Deconstructing Rationale #2 of the Danvers Statement

Adult autonomy and equality of the sexes as practiced within most churches

Rationale #2 of the Danvers Statement says The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (hereafter referred to as CBMW or “the Council”) is concerned with: “The tragic effects of this confusion in unraveling the fabric of marriage woven by God out of the beautiful and diverse strands of manhood and womanhood.”

To be clear, the “confusion” referred to is misunderstanding about traditional gender-roles and the Council’s definition of masculinity and femininity.

Read the introduction to this series HERE.

Concerning the “diverse strands of manhood and womanhood,” it has been previously stated [in this series] but bears repeating: Egalitarian Christians have never denied differences between the sexes. It was egalitarian Christians who first coined the term “complementary” when describing physical and physiological differences between women and men. The term was quickly usurped by complementarians to describe their unique doctrine of inequality of the sexes, which this writer calls “traditional-role-religion-on-steroids.”   

In 1987, The newly formed CBMW wrote in the Danvers Statement that they have been moved in their purpose by contemporary developments which they observe with “deep concern.”  See the introduction to this series.

The developments the Council finds so disconcerting, are developments in which many Christian women reject traditional role religion and, with the cooperation and encouragement of many Christian men, take their rightful places as autonomous equals along with men in churches, homes, and society.

In Rationale #1, we discussed what CBMW determined to be “widespread uncertainty and confusion” in our culture regarding differences between the sexes and the social constructs of masculinity and femininity.

 This series deals with the issue of adult autonomy and equality of the sexes as practiced within most mainstream churches. The series does not deal with contemporary gender issues in society at large (that is a different discussion altogether). In Rationale #2, the Council states that the “tragic effects” of confusion [about their definition of gender-roles and masculinity/femininity] is “unraveling the fabric of marriage woven by God out of the beautiful and diverse strands of manhood and womanhood.”

As we have seen in the introduction [and shall see more], complementarianism itself is fraught with hypocrisy, confusion, and contradictions. According to Rationale #2 of the Danvers Statement, the “unraveling the fabric of”/failure of Christian marriages is due to confusion about gender roles and traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity. But statistics do not back that up. Neither do complementarian leaders and writers.

Christian marriages come “unraveled” in approximately the same numbers as non-Christian marriages. But is confusion about adhering to masculine and feminine roles, as dictated by the Council, really the reason for marital failure? Is it true that rejecting gender-based faith is the primary reason for divorce among Christians?

Statistics show, that among Christian couples, complementarians divorce at higher rates than egalitarian couples. If complementarianism is truly “God’s glorious design for men and women,” then why do complementarian marriages fail seven times more frequently than egalitarians?

Complementarians tend to blame wives for most problems in marriage. I wrote about this in my book, Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System: QUOTE “Wives are blamed when husbands commit adultery. Wives are blamed when husbands engage in pornography or lust after women they are not married to. Keeping His Pants on Till He Gets Home, is a book that places responsibility for a husband’s fidelity [or lack thereof] squarely on the shoulders of the wife. Joyce Oglesby’s experience as a court reporter and pastor’s wife has enabled her to observe, firsthand, the break-up of many marriages due to infidelity and the use of pornography. She says the majority of infractions are committed by husbands, yet, in her book, she largely blames wives for this.” END QUOTE

Nancy Leigh DeMoss wrote in her book, Lies Women Believe…, “If she makes no effort to be physically attractive for her husband, you may be sure another woman out there will be standing in line to get his attention.” She callously says of wives who have been betrayed by husbands, “…The man she destroyed was her own husband, who had now left her for another woman.” She derisively imagines defrauded wives as saying, “I have emasculated my husband…I have taken him down to the core of hell itself because of my ungodly, willful ways…How could I have driven such a wonderful man to do such a hideous thing before God?”

Even spousal abuse and wife-beating [which are rampant in complementarian marriages and certainly unravel the fabric of marriage] are blamed on un-submissive wives.

In his address to Denton Bible Church, Bruce Ware, Professor of Christian Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and council member of CBMW said, “Women now as sinners, seek to have their way and do what they would like to do instead of submitting to their husbands…husbands then respond to that threat to their authority by being abusive (emphasis mine).”

Do the above quotes give us an idea of how heartless and cold complementarianism is?

Rationale #2 of the Danvers Statement says the Council is concerned with: “The tragic effects of this confusion in unraveling the fabric of marriage woven by God out of the beautiful and diverse strands of manhood and womanhood.”

Remember: The “confusion” complementarians are so fond of referencing, is 100% about adhering to hierarchical gender-roles and the CBMW’s extremely regulated definition of masculinity and femininity.

According to statistics, and complementarian writers do not disagree, infidelity is the primary reason for “unraveling the fabric” of Christian marriages. Complementarians blame husband-cheating on the failure of wives to submit and be “feminine” as described by the Council. We have already discussed the concepts of godly “manhood” and “womanhood” in previous segments.  

With divorce statistics showing that complementarian marriages fail seven times more frequently than egalitarian marriages (even egalitarian atheists have been shown to enjoy happier marriages than Christian complementarians), how can CBMW, along with a plethora of Christian leaders, continue to hold to the fallacious narrative that un-submissive wives and confusion about gender-roles lies at the root of marital unhappiness?  

The biblically created design for humanity, as shown in Genesis chapter one, is equality of the sexes and adult autonomy. The events of Genesis chapter two did not revoke the original created status of autonomy between the man and the woman. There is no prescription for gender hierarchy in Genesis chapter three, only description.

Aside from free will, which is bestowed on every mortal by our Creator, regardless of sex [and can be used for either good or bad], there are no negative effects of equality of the sexes and adult autonomy. It is the artificial gender-role constructs of complementarianism that cause confusion, produce spousal abuse, unravel marriages, and warp the psyches of developing children. Complementarianism excuses men who are unfaithful to wives (DeMoss & Oglesby). Complementarianism excuses wife-abusers and wife-beaters (Ware).

Rationale #2 of the Danvers Statement does not describe the negative effects of equality but rather the negative effects of inequality…i.e., complementarianism.

Adult autonomy is the foundation of our God-given and entirely biblical right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which pursuit is never preceded by the quote-encased word “selfish” when applied to men. Our loving Creator never created a color-based, or class-based, or sex-based, caste system for his human creation. God’s will for all his children, without regard to sex, is that we prosper and be in health even as our souls prosper. Perpetrating an unbiblical caste system, that is responsible for untold harm and unhappiness is antithetical to soul prosperity.

The Word of God says that in Christ, there is no race, caste, or sex, but we are all one in Christ Jesus. The Captain of our Faith said if we love the Lord our God with everything in us and love our neighbor as ourselves, we will do well.

Read the next segment in this series HERE.

Jocelyn Andersen is a Bible teacher, author, and blogger. She writes and speaks about a variety of topics with an emphasis on the subject of God and Women. She is the author of several non-fiction books including, "Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence" and "Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System." She is currently working on her first novel and is a member of AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Association). Her work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television. Jocelyn is open to requests for writing assignments, anthology contributions, and conference speaker.