Commentary: Following a Woman Is Not the Problem — The Bible Commends It Repeatedly

Ardavanis says Adam "passively followed his wife's leadership," framing the act of following a woman as itself the failure. She did go first, and yes, he followed without objecting. But Ardavanis misses the simple fact that following someone is not a problem. Scripture is filled with examples where a man follows a woman and it is commended:

1. God tells Abraham to listen and obey Sarah (Ge 21:12) — God Himself commands a man to follow his wife's directive.

2. Barak goes into battle under Deborah's prophetic leadership (Judg 4:8, 14) — a military commander follows a woman into war.

3. Israel, including the men, follows Deborah as judge (Judg 4:5) — they seek and submit to her judgments.

4. A military commander heeds a woman's counsel, saving the city (2 Sam 20:16, 22).

5. David follows Abigail's intervention and changes his course (1 Sam 25:33) — and praises her for it.

6. A king and his officials seek and receive authoritative word from the female prophet Huldah (2 Kgs 22:13-14).

7. Naaman follows advice from a young servant girl (2 Kgs 5:3).

8. Boaz responds positively and follows through on Ruth's request according to righteousness (Ru 3:9).

9. Mordecai and the Jews obey Esther's instruction (Esth 4:16-17).

10. The Shunammite woman directs her husband and Gehazi (2 Kgs 4:22).

11. Though prompted by Joab, David listens and is moved by the wise woman's reasoning (2 Sam 14:19).

12. The servants follow Mary's directive at the wedding, leading to Jesus' first sign (Jn 2:5).

13. Men respond to and follow the Samaritan woman's testimony to Christ (Jn 4:39).

14. Jesus entrusts the witness of His resurrection to women (Lk 24:6, 9-12).

15. Priscilla instructs Apollos (Ac 18:26).

16. Lydia leads her household (Ac 16:15).

And finally: what woman who follows the example of Christ should not herself be followed, just as we are to follow Paul's example as he emulates Christ (1 Cor 11:1)?

The Actual Problem With Adam

Adam's sin was not that he followed a woman. His sin was that he followed into disobedience with full knowledge that it was wrong. He was not deceived (1 Tim 2:14). He knew exactly what the fruit was and what God had said. If following a woman were inherently sinful, God would not have commanded Abraham to do it, and Scripture would not repeatedly commend it.

The complementarian framing — "he passively followed his wife's leadership" — smuggles in the assumption that a man following a woman is a violation of God's design. But the biblical witness says the opposite: men following women is commended when the direction is righteous, and condemned when the direction is sinful. The variable is the content and knowledge, not the gender of who leads.