what the Bible says and means.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you read [1 Timothy with a] natural reading of the text, there is no way to get around what it\u2019s saying,\u201d Patterson said.<\/p>\n
Complementarian scholars typically cite five key Scripture passages that define gender roles in the home and in the church:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Genesis 2 describes a pre-fall design for male headship in the home and the designation of the wife as a helper to her husband.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Genesis 3 describes the post-fall curse that women would have a desire for their husbands, which some interpret as a desire to rule over or overcome.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ephesians 5 instructs wives to submit to their husbands and charges husbands with the responsibility of leading and loving their wives — both in emulation of the relationship between Christ and His church.<\/p>\n
\u2022 1 Timothy 2 prohibits women from teaching men or exercising authority over them within the context of the church.<\/p>\n
\u2022 1 Timothy 3 presents qualifications for overseers (commonly known today as pastors or elders) and deacons, indicating they are offices reserved for men (though some complementarians differ on whether women can serve as deacons).<\/p>\n
Egalitarians argue that the institution of gender roles followed the fall and therefore are not what God called good. They propose that Christians should seek to overcome the distortion of roles, equating submission with inferiority.<\/p>\n
CBE claims that \u201cthe Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of men and women of all ethnic groups, all economic classes, and all age groups, based on the teachings of Scriptures such as Galatians 3:28: \u2018There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Complementarians, however, interpret Galatians 3:28 as pertaining to salvation being available to all people and not role interchangeability.<\/p>\n
The egalitarian view that roles are interchangeable is essential to their belief that God calls women to the pastorate, a primary goal of the organization Women in Ministry, founded in 1983 by disenchanted Southern Baptist women at the encouragement of leaders with Woman\u2019s Missionary Union, Christian Life Commission and several Southern Baptist seminaries at the time.<\/p>\n
The group changed its name to Baptist Women in Ministry in 1995 and continues to promote women as pastors. Funding schools and churches include Truett Seminary at Baylor University, First Baptist in Austin, Texas, Wilshire Baptist in Dallas, Willow Meadows Baptist in Houston and Calvary Baptist in Waco, Texas.<\/p>\n
=============<\/p>\n
Resources for further study of complementarianism and related issues:<\/p>\n
BOOKS<\/p>\n
1. Biblical Womanhood in the Home edited by Nancy DeMoss (Crossway, 2002). This book calls women to return to godly womanhood with insight from Nancy DeMoss, Susan Hunt, Mary Kassian, Carolyn Mahaney, Barbara Hughes, P. Bunny Wilson and Dorothy Patterson,
\n2. Divine Design: An Eight-Week Study on Biblical Womanhood by Nancy DeMoss and Mary Kassian (Moody, 2012). This study-style book encourages and challenges women to understand and embrace the design for who God created them to be.<\/p>\n
3. Mixed Ministry by Sue Edwards, Kelley Mathews and Henry J. Rogers (Kregel, 2008). Two Dallas Theological Seminary professors team up with a corporate chaplain to explore common and thorny issues, advising how staff and lay leaders can develop healthy working partnerships in their ministries.<\/p>\n
4. Womanhood Revisited: A Fresh Look at the Role of Women in Society by Anne Graham (Christian Focus Publications, 2002). With consideration of how expectations of women have changed throughout history, the author considers current challenges to living in cooperation and not competition with men, equal in value, yet different in purpose.<\/p>\n
5. Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood edited by Wayne Grudem (Crossway, 2002. This laypersons-focused guide provides understanding of gender role differences.<\/p>\n
6. 50 Crucial Questions: An Overview of Central Concerns about Manhood and Womanhood by John Piper and Wayne Grudem. This booklet is available as a free PDF download online (cbmw.org\/topics\/complementarianism\/50-crucial-questions), covering main points of the popular and lengthy volume, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.<\/p>\n
7. Ministry in the New Marriage Culture edited by Jeff Iorg (B&H, 2015). Worth the introduction alone, Iorg pulls together experienced ministers to address biblical and theological foundations for marriage and sexual ethics, with models and methods to guide pastors and laity to address problems they face in a today\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n
8. Women in the Church: Interpretation and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 edited by Andreas K\u00f6stenberger and Thomas R. Schreiner (Crossway, 2016). This book relays a definitive statement of the complementarian interpretation of the passage on the role of women in the church.<\/p>\n
9. Jesus and the Feminists: Who Do They Say That He Is? by Margaret K\u00f6stenberger (Crossway, 2008). This survey of feminist scholars reveals how they interpret Scripture related to Jesus and His view of women.<\/p>\n
10. God\u2019s Design for Man and Woman: A Biblical-Theological Survey by Andreas and Margaret K\u00f6stenberger (Crossway, 2014). With an academic approach and practical application, the authors tackle current issues and accompanying hermeneutical fallacies.<\/p>\n
11. Women Leading Women, the Biblical Model for the Church by Jaye Martin and Terri Stovall (B&H, 2009). The book addresses the biblical paradigm for women\u2019s leadership in the church and encourages women as they lead and train other women, engage the culture and involve other women in ministry.<\/p>\n
12. Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World by Carolyn McCulley (Moody Press, 2008). Drawing from her experience in the feminist world, the author explains the three waves of feminism to show how they hindered God\u2019s vision for women.<\/p>\n
13. Women on Life edited by Trillia Newbell (Leland House Press, 2016). In chapters by women from all walks of life, many of them Southern Baptists, the contributing writers make personal application of complementarian principles in their daily lives as mothers, wives of pastors, and activists in the pro-life movement.<\/p>\n
14. Women\u2019s Evangelical Commentary on the Old Testament and Women\u2019s Evangelical Commentary on the New Testament both edited by Dorothy Kelley Patterson and Rhonda Harrington Kelley (B&H, 2011 and 2006). These comprehensive foundational commentaries on every book of the Bible are written and edited by women for women, with practical explanation of the complementarian view to equip lay teachers and Bible learners.<\/p>\n
15. The Accidental Feminist: Restoring Our Delight in God\u2019s Good Design by Courtney Reissig (Crossway, 2015). This book recounts the journey of a wife, mom and writer from \u201caccidental feminism\u201d to a biblical view of womanhood.<\/p>\n
16. The Role of Women in the Church by Charles Ryrie (B&H, 2001). This revised edition of a classic resource combines background on the status of women in early times and offers biblical exegesis related to marriage, celibacy, divorce and ministry in the local church.<\/p>\n
17. The Grand Design by Owen Strachan and Gavin Peacock (Christian Focus Publications, 2016). In a culture where confusion about what it means to be a man or a woman abounds, Strachan and Peacock explore the Scriptures to help readers understand God\u2019s grand design for manhood and womanhood.<\/p>\n
18. Men and Women, Equal Yet Different, A Brief Study of the Biblical Passages on Gender by Alexander Strauch (Lewis & Roth Publishers, 1999). This short book was written with those in mind who would like to know more about biblical teachings on gender roles but don\u2019t have time to read lengthy volumes on the subject.<\/p>\n
19. Fierce Women: The Power of a Soft Warrior (True Woman) by Kimberly Wagner (Moody, 2012). The author explains how women can use their strength to honor the Lord by honoring their husbands and cautions against the temptation to use strength destructively.<\/p>\n
JOURNALS<\/p>\n
1. cbmw.org\/journal. Produced semi-annually by CBMW, The Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is an academic journal that facilitates scholarly conversation on a variety of issues surrounding gender, family and church as they relate to aspects of Christian faith from church history and biblical study to systematic and practical theology.<\/p>\n
2. 9marks.org\/journal\/complementarianism-the-local-church. For its Winter 2015 issue, the 9Marks Journal focused on \u2018Complementarianism and the Local Church.\u2019 The issue, which is 75 pages in length, can be found online in PDF, Mobi or ePub formats.<\/p>\n
WEBSITES<\/p>\n
1. biblicalwoman.com. Biblical Woman, the online home of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary\u2019s women\u2019s programs, offers a blog and a host of resources and information about education and events pertaining to women.<\/p>\n
2. flourish.me, home of the North American Mission Board\u2019s equipping community for ministry wives. The website is a blog that focuses on family, ministry and spiritual growth through the lenses of a variety of writers.<\/p>\n
3. womenslife.sebts.edu. Women\u2019s Life is the online home for all things woman at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The website includes blog articles as well as information about education, events and mentoring.<\/p>\n
4. cbmw.org. The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is the flagship organization for the complementarian movement. Its website helps guide individuals and churches in understanding God\u2019s design for gender, family, marriage and church.<\/p>\n
________<\/p>\n
Sharayah Colter is a writer for the Southern Baptist TEXAN; Tammmi Ledbetter is the paper\u2019s news editor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: A resource list of books, journals and websites follows this article. ________ While previous generations battled over the inerrancy of God\u2019s Word, a current debate among Southern Baptists deals with the sufficiency of Scripture to define the distinct roles of women and men. \u201cThe big battleground today is not that the Scripture is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1733,499,1734,239,1310,1306,1735],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6407"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6407\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}