Complementarianism is traditional role religion on steroids

Traditional role religion has always held that the first man and the first woman were created with an equal mandate to rule over all non-human creation together, with no semblance of female subjection to male dominance until the balance of power was shifted to favor the male by the introduction of sin into the world.

In 1987, a new doctrine of men and women, called “complementarianism,” challenged traditional role religion by claiming the first couple was originally created equal in essence only (equally human?)—but never equal in autonomy.

Many Christians claim they have never heard the term “complementarian,” but whether they have heard the term or not, they have likely experienced effects of the doctrine within their homes and church fellowships.

The term “complementarian” was coined, in 1987, by a group of influential men who met in Danvers, Massachusetts and drafted a document defining strict “roles” for men and women. That document became known as the Danvers Statement.

The Danvers Statement is the basis for The SBC’s Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which governs women in Southern Baptist churches.

Within a year of drafting the Danvers Statement, the same group of men created a non-profit organization called, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, (CBMW) whose sole purpose is to promote female subjection to male governance in all walks of life—within the church, home, and workplace.

The message of CBMW was wildly popular with the male leadership of most churches and denominations, and the new organization was inundated with contributions. Churches the world over use the tithes and offerings of their members to give generously and regularly to The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

With vast financial resources at their disposal, CBMW flooded the Christian world with their doctrine to such an extent and with such an impact that by 1993, the Church of the Nazarene felt compelled to put into writing what they had always practiced and added the following statement to their official Manual of doctrine and polity: “904.6. Women in Ministry: We support the right of women to use their God-given spiritual gifts within the church. We affirm the historic right of women to be elected and appointed to places of leadership within the Church of the Nazarene,” (1993, From The Manual, the official statements of doctrine and polity of the Church of the Nazarene).

Complementarians hold to the unique yet oxymoronic claim that although men and women are created equal in their beings and personhood (whatever that means), they are created to complement each other via different and unequal “roles” in life, with men always in the governing role and women always in the subjection role.

Complementarianism further alleges that women will be subjected to men, not only in this earthly existence but in the afterlife as well. They make the ridiculous claim their role-religion paradigm makes them unique among the people of the world and sets them apart, yet their creed aligns them perfectly with virtually every non-Christian religion and religious cult—both Christian and non-Christian—that ever existed.

Owen Strachan, past president of the CBMW, admitted that complementarianism is nothing less than old fashioned patriarchy. Rachel Held Evans linked to Strachan's honest assessment of complementarianism in her article, It's not Complementarianism; it's Patriarchy: "For those who think I mean "patriarchy" as an insult rather than a description of reality, consider this: In the current issue of The Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Owen Strachan wrote, "For millennia, followers of God have practiced what used to be called patriarchy and is now called complementarianism.”" Denny Burk has since removed the Strachan PDF from his blog.

Complementarians diverge from traditional role religion in that while traditionalists agree with them that women are subject to male governance in this life, traditional-role-religionists teach that this is due to a temporary curse, because of The Fall, and that women will one day be freed from the curse altogether and will then, in every respect, enjoy absolute autonomous equality with men.

Autonomy is a freedom that Christian men have always seen as their inalienable (God-given) right but have denied to Christian women.

Complementarians view the teaching that women will one day enjoy full equality with men at some point in the misty eternal future, as an abhorrent traditionalist loophole. They conveniently plug the hole by teaching that the imbalance of power favoring men over women, is a permanent and eternal fact due to what they call a “Divine Order of Creation,” and not as a temporary curse on women due to original sin.

Complementarians lay a foundation for their paradigm using what they call “Divine Order of Creation” teaching—which they created themselves sometime after 1987. Knowing this teaching cannot be substantiated by scripture, they attempt to shore up shoddy theology by further claiming that the pattern for authority and submission between the sexes is based on an alleged hierarchical structure of authority and submission found within the Godhead itself.

This doctrine finds its genesis in the Arian doctrine of the Eternal Generation of Christ (Eternal Sonship). Acceptance of this doctrine by the Christian community—who have historically rejected it as heresy—has spawned another doctrine called “Trinitarian [or Trinity] Marriage.”

To accept the doctrine of the Eternal Sonship of Christ, one must accept that a strict hierarchy of authority and submission exists within the Eternal Godhead itself.

Complementarians claim that inequality exists within the Godhead by arbitrarily assigning complementarian "roles" to God himself. They claim the Godhead is complementarian, with Jesus, who is Immanuel [THE God with us] taking second place in the pecking order, with the Holy Spirit limping along in third place.

One prominent complementarian, Bruce Ware, wrote an entire book dealing with what he believes to be hierarchical roles within the Godhead, that serve as examples for implementing the same type of hierarchy into relationships between men and women.

Another famous complementarian, the late Charles Stanley, wrote that if no hierarchy exists within the Godhead, then there is no basis at all for assigning hierarchical roles based solely on sex to human beings. Thus, Reformed theologians viciously guard the Arian, and heretofore considered heretical, doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son. I refute this doctrine thoroughly in my book, Jesus: God of the Burning Bush.

It is crucial to understand that on this single contested point—that an alleged authority/submission structure exists within the Eternal Godhead—hinges the entire complementarian theory of female subjection to male governance.

Reputable scholars down through the ages (including of more recent times, the late Dr. Walter Martin) have contended for the faith against the hierarchical Arian doctrine of the Eternal Sonship of Christ.

Despite this, complementarianism continues to infect Christian communities with their contagion. Congregations within even traditionally egalitarian denominations are embracing the doctrine of “Divine order of creation” and male governance in record numbers. Among these are congregations within The Church of the Nazarene, The Church of God, The Assemblies of God, and other denominations that have traditionally supported autonomous equality of the sexes.

On the flipside, churches within complementarian denominations are sending public messages that all Christians share equal autonomy and that regardless of sex, every person has equal responsibility to use their gifts and callings to the glory of God. They publicly reject the message of CBMW and the Danvers Statement, by disassociating from denominations that discriminate against women.

God not only freely calls all believers to roles and ministries without regard to sex, class, gender, or race, but commands it.

Jocelyn Andersen is author of, Woman this is WAR! Gender Slavery and the Evangelical Caste System.

What readers are saying

For those who take the pursuit of truth seriously: This book is well written, well researched, and a real eye opener. When one is changed by the spirit of God and comes into right relationship with Him, through Jesus, then the words of the Bible come alive, and He is revealed on every page. The honest student of scripture will look into the Greek, and Hebrew text, to know what is said to understand "apparent" contradictions. The scripture was not written in English. What is very clear in the text is that men and women in God's church (not the institutions) are equal in worth before God, and there is no such thing as "men rule and women submit". The false "teachers" in Christianity need to be exposed for their greed and lust for power over others. I believe that process will be ongoing. ~~ Elise (5-stars)

A unique approach to the modern-day evangelical "war" over women: Andersen is a gifted writer, and the book was easy to read even as it covers thoughtful and sometimes technical information. I am glad I read it. I’ve read a great deal about women in the church and home, and it is easy to think there is nothing new to be learned or considered – but this book has a unique approach and covers aspects overlooked by others. Everything is well documented with footnotes in case you have questions or want sources.

Andersen, from time to time in the book, had an idea that I, myself, considered quirky and could not agree with, yet usually these things were not critical to the overall argument and not a concern to me. There is a place for quirky, and unique thoughts can get us thinking! However, I had more serious concerns with the chapter on Trinitarian marriage and views of Jesus, but this is a technical issue. However, I think that Jesus being the eternal Son, eternally begotten of the Father, is an important teaching – and I disagree with Incarnational Sonship views. I also think there is more than ample evidence that the Johannine Comma is an interpolation. But that is said respectfully, as the author is not only a gifted writer but clearly well-studied and informed.

In the opening chapters of this book, I had never made the connection between the abolitionist or anti-slavery movement in the late 1800’s and the women’s rights movement. As Christian women back then began to speak out against slavery, they took push-back and criticism because they were stepping outside the women’s sphere of the home – and speaking in public, even from pulpits, when an anti-slavery meeting would take place in a church. There is interaction in the book with Frederick Douglas who saw similarities between how women and blacks were treated. Women were bound by a caste system too, thus the book’s subtitle: Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System.

From the book: “Women’s rights movements rarely seem to have begun from what would have been a legitimate effort to simply better the condition of women themselves, but rather out of frustration from attempting to better the condition of others and finding themselves seriously handicapped in the process.” (page 34-35)

Early feminists were Christians and they, along with modern evangelical Christian feminists, are sadly mis-characterized, sometimes grossly, by certain Christians and complementarians. It is shameful, but more than that it is unfair. They should at least fight fair. They sadly often do not, truly distorting Christian egalitarian views.

There is much food for thought and “prophetic” words – meaning much needed straightforward truth speaking. Perhaps the book title seems a bit extreme, but it really is not.

Finally, I was pleased that translation bias was covered in a chapter, an issue that needs to be addressed, and one that I find quite hard to bring up with lay people or everyday believers who lack knowledge about Bible translation. We can trust our Bibles, but we also need to acknowledge that certain passages are hard to translate, and bias can come into play. ~~ L. Martin (4-stars)

An Eye-opening Look at Societal issues Among Christians: If you think Jocelyn Andersen's title of her book is inflammatory and loaded with gender-bias, please note that she is quoting the attitude of John MacArthur in his introduction to "The Fulfilled Family," "Gentlemen, don't even think about marriage until you have mastered the art of warfare."

Andersen shares with us the horrific pattern she discovered in her research—a pattern of war against women—especially in Christian churches. Although disagreements abound between denominations, the attitude toward women is very similar in nearly all of them. Even some women join in the war against women. Although similar to the cold war against the USSR, with propaganda and innuendo being the key tools, it is also a war that has been and is being waged from many pulpits. Scripture has been twisted, mistranslated, and misinterpreted, and the twists, mistranslations, and misinterpretations repeated until a large majority of Christians believe the human changes to scripture ARE scripture, and insist that to deviate from the misinformation they have been taught is to rebel against God. ~~ Waneta Dawn (5-stars)

Game Changer: Living in a predominantly Baptist area, women are taught to submit to their husbands. And I have struggled with what was being preached behind the pulpit many, many times.

Ms. Andersen’s novel is a game changer. We shouldn’t simply accept what is being interpreted and fed to us. We should do our research and not be afraid to question inconsistencies.
~~ Kristine (5-stars)

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