What is the Christian Caste System?
The Christian caste system is a modern-day phenomenon that began in 1988 with the Counsel for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), whose founders created a paradigm they called complementarianism. CBMW admits that complementarianism is simply another, more palatable, word for patriarchy. Historical patriarchy had a gender caste system of sorts, but it contained a loophole, which will be discussed in this article. Complementarianism plugged the hole.
Some important Definitions are as follows:
Traditional role religion
Traditional role religion has always held that the first man and the first woman were created equally autonomous human beings, that each were given equal mandates 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 men by the introduction of sin into the world. Traditional role religion has also taught that absolute equality and autonomy of the sexes will be restored at the resurrection.
Complementarianism
Complementarianism, also known as “Male Headship,” began in 1987, when a new doctrine of men and women was introduced to the Christian community, via a document called the Danvers Statement. One year later, in 1988, the same group that issued the Danvers Statement, formed the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW). The doctrine of CBMW, challenged traditional role religion by claiming the first couple was not initially created equally autonomous, but unequal from the moment of creation. Though the word equal is used by complementarians, they define it differently from virtually everyone else.
Complementarian equality of the sexes consisted of equality in essence only—not equality of purpose, functional autonomy, or action.
This is an ethereal, non-tangible, smoke and mirrors, sort of equality, since women and men are all humans. Beyond that, all notions of equality end. The idea of equality of purpose autonomous function, and action, when applied to the sexes, is anathema to all complementarians.
The Complementarian Image of God
Complementarian women, according to male headship doctrine, do not share the same image of God as complementarian men. It is claimed that men share the male aspects of the image of God, while women reflect only the inferior female aspects.
No scripture is given to back these fantastic claims.
Complementarian women are taught that they can be equally Born Again, along with men, but are not entitled to the same levels of autonomy—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—that men are entitled to.
The Danvers Statement
Many Christians claim never to have 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 Danvers Statement has been accepted throughout the world by most Christian denominations.
The creators of the Danvers Statement quickly formed their inter-denominational and non-profit organization, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), the sole purpose of which is to promote female subordination to male dominance in all walks of life, within the church, the, and as we will show, even within in the secular workplace.
The Danvers Statement was enthusiastically adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention and included in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
Leaders of CBMW openly define complementarianism as just another term for patriarchy, “For millennia, followers of God have practiced what used to be called patriarchy and is now called complementarianism." -Owen Strachan, Then President, Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, as quoted in the Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Spring 2012, page 25.
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is the doctrine that all people are created equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities. There have always been true egalitarians within the Christian community and many denominations, but with vast financial resources at their disposal, CBMW quickly flooded the Christian world with their patriarchal doctrine. They did so with such evangelistic zeal and impact that, in 2001, 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. The following quote is from, The Manual, the official statements of doctrine and polity of the Church of the Nazarene, 2009-2013 edition (the official position has be reiterated in later Manuals up to the present day):
“903.5. Women in Ministry
The Church of the Nazarene supports the right of women to use their God-given spiritual gifts within the church, affirms the historic right of women to be elected and appointed to places of leadership within the Church of the Nazarene, including the offices of both elder and deacon. The purpose of Christ’s redemptive work is to set God’s creation free from the curse of the Fall. Those who are “in Christ” are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). In this redemptive community, no human being is to be regarded as inferior on the basis of social status, race, or gender (Galatians 3:26-28).
Acknowledging the apparent paradox created by Paul’s instruction to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:11-12) and to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:33-34), we believe interpreting these passages as limiting the role of women in ministry presents serious conflicts with specific passages of scripture that commend female participation in spiritual leadership roles (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18; 21:8-9; Romans 16:1, 3, 7; Philippians 4:2-3), and violates the spirit and practice of the Wesleyan-holiness tradition. Finally, it is incompatible with the character of God presented throughout Scripture, especially as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. (2001)”
Despite the denomination’s strong stand for gender equality in ministry, at the time of this writing, their pastors are teaching and implementing the practice of complementarianism within their congregations, almost en masse.
Roles
Complementarians of all denominations maintain that although men and women are created equal in being and personhood, they are created to complement one another via different “roles” in life and in the church, with men always in the leader role and women always in the follower role.
Complementarianism further states that women will be subordinate to men, not only in this earthly existence but in the resurrection as well—throughout all eternity. And this is where they diverge from traditional role religionists, who share the complementarian belief that women are presently subordinate to men but have traditionally diverged from complementarian doctrine by teaching that woman will one day—in the hereafter—be truly equal with men in every way.
Complementarians view this teaching as a traditionalist loophole, offering women full equality with men at some point in the eternal future, and this idea simply cannot be tolerated. So, the traditionalist loophole [of equality after the resurrection] was conveniently plugged by creating the theory of a “Divine Order of Creation,” that teaches the imbalance of power, favoring men over women, is an original—eternal—fact of creation, and did not result from a temporary curse to women because of the Fall.
Despite the fact that complementarianism has almost completely taken over the world-wide Christian community [including all major Christian media], there exist many individuals and churches within complementarian denominations, as well as entire denominations themselves that are not officially complementarian, such as many Full Gospel churches, the Church of the Nazarene, the Methodist Churches, and the Society of Friends (the Quakers) who hold to the biblical view that all Christians are currently freed from the curse of sin and are functionally equal and autonomous—now—between themselves, before God, and in Christ.
Many Christians agree with this and are finding the courage to proclaim that all children of God, both His daughters and His sons, have equal responsibility to use their gifts and obey their callings to the glory of God, and that God calls all believers to liberty, personal autonomy, and service to him without regard to class, gender, or race.
Jocelyn Andersen is the author of several non-fiction books and is currently working on her first novel. She writes and speaks about a variety of topics with an emphasis on the subject of God and Women. Her work in that respect has been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television.