Search — Theology Explorer

complementarianism eldership gender roles

Definition of complementarianism: women and men are equal in value but have different roles, particularly that women should not serve as elders.

Framing the debate — defining key terms

eldership gender roles egalitarianism

Definition of egalitarianism: equality in both personhood and role, with no limits on what women can do in the church including serving as elders.

Framing the debate — defining key terms

gender roles practical application women in leadership

Additional practical questions: interviewing women, women on church boards, women evangelists, conference speakers, voting for a woman president, women as bosses, stay-at-home dads.

Scope of practical questions raised by this debate

Gal 3:28 egalitarian proof text no male or female

Video 5 will cover Galatians 3:28 ('no male or female in Christ') — the egalitarian 'trump card.'

Series overview and roadmap

bypassing scripture patriarchy egalitarianism

Mistake #3: Believing it is the 'evils of patriarchy' that must be fought — egalitarians who frame complementarians as patriarchalists use privilege/power language to bypass scripture.

Mistake #3: Evils of patriarchy

Rebecca Merrill Groothuis definition of human dehumanization argument

Groothuis defines 'human' as having higher rational functions including decision-making, then argues that denying women leadership over men is inherently dehumanizing.

Mistake #4: Analyzing Groothuis's definition of human

Levites nature-based roles temporary vs. permanent

If countless generations under Levitical role restrictions for hundreds of years is acceptable, why would one lifetime of gender-based role differences be dehumanizing?

Mistake #4: Levite analogy continued

Philip Payne Man and Woman, One in Christ equality in Christ

Philip Payne's related argument in 'Man and Woman, One in Christ': if we are equal in Christ, we cannot exclude anyone from leadership based on gender.

Mistake #4: Payne's variant of the philosophical argument

bypassing scripture story-driven theology Beth Allison Barr

Barr's argument: personal stories overrule any theological distinction — 'nice try, tell that to my story' — all nuance and distinction between pagan patriarchy and complementarianism is erased.

Mistake #5: Stories overruling scripture

Discovering Biblical Equality domestic abuse complementarianism and abuse

Quote from Discovering Biblical Equality: complementarianism is 'by definition a system of permanently unequal power distribution' that creates conditions under which abuse flourishes.

Mistake #5: Academic version of the abuse argument

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-14

Phyllis Trible's objection to the naming argument: naming requires both 'call' and 'name' together in the sentence; Gen 2:23 lacks this formula.

Egalitarian counter-argument to naming = authority

Gen 2:23 Phyllis Trible Gen 4:17

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-14

Trible's second objection: 'woman' is a common noun (gender classification), not a proper name -- Schreiner's reply: Adam classified animals the same way (types, not personal names).

Complementarian rebuttal on naming as classification

Tom Schreiner Gen 2:23 Phyllis Trible

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-14

Belleville's counter: all three uses of 'teshukah' are linked by gender/intimacy -- she interprets Gen 4:7 as a lion wanting to 'consume' (intimate metaphor) Cain. Mike finds this forced.

Belleville's attempt to maintain the intimacy reading across all three uses

Song 7:10 Linda Belleville teshukah Gen 4:7

Titus 2:3-5 Titus 2:3-5 women teaching women intergenerational mentoring

Neglected biblical teaching: older people should train younger people, especially same gender

Mike draws a positive application from Titus 2.

women in ministry mutual edification informal teaching

Balance: all believers should be open to learning from one another, including across genders

Mike offers a balanced complementarian application.

John Piper John Piper complementarian overcorrection Pharisaical over-regulation

'Paranoid masculinity': over-regulation of gender roles in complementarian circles

Mike coins a term for a problem he sees in complementarian practice.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 1 Timothy 3:11 women deacons internal contradiction eldership

Egalitarian contradiction: if 1 Timothy 3:11 has women deacons, it proves women are excluded from elders in 3:1-7

Mike identifies an internal contradiction in egalitarian argumentation.

Junia Tom Schreiner women's ministry

Tom Schreiner's view: Junia as missionary focused on women's ministry

Mike introduces Schreiner's nuanced addition to the discussion.

women's ministry ancient gender roles missionary partnerships

Ancient gender-separated society created distinct need for female missionaries

Mike develops the historical-cultural argument for gender-specific ministry.

women's ministry female deacons Apostolic Constitutions

Female deacons in the early church focused on ministry to women

Mike provides historical evidence for gender-specific ministry roles.

Junia Junias gender of Junia

Junia was female — the debate is largely settled

Mike addresses the gender of Junia.

Junia argument from silence all-male apostolate

All clear references to apostles indicate male gender

Mike addresses the argument that unnamed apostles might have been women.

1 Timothy 3:11 Romans 16:1 1 Timothy 3:12-13 Phoebe husband of one wife 1 Timothy 3:11

Verses 12-13 are about men, verse 11 is about women — not gender neutral

Mike clarifies the structure of the 1 Timothy 3 passage on deacons.

eldership Craig Keener prophecy argument

Argument 4 preview: If women can prophesy to the whole church, they can also teach and be elders

Since women prophesied at mixed-gender gatherings and prophecy is a high role involving authority, women should also be allowed to teach and serve as elders.

1 Corinthians 12:7 Discovering Biblical Equality Stanley Grenz 1 Corinthians 12:7

Grenz argues the Spirit's sovereign call and gifting, not gender, determines who can be an elder

Grenz's more detailed argument: since the Spirit calls believer-priests to ministry, gender cannot be an overriding disqualifying factor.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 eldership qualifications Titus 1

Pushback 1: Not all priests can be elders — eldership has requirements beyond being a Christian

Mike's first rebuttal to Grenz: the Bible pragmatically refutes the argument by listing elder qualifications beyond priesthood.

Stanley Grenz eldership qualifications sovereignty of the Spirit

Pushback 2: If the Holy Spirit is the source of the gender limitation, then ignoring it removes the Spirit's sovereign call

Grenz claims gender restrictions remove the Spirit's sovereign call. Mike flips this argument.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 Levitical priesthood eldership qualifications

Anticipated objection: if women could not be OT priests but are NT priests, why can't they hold the highest roles?

Mike addresses the challenge to his view: if women's exclusion from OT priesthood was about gender, and now they are priests, doesn't that prove they can have any role?

prophecy argument women speaking publicly

Claim 1 analysis: Women speaking publicly in mixed-gender gatherings is demonstrably true

Mike agrees with the first egalitarian claim derived from prophecy.

1 Corinthians 11 head coverings 1 Corinthians 11 women prophesying

1 Corinthians 11 clearly refers to prophecy in public mixed-gender gatherings; the whole section (chs. 11-14) deals with gathered worship

Mike argues the broader context of 1 Corinthians leaves no room for limiting this to private settings.

Luke 2:36-38 women prophesying Anna Luke 2:36-38

Anna prophesied publicly at the temple to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:36-38)

Mike presents Anna as another example of public, mixed-gender prophetic speech.

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 14:3-4

Broader context of 1 Corinthians 11-14 confirms it is about gathered worship: Lord's Supper and spiritual gifts in church

Mike appeals to the wider literary context to confirm his reading.

Craig Keener prophecy and authority Nathan

Keener himself acknowledges prophets had 'no authority outside of their message'

Mike uses Keener's own words to push back on other egalitarians who argue prophecy equals authority.

1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11 headship 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11

Scripture places limits on women prophesying: they must acknowledge male headship (1 Corinthians 11) and may not judge prophecies (1 Corinthians 14)

Mike notes that even within prophecy, there are gender-specific limitations.

soft complementarianism prophecy argument complementarian correction

Conclusion on prophecy: it pushes back against banning women from public speech but does not support removing all eldership restrictions

Mike gives his balanced conclusion on the prophecy argument.

1 Corinthians 12:28 apostles 1 Corinthians 12:28 kubernesis (administrating)

1 Corinthians 12:28 — 'administrating' (leadership) appears as a gift distinct from the office of teacher

Mike examines another gifts list.

apostles spiritual gifts offices vs. gifts

Gifts do not seem gender-specific; leadership and teaching could be gifts women have

Mike's conclusion on the first part of the gifts argument.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 Stanley Grenz eldership qualifications

Grenz presumes (2) gifts are the ONLY requirement for eldership — Scripture clearly gives additional requirements including gender

Mike identifies the second false premise.

eldership spiritual gifts argument

Summary of gifts argument: women likely have teaching/leadership gifts, no scripture limits those gifts by gender, but limitations are on who can be an elder specifically

Mike summarizes his conclusions from the gifts argument.

spiritual gifts argument eldership qualifications gender-based restriction

Why gifts do not translate to eldership: (1) one can teach and lead outside eldership; (2) the restriction is gender-based, not gift-based; (3) gifting alone cannot be sufficient for appointment

Mike gives three reasons why the gifts argument fails to establish women as elders.

women teaching gender bias

Bias against women's teaching comes from women too, not just men

Mike points out that the attitude that women cannot correct men is held by some women as well.

Romans 16:7 Romans 16:7 Andronicus and Junia female apostle debate

Andronicus and Junia — debate about whether there were female apostles

Mike briefly mentions the debate about Junia's status as an apostle.

Galatians 3:28 creation order Galatians 3:28 interpretive framework

Cynthia Long Westfall's use of Galatians 3:28 as an interpretive rule

Mike introduces Westfall's argument as representative of how egalitarians leverage the verse.

Galatians 3:28 Galatians 3:28 Cynthia Long Westfall Paul Jewett

Westfall on egalitarian and feminist claims about Galatians 3:28

Mike quotes Westfall's description of how egalitarians and feminists view the verse.

presuppositions critical theory feminism

Connection between critical theory terminology and egalitarian arguments

Mike notes the language of modern feminism and critical theory appearing in egalitarian scholarship.

Genesis 1:27 creation order Genesis 1:27 Stendahl

Egalitarian leverage of the Genesis allusion: new creation obliterates creation-order role differences

Mike explains how some egalitarians use the Genesis 1:27 allusion to argue for abolition of gender roles.

1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11 1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11

Ben Witherington III's (1981) two arguments against over-reading the Genesis allusion

Mike cites Witherington's earlier work to push back against the creation/new-creation dichotomy.

Galatians 3:26-29 Cynthia Long Westfall Galatians 3:26-29 huioi (sons)

Westfall's translation of Galatians 3:26-29 and 'sonship status' rendering

Mike evaluates Westfall's personal translation of the key passage.

Cynthia Long Westfall salient identity intersectionality

The egalitarian challenge: stretching sonship status to include eldership

Mike frames the core question the egalitarian position must answer.