gengwall

Craig,

I understand what you are saying about leadership but it is an unrealistic paradigm. What SM was saying is “given the exact same act of ‘loving sacrificial service’ performed by a man or a woman, what makes it leadership for the man but not leadership for the woman”. Your “comp hat” example requires that there is a specific, exact, uncrossable line between “loving sacrificial service” acts that a man does as opposed to those that a woman does. But not only does the bible make no such distinction, it teaches exactly the opposite. Gifting for “loving sacrificial service” is not specific to gender. So any act of “loving sacrificial service”, even one that falls under the category of “leading”, can be performed by a man or a woman with the blessing of God. SM’s point is, how can the very same act be identified as leadership if it is performed by a man but not so identified if it is performed by a woman? Conversely, where is the list in the bible of what acts constitute leadership and therefore are restricted only to men? Especially in the marriage realm?

The reality is that there are a million activities of daily living that qualify as “leading”, especially in marriage. Virtual every decision and every task can have one spouse or the other “take the lead”. They also can be acts of “loving sacrificial service” to the other spouse, to our children, or to the marriage itself. The argument that men are the only ones qualified to do any act that involves leadership is demonstrably false. The argument that God directs men to do any act that involves leadership is without biblical support. And the argument that women simply are forbidden to do any act that involves leadership denies the gifting of the Spirit. All of the comp arguments in support of the notion that “the man is to lead in a sacrificial, loving way…a woman is also to exhibit loving, sacrificial service, but not as a leader” are cultural, not biblical.