I first became aware in the early 1980’s that there were two basic perspectives within Christianity on the roles of men and women. There is a traditional view, most often known as the complementarian view. Broadly defined, adherents of this view believe that the Scriptures teach the equality of men and women as persons but with different roles. For example, husbands are appointed to headship within marriage. Women are instructed to submit within specific institutions and to specific heads. Among the adherents to this view there are differences in how extensively these roles apply – whether within the family only, within the church and family only, within society and government as well, or in all relationships between men and women.
Alternatively, there is an egalitarian view, sometimes also called the Christian feminist view. Adherents of this view believe that the Scriptures do not teach timeless differentiated gender roles. They believe that gender roles were not intended in creation but were a result of the fall of humanity into sin. Based on that belief, it is their reasoning that the New Testament teaching specifying headship for men and submission for women in marriage and church was either given to accommodate the needs of the communities or cultures of the first century when they were written, or has been misinterpreted to establish different roles.
Recently I have been reading Two Views On Women In Ministry, which includes arguments from four scholars on the role of women in the church. I recommend this book for those of you who are interested and would like something concise but thorough on the subject. Two egalitarians and two complementarians give a survey of data in the Bible on women’s and men’s roles and respond to one another.
As I have written before, I am a complementarian. But there are variations of interpretation and attitude within that label, just as there are within the egalitarian label. Particularly among complementarians, there is a range from “almost egalitarian” or “progressive” to very traditional and even oppressive. I want to say at the outset of these posts that Ruth and I believe these gender roles apply only within the church and family, not in wider society. We will explain that more as we continue to post.
Unfortunately, the Turpins, of recent infamous criminal mistreatment of 13 children in California, have claimed that they are some form of “complementarians.” That is chilling to me. Great harm can be done to women and children with an unbalanced view of gender roles. When we see a situation that is so abusive and criminal, we can have no certainty that they are genuinely Christian. The Turpins are not mentally stable, and their association with Christianity should not make us throw out either Christian faith or complementarian views.
Oppression is one of the primary reasons given for being an egalitarian or feminist. In another book, How I Changed My Mind about Women in Leadership, the reasons for being an egalitarian or becoming one ranged from having seen oppression of women and other people in subordinate positions, to fear of losing all intelligent women from the church because they could not have leadership roles in church, to the inconsistent way that complementarians interpret and apply Scriptures, and to the sincere belief that gender roles are the result of the fall and not of creation itself. We take all of these reasons seriously.
One of our fears in acknowledging gender differences or gender roles is the kind of value judgements Ruth was talking about last week. Many of us think if we are the submitter and not the head, we are less valuable. We think if we are washing dishes and diapering babies, we are less valuable than the one earning the paycheck. And there is the legitimate concern of wanting all people, men and women included, to have choices about their work, their education, and the use of their talents.
Having brought up all of these weighty objections, why do we believe in gender roles? Come back next week as we begin to talk biblically and personally about each one.
Works Cited:
Gundry, Stanley N. and Beck, James R. editors. Two Views On Women In Ministry. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005.
Johnson, Alan F. editor. How I Changed My Mind About Women In Leadership: Compelling Stories From Prominent Evangelicals. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010.