This post is a brief follow-up to my recent post, “A Brief Look at Complementarianism.”
What happens when someone rejects complementarianism?
The opposite of complementarianism is egalitarianism, understanding that men and women are not only created as equal in the image of God, but also in role and function. This belief holds that men and women can function in the home and church without a specified role.
First, it wrongly understands and wrongly applies the clear truth of God.
I believe this issue is patently clear in Scripture. It’s not like trying to figure out who are the two witnesses of God in Revelation 11 or the identity of the sons of God in Genesis 6. It’s not even like trying to figure out the method and meaning of baptism (though, for me, I’m convinced on the matter). Complementarianism stems from clear commands and teaching from biblical authors in multiple passages in the Bible. To deny the clear teaching of Scripture is a pretty serious matter. Which leads to my second point…
Second, a wrong understanding and application of this issue typically leads to further wrong understandings and applications in other passages of the Bible.
It has been my experience with egalitarians that, as they fail to understand what I believe is a clearly taught issue in Scripture, so also they misunderstand other matters in Scripture as well. I know this may sound like something of a generalization and a caricature, but, in my view, it is not. Perhaps I could ask it like this: if someone so misunderstands and denies the teaching of the passages mentioned above, what are other passages in Scripture that they also misunderstand and misapply?
Third, it reverses the roles of men and women in the home and the church and effectively institutionalizes sin.
Perhaps saying “no one is the head of the home” or “we head this home together” is not quite the opposite of “the husband is the head of the home.” But it’s still not scriptural. For a woman to lead the home is indeed opposite of what God intends. Worse, though, is when a woman leads a church as its pastor—also the opposite of what God commands, providing a public example for what is supposedly okay in the home as well. If Paul’s instructions for the leadership of the church find their basis in the created order and the home, then to set up a woman as pastor is to say that she can lead the home as well.
This reversal institutionalizes disobedience in the church by violating God’s command on the matter and encourages this reversal in the home.
Closing Thoughts
For those who have already studied this matter to some degree, I acknowledge again that I’ve said nothing new. I’ve not even delved into any fine-tuned questions that many might have. A post like this can only be so long. But I hope the above is still helpful to anyone who took the time to give it a read.
The push against complementarianism is nothing new. God made clear to Adam and Eve that their sin resulted in a perpetual struggle for men and women to live out their intended roles.
However, by the grace of God, we can overcome sin’s effects on the roles of men and women and glorify Him as He made us to serve. Men lead in the home, and as they are qualified and called by the church, they can lead in the church as well. Women can glorify God just the same in the role that He has designed for them. Both are equally made in His image, equal in dignity and worth. May God help us each to reflect who He is for His glory in our respective roles.
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