Cheryl Schatz

Mark,
You said:

I dont think comp theology believes that men and women are different spiritually. Well at least i don’t, nor do i believe that is what is taught in ‘Recovering biblical manhood and womanhood’…However whether or not God gives us seperate roles is another matter, which does not detract from the spritual equality.

No one is arguing that there are differences in physical functions of male and female as no one denies that men don’t have babies and only women do. The issue is what is a spiritual function and we should be able to identify spiritual gifts as spiritual functions. Since you deny that women are able to exercise some spiritual functions per God’s rules, as CBMW also denies that women have the freedom to exercise some spiritual functions, then there must be a spiritual difference that causes the loss of spiritual function. It there is “spiritual roles” that deny a spiritual function to one, then there has to be a spiritual difference. I think that your problem is that you don’t really want to admit what belongs in the spiritual area and what belongs in the physical. Or perhaps you are genuinely confused.

For example God does not gift or use everybody in the same way but does that mean some are more spiritual than others?

The issue has never been whether God has the freedom to gift whomever he wants and it is a given that not every one has the same gift. However that is not the issue. The issue is whether God has the freedom to gift a woman and whether the gifted woman has the freedom to function in her gifting with full freedom and full authority to use her gifts for the benefit of the body.

After all a good example from the Old Covenant is the restriction of priesthood for the Levites.

The Old Testament priesthood is not a spiritual gift but a physical function limited to a family and in that family to the males who have met the strict requirements. This in no way compares to the issue at hand which is the function of spiritual gifts.

Distinction of roles does not = spiritual hierarchy.

God has not identified “roles” that restrict people from using their spiritual gifts so there cannot be hierarchy amongst the spiritual gifts. Mark, I think it would be helpful for you to work at thinking outside the complementarian box.

Comp theology therefore does not make men more spiritual than women just because we believe that men and women have different roles.

Comp theology certainly does make men more spiritual than women because it redefines the function of spiritual gifts into a hierarchical ordering defined by gender when God has already set up spiritual gifts as outside of hierarchy and dependent not on roles but upon His gifting.

That notion is a false idea pressed upon it by egalitarians. It is a false description unfortunately.

If the “false idea” is coming from egalitarians, then why is it that the complementarians have such a hard time answering Biblical questions without changing the subject? The fact is that complementarians need to respond to where the Bible lists the spiritual gifts as limited by gender when God has defined the limit as His own will alone?

Cheryl it is a shame you dont have time to look into the ommission of YHWH in gen 3. It would most definately help you in your understanding of that passage.

Fortunately for me I have a good handle on Genesis 3. Unfortunately for all of us that I am only one person and cannot tackle all subjects and still do a bang up job on the key elements of women in ministry. One day I may be done all that I can do and then I will move on to whatever other area God has pressed onto my heart. But until then, I am sure that God will bring many dear brothers in Christ onto my pathway where I can share many precious Biblical things with them that they have missed. Those who have ears to hear and who have nothing to fear will hear. Those who refuse to hear can be left in the hands of our God who is able to change hearts and make them soft in time. It is God’s business to take the blinders off while it is my job just to do the best I can in sharing the truth.

I trust that we will have a lot more days of healthy and passionate interaction. Most comps haven’t stuck around here too long due to their frustration that they can’t tear apart our arguments. You may be one in a thousand and I appreciate your participation here!