The idea that women are to be submissive to male leadership seems to be having something of a renaissance in Australian Evangelicalism, or at least in Sydney/NSW and among those claiming to be “Reformed”. The year began with new Sydney Anglican marriage rites in which a bride promises to submit to her husband. This was… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: gender
52% of the World’s Evangelical Leaders Believe a Wife Must Always Obey Her Husband. The Unfinished Gender Debate
In 2010 the US based Pew Forum surveyed over 2000 Evangelical leaders present at the Lausanne Conference, seeking their views on issues of faith, church and ethics. When asked whether “a wife should always obey her husband” fifty-two percent said “yes”, either fully agreeing or mostly agreeing. Think carefully about that. Not only do half… Continue Reading
“Wives, submit to your husbands”. Why We Mistakenly Assume This is God’s Word to Us Today
Some of the most controversial teaching in the Bible is its instructions concerning wives. [quote] Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:18-19[/quote] [quote] Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the… Continue Reading
Gender, Translators & 1 Corinthians 11. On the Mistranslation of a Text
What do you do when you’re translating a bible passage into English and the text says the opposite of what you’re expecting it to say? It turns out there are a very small number of occasions where some translators give us what they think the text should say, even when the grammar says the opposite.… Continue Reading
Genesis and Gender. On the Over-reading of a Biblical Text
The creation narratives of Genesis 1 and 2 are the subject of intense discussion regarding gender. Where Genesis 1 demonstrates the commonality between men and women – both are created in God’s image – Genesis 2 is commonly thought to emphasise the differences, or complementarity, between men and women: the man is created from the… Continue Reading
Deciphering the Gender Debate. What Christians Say About What the Bible Says
The issue of gender roles is squarely on the agenda of many Christians today. To help people get their heads around the debate here is an overview of the major approaches. For my own view see this post [learn_more caption="Complementarian View"] Complementarianism is the view that men and women have different but complementary roles to… Continue Reading
Paul was no feminist but his Gospel is
The Bible contains statements about gender relations that sound harsh to modern ears – wives are called to submit to their husbands and women are told to keep quiet in church. How do we account for this? Are the Sydney Anglicans right that God has given men responsibility for leadership in home and church? And… Continue Reading
To love and submit?!
This weekend the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Sydney Anglican churches have a new marriage liturgy in which the bride promises to ‘submit’ to her husband. This reflects a conviction that the Bible sees leadership in church and home as gendered, and that while bible writers may have applied this in culturally particular ways, the… Continue Reading
The Stained Glass Ceiling: Deciphering the Debate Over Gender Roles
Differences of opinion over appropriate gender roles exist within the Christian community. This paper provides an introduction to the issue and overviews five interpretive models commonly employed to interpret the main biblical texts and apply them to life today.… Continue Reading