Don Carson, Tim Keller, and John Piper had a discussion last April about why the Gospel Coalition is complementarian. Many people have asked why a group that majors on the primary issue of the gospel would put so much emphasis on a secondary issue like complementarianism. That’s a fair question to which these three men give good answers. Keller argues that the gender question is only “indirectly” a gospel issue. The egalitarian hermeneutic has the potential to undermine not only gender roles, but also the gospel itself. There is much more to this discussion, and I encourage you to take it all in from the video above.
-
-
Interview about Complementarianism with Janet Mefferd
Yesterday, I sat for interview about complementarianism on the Janet Mefferd program. Janet had followed the online conversation between me and Rachel Held Evans and was interested to explore whether or not complementarianism really is patriarchy. I gave her my opinion on that question as we discussed a number of biblical passages. You can download the interview here or listen to it below. Interview with Janet Mefferd [audio:http://media.townhallstore.com/jm/rs/jm_rs_20120621-3_Thu_fb5701da-d6a0-4dc6-97dd-42eda28b0331_radio-show_Hi.mp3] It’s very difficult to say everything that needs to be said on a topic like this one in a single interview. I recently preached an expositional sermon at my church on Ephesians 5 that gives a more systematic presentation of the Bible’s…
-
Complementarianism or Patriarchy? What’s in a name?
Rachel Held Evans recently made a splash with a blog post suggesting that complementarianism is merely patriarchy masquerading under a less offensive name. Her post generated a good bit of discussion not only on her blog but on Scot McKnight’s as well. Evans is riffing on remarks that Russell Moore recently made about complementarians who are big on gender orthodoxy but not so much on orthopraxy. Here’s how Moore expressed his concern, “What I fear is that we have many people in evangelicalism who can check off ‘complementarian’ on a box but who really aren’t living out complementarian lives.” Evans agrees with this statement and then offers three reasons why…
-
Michael McKinley on Consistent Complementarianism
This is a good word from Michael McKinley about “consistent complementarianism.” He writes: I meet more and more young men who are excited about the concept of male leadership in the home. As far as it goes, I think that’s a good thing. But I also see a lot of men who assert their headship in their home, but who do not take a consistent approach to the authorities set over them by God (or God himself). A few examples: Read the rest here.
-
Complementarianism at T4G: Piper, Duncan, Moore, and Gilbert
Some of the panel discussions from T4G are now beginning to show up on the T4G website. I haven’t heard all of the panels yet, but I did listen to the one on complementarianism. I thought this one was particularly helpful, and you can listen to it below or download it here. As you can tell from the very Brady picture at right, panelists include Lig Duncan, John Piper, Russell Moore, and Greg Gilbert. [audio:http://media.t4g.org/t4g2012/audio/t4g2012-panel1.mp3]
-
Junia Is a Woman, and I Am a Complementarian
Scot McKnight is one of my favorite egalitarians. We are quite different in our theological perspectives, but he is an all around engaging personality. He is a fantastic New Testament scholar and a prolific writer. His interests are wide-ranging, and he is gifted both at producing serious scholarship and at reaching more popular audiences with his work. In my view, he’s a triple threat: serious scholar, popular blogger, and charismatic speaker. He has a gift for communicating serious ideas to wide audiences. His new little e-book Junia Is Not Alone (Patheos Press, 2011) is no exception. In this little pamphlet, McKnight argues at the popular level in favor of an…
-
Christian Musician Says Complementarianism is “Oppression”
Vicky Beeching is a British contemporary Christian musician and worship leader who has recorded five albums since 2002. If you have never heard of her before, then chances are that you have heard at least one of her songs. She co-wrote the popular anthem “Glory to God Forever,” and churches across the country routinely include this song during worship services. Recently Beeching posted a critical remark about Complementarianism on her Facebook page (see below), and then invited readers to respond with “BIBLICALLY BACKED UP, theologically well explained” responses. So I’ve decided to take her up on her invitation in this space. I thought this would be a great opportunity to…
-
Gospel Priorities and Complementarianism
Scot McKnight passes along a question about the centrality of complementarianism in the theological commitments of the “young, restless and reformed.” In short, the question is this. Must one be a complementarian in order to be “gospel-centered”? Why should “young, restless and reformed” egalitarians be divided from their complementarian counterparts? Since both groups have a similar commitment to the gospel, the penal substitutionary atonement, justification by faith alone, etc., why should they be divided from one another over a secondary issue? These are fair questions, and they have been addressed by complementarians here and there over the years. I will attempt an answer here, though I do not claim to…
-
Another Complementarian Caricature
Egalitarians sometimes promote their point of view by equating complementarianism with oppressive forms of patriarchy. Often this is done through caricature rather than through engaging with mainstream complementarians and their stated beliefs. Unfortunately, another instance of this has happened in a recent article by Jana Chapman Gates. In an opinion piece for Christianity Today, Gates writes about her recent move from Manhattan to an undisclosed location in the Midwest. She joined a church and enlisted in a small group Bible Study that was going through a series on marriage. She was shocked to discover that her new friends held some fairly disturbing views on gender relations. In short, she learned…
-
Leeman on Complementarianism
Jonathan Leeman has an excellent essay in the latest 9marks journal. In short, he argues that Complementarianism is crucial to discipleship. It’s worth reading the whole essay, but I want to highlight one section that I found particularly helpful. It will frame the way I engage the “borders” from now on. He writes:
