Wyatt Graham

Faith | Books | Culture

Complementarianism

Why Complementarians Sometimes Disagree with Each Other (Or Why Some May Disagree with the Desiring God Review of Captain Marvel)

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Greg Morse from Desiring God recently criticized the new Captain Marvel movie for its feminist ideology. In the review, Morse argues that men should protect women and not celebrate their male characteristics as Captain Marvel does.

Yet not all complementarians see things like Morse does. All complementarians agree that men and women differ. The question is how. Morse, for example, sees super-hero like actions as masculine, implying that the ideology of Captain Marvel makes men cowardly: “Should we so cowardly send our women to protect our children and us?”

Is he right? Before answering that question, we need to consider how and why women and men differ.

[Read more…] about Why Complementarians Sometimes Disagree with Each Other (Or Why Some May Disagree with the Desiring God Review of Captain Marvel)

How Did Paul’s Contemporaries Understand His Instructions on Women in the Church?

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In our day and in the Western world, 1 Timothy 2 might be the most controversial passage in the Bible. Here, Paul writes, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet” (2:11–12). While Paul certainly seems to limit a woman’s authority and instruct women to be quiet or silent, many are not convinced. They argue that Paul simply did not want certain women in the church to assume authority over a man. And in reality, Paul had a more egalitarian outlook.

But evidence from the first-century writer Clement shows that he sees the instruction for women be quiet as a general pattern of good behaviour. Before looking at Clement, I want to consider two egalitarian arguments that Paul does not forbid women from teaching in the church. [Read more…] about How Did Paul’s Contemporaries Understand His Instructions on Women in the Church?

What Is the Complementarian Movement?

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Over its long history, the church has appointed men into the episcopate, although women participated in other forms of leadership (e.g., the being part of the diaconate).

But in the late twentieth century, Western Christians became increasingly uneasy with a male only episcopate. If the Spirit gifts Christians, why cannot women do everything that men can do? Why cannot women become pastors, elders, or the equivalent?

In response to this sentiment, a number of Evangelical leaders coined the term complementarianism to promote what they see as a traditional and biblical understanding of gender.[1] Complementarians teach that God created men and women to be equal in worth but diverse in roles. So, for example, complementarians reserve the role of elder/pastor/bishop for men alone. In contrast, egalitarians argue that men and women can equally participate in roles and so women should be allowed access to the episcopate.

Here’s a brief sketch of the Complementarian Movement’s (CM) history. [Read more…] about What Is the Complementarian Movement?