Frank

I sometimes wonder if hierarchical complementarians read the same Bible that I do. I wonder how it is that they can read passages like Romans 16:1, 7, and 12 and Phil. 4:2-3, and then. in the further light given on these and other Pauline texts by modern scholarship, continue to deny that men and women–most often married couples like Andronicus and Julia, and Aquila and Priscilla– not only engaged in church-planting ministries together, but also shared in the tasks of evangelism and discipling new believers. Do they really believe what Paul said, when he said of Euodia and Syntyche that they were women who “contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers” (Phil. 4:2-3, TNIV)?

And as for the gifting and calling of God, where does it clearly and unequivocally say in any of the four passages on this subject: Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12-14; Eph. 4:7-16; and 1 Pet. 4:7-11 (the text being discussed–where does it say that any gifting or calling of the Holy Spirit is gender specific? Nowhere. This idea of gender specific giftings and callings, contra John MacArthur is something that hierarchical complementarians read back into these texts, on the basis of their misinterpretation and misapplication of 1 Cor. 14:33-35 and 1 Tim. 2:11-18.

Furthermore, for the text we are discussing, 1 Pet. 4:10-11, there is an eschatological context as well, a context that makes common watchfulness, prayer, and “mutual ministries” even more necessary. It is part of an exhortation, which Peter opens up with the statement, “The end of things is near. Therefore, be alert and sober minded so you can pray…love each other…offer hospitality…Use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards…, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” This is an exhortation to all believers to use their gifts, as well as to offer up both their prayers and homes, to provide for the common good of all Christians in the hard times to come. Now, will our hierarchical friends please explain how they can parcell out any element of this exhortation on the basis of gender? They certainly can’t do it on the basis of what Peter himself says here.