Resources On Egalitarianism/Mutualism

This list was my response (including many people's suggestions) to a request for names of books, etc., [from conservative Christians] that make a biblical case for egalitarianism/mutualism (the belief that women may serve and function in the church in any office or capacity or gifting that men do):

* = Is or can be academic in whole or in part

I. BOOKS

1.* Discovering Biblical Equality: Biblical, Theological, Cultural, and Practical Perspectives (Third Edition)

https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Biblical-Equality-Theological-Perspectives/dp/0830854797

2. How I Changed My Mind about Women in Leadership: Compelling Stories from Prominent Evangelicals

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310293154/

3.* Two Views on Women in Ministry (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/031025437X/

4. Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1476717257/

5. Ten Lies The Church Tells Women: How the Bible Has Been Misused to Keep Women in Spiritual Bondage

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591859948/

6. The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0310538920/

7. Women Caught in the Conflict: The Culture War Between Traditionalism and Feminism

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1579100481/

8. Good News for Women: A Biblical Picture of Gender Equality

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801057205

9.* Man and Woman, One in Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Paul's Letters (knowledge of New Testament Greek is advisable)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310219884/

10. Why Not Women: A Biblical Study of Women in Missions, Ministry, and Leadership

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1576581837/

11. Men and Women in the Church: Building Consensus on Christian Leaders

https://www.amazon.com/Men-Women-Church-Consensus-Leadership/dp/0830823913/

12.* Women, Authority & the Bible (print on demand, or used copies)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0877846081

13.* Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle's Vision for Men and Women in Christ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801097940/

14. Junia Is Not Alone (no longer available but now included in 6. above)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006H4PFZ8

15. Gender Roles and the People of God: Rethinking What We Were Taught about Men and Women in the Church

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310529395/

16. Bourgeois Babes, Bossy Wives, and Bobby Haircuts: A Case for Gender Equality in Ministry (Fresh Perspectives on Women in Ministry)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310519268/

17. The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Biblical-Womanhood-Subjugation-Became/dp/1587434709/

18.* Junia: The First Woman Apostle

https://www.amazon.com/Junia-Apostle-Eldon-Jay-Epp/dp/0800637712/

19. Paul, Women and Church

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Women-Church-Eddie-Hyatt/dp/1888435569/

20. How God Sees Women: The End of Patriarchy

https://www.amazon.com/How-God-Sees-Women-Patriarchy/dp/B09QF82C23/

21. Women and Authority: The Key Biblical Texts (2011)
https://grovebooks.co.uk/products/b-59-women-and-authority-the-key-biblical-texts

22. The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood : How God's Word Consistently Affirms Gender Equality
https://www.amazon.com/Bible-vs-Biblical-Womanhood-Consistently/dp/0310140307/

23.* Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Light From The Biblical Texts
https://www.amazon.com/Men-Women-Christ-Fresh-Biblical/dp/1783599170

24. Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church
https://www.amazon.com/Tell-Her-Story-Taught-Ministered/dp/1514000741/

II. BLOGS, FACEBOOK, AND WEB PAGES

1.* CBE International (Christians for Biblical Equality)

• Articles at CBE's web page https://www.cbeinternational.org/view-resources/

• Priscilla Papers https://www.cbeinternational.org/primary_page/priscilla-papers-academic-journal/

2. The Junia Project

http://juniaproject.com/

3.* Margaret Mowczko's blog

http://margmowczko.com/

4. Rachel Held Evans' blog posts

http://rachelheldevans.com/blog?category=Gender+Equality

5. Biblical Christian Egalitarians (read and join the discussions)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2204593138/

6. Bob Edwards (author of several books)

https://www.facebook.com/bob.edwards.letmypeoplego

7. The Tru316 Project

https://tru316.com/

8. Ideas about Women Matter: A Resource List for Women in Church History (Beth Allison Barr)

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2022/03/ideas-about-women-matter-a-resource-list-for-women-in-church-history//

9. Some of my own blog posts

• http://theoblogoumena.blogspot.com/2010/10/quiz-for-complementarians.html

• http://theoblogoumena.blogspot.com/2011/02/questions-for-complementarians-and.html

• https://theoblogoumena.blogspot.com/2019/07/females-and-males-in-body-of-christ.html

Females And Males In The Body Of Christ

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Complementarians (those who believe that men and women have separate roles in the church, and that women cannot be pastors or teach or preach to men, or can only do so if they are under the authority of a male church leader, etc.) likely disagree with my belief or assertion that there are not separate "roles" for males and females in the church. The following is a reason I reject complementarianism—regardless of, e.g., whether Junia was an apostle (Romans 16:7; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junia_(New_Testament_person), etc.

In my opinion, complementarianism—i.e., sexual or gender hierarchicalism or subordinationism or restrictionism (because despite its claim that males and females are equal in Christ and simply "complement" each other, in actuality it's always the female that must be subordinate to the male in the church and in the home)—is contrary to the nature of the New Human (Christ) (Ephesians 2:15), the New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), the Kingdom of God, and the Gospel (Galatians 3:26–28) as I understand these things, and seems to be based on judging and evaluating things according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 5:16; 1 Corinthians 3:1–4).

As I see it:

If

• Females have the same kind of sin nature as males have, and
• Require the same kind of forgiveness for the same kinds of sins as males require, and
• Need the same kind of salvation as males need, and
• Are saved in the same manner and by the same savior as males are saved, and
• Undergo the same baptism into the same body of Christ as males undergo, and
• Receive the same Holy Spirit as males receive, and
• Drink from the same cup as males drink from, and
• Partake of the same bread as males partake of, and
• Are gift-and-power-graced by the same Holy Spirit as males are gift-and-power-graced by, and
• Are joint-heirs with Christ in the same way that males are joint-heirs with Christ, and
• Receive the same spiritual inheritance in Christ as males receive, and
• Have died with the same Christ as males have died with, and
• Are seated together with males in the same heavenly places with the same Christ as males are seated together with in the heavenly places, and
• Will participate in the same resurrection as males will participate in,

Then

In that same body of Christ, of and in which they with males are co-heirs and co-partakers of the same Christ and the same Holy Spirit, they like males can and are to be and do whatever the same Holy Spirit graces and empowers them to be and do in accordance with how the Holy Spirit places them in the same body of Christ for the building up of that same body of Christ.

There are not different ontologies or different hamartiologies or different soteriologies or different pneumatologies for males than for females. Thus, in the body of Christ there are not different "roles" for males than there are for females.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.... But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose." (1 Corinthians 12:4–6,18)

“So then, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even though we once knew Christ according to the flesh, we know him no longer in that way. So then, if someone is in Christ, it’s a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:16–17)

If Someone Is In Christ, It's A New Creation

Adapted from a comment I made at a blogpost where a church discussed how it had concluded that women could be in church leadership:

In the incarnation God became human, and at the crucifixion Jesus died for all humans' sins as the last Αδάμ/אדם, and through the resurrection Jesus became a life-giving Spirit, the New Creation, the New Human, in Whom all who believe in Him are, whether Jew or Gentile or slave or free or male or female, and with Whom they all are clothed.

Christ is the κεφαλή of the church, which is His body and His bride. All the members of the body, regardless of gender, are to grow up into Him Who is the κεφαλή, and to help all the other members do the same, using the gifts and grace Christ has given them. It's not about gendered or gender-restricted "roles," but about χαρίσματα and χάρις. There is not "male and female" here, but Christ, Who is over all, and through all, and in all.

If someone is in Christ, it's a New Creation.

There is one body, and all its members are priests. It is inconsistent to reject the sacerdotalism that would have male priests in persona Christi stand between believers and God the Father, as is the case in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, but retain its vestige in the guise of "male-only" pastors and elders.

We should not judge by the flesh or by appearances and restrict how God's Spirit gifts and builds His church. There is no "male" human nature that Christ exclusively took on, or "male" sin nature that Christ separately nailed to the cross. Human is human, and sin is sin, whether the human is male or female. The Jesus Who lives in male believers is not a different Jesus from the one Who lives in female believers.

Which qualities or fruits or gifts of the Spirit are male? Which are female? Which aspects of the nature of Christ can only be exercised and expressed in the church by males, or can only be exercised and expressed in the church by females? Indeed, if nurturing and caring for and giving His life to and for the church, His body, are priorities of Christ's, then an argument could be made that females are better suited to lead and pastor churches than males.

But it's not about whether it should be "males" or "females" who lead Christ's church. CHRIST leads His church, and He gives and gifts and empowers and builds as He wills.

(Also see "A Quiz For Complementarians")

Christ And The Church - Husbands And Wives

(Note: The Greek characters are best viewed in Firefox or Safari, not Internet Explorer.)

From Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter 5:

25 Οἱ ἄνδρες, ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, 26 ἵνα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσῃ καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι, 27 ἵνα παραστήσῃ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ἔνδοξον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, μὴ ἔχουσαν σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλʼ ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία καὶ ἄμωμος. 28 οὕτως ὀφείλουσιν [καὶ] οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶν τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματα. ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἑαυτὸν ἀγαπᾷ. 29 Οὐδεὶς γάρ ποτε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σάρκα ἐμίσησεν ἀλλὰ ἐκτρέφει καὶ θάλπει αὐτήν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, 30 ὅτι μέλη ἐσμὲν τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ. 31 ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος [τὸν] πατέρα καὶ [τὴν] μητέρα καὶ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. 32 τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίν· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. 33 πλὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ καθʼ ἕνα, ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα οὕτως ἀγαπάτω ὡς ἑαυτόν, ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἵνα φοβῆται τὸν ἄνδρα.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27 so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33 Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.

Aland, B., Aland, K., Black, M., Martini, C. M., Metzger, B. M., & Wikgren, A. (1993). The Greek New Testament (4th ed.) (512–513). Federal Republic of Germany: United Bible Societies.

The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Eph 5:25–33). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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What does this say about the relationship between Christ and the church, and what is the corresponding application to husbands and wives?

I think a summary statement of 5:25-27 would be that:

"Christ loved the church and gave up Himself for her in order to (purpose) make her holy so (result) He could present the church to Himself holy and unblemished."

So what do we do with 5:28?

If we take καθὼς ("just as") in 5:25b as a correlative to the οὕτως ("in the same way") that begins 5:28, we would have:

"So in the same way also husbands should love their own wives as they love their own bodies."

But can husbands do to and for their wives, or are husbands to do to and for their wives, what Christ did to and for the church, and for the same purpose or with the same result?

Maybe we shouldn't take καθὼς as a correlative to οὕτως, and we should instead translate 5:28 as:

"So also husbands should love their own wives as they love their own bodies."

As Paul first stated in Ephesians 1:22-23, it's implied or understood in 5:25-27 that the church is Christ's body. Thus, the applicable point(s) from 5:25-27, and also from 5:29-32, would not necessarily be how and why Christ gave Himself up for the church, but that He loved the church as being His own body, for which reason He nourishes it and cherishes it, being one flesh with her.

Since Christ gave Himself up for the church in order to make her holy, Paul might not be saying that husbands are to give themselves up for their wives. After all, it wasn't until after He had given Himself up for her that Christ presented the church to Himself to be one flesh with her as His body, whereas husbands and wives are already present to each other as one flesh. Ignoring the "giving up" part doesn't mean that husbands aren't to love their wives, but that husbands are to regard their wives as their own bodies, and are therefore to love them by nourishing and cherishing them (without necessarily giving themselves up for them).

Questions For Complementarians And Egalitarians

How would Complementarians (i.e., Male Hierarchists) and Egalitarians answer these questions?

1. MARRIAGE:
a) What things must a wife first get her husband's permission to be or do that a husband does not first need to get his wife's permission to be or do?
b) What things must a husband first get his wife's permission to be or do that a wife does not first need to get her husband's permission to be or do?
c) What things is a husband allowed to be or do that a wife is not allowed to be or do?
d) What things is a wife allowed to be or do that a husband is not allowed to be or do?

2. CHURCH:
a) What things in church must a woman, because she is a woman, first get permission to be or do that a man, because he is a man, does not first need to get permission to be or do?
b) What things in church must a man, because he is a man, first get permission to be or do that a woman, because she is a woman, does not first need to get permission to be or do?
c) What things in church is a man, because he is a man, allowed to be or do that a woman, because she is a woman, is not allowed to be or do?
d) What things in church is a woman, because she is a woman, allowed to be or do that a man, because he is a man, is not allowed to be or do?

For each answer, also explain "why."

A Quiz For Complementarians

Where "the rubber meets the road" when it comes to "Egalitarianism" and "Complementarianism" (aka "Male Hierarchism") is what females (versus males) are able or permitted to do or not do in the church as members of the Body of Christ.

Following is a list (primarily taken from Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12, and Romans 12) of roles or offices or operations or Spirit-given gifts that function in the church structure or meetings:

1. Overseer/Bishop (ἐπίσκοπος)
2. Elder (πρεσβύτερος)
3. Deacon (διάκονος)
4. Apostle (ἀπόστολος)
5. Prophet (προφήτης)
6. Evangelist (εὐαγγελιστής)
7. Pastor (ποιμήν)
8. Teacher (διδάσκαλος)
9. Giver of Word of Wisdom (λόγος σοφίας)
10. Giver of Word of Knowledge (λόγος γνώσεως)
11. Exerciser of Faith (πίστις)
12. Gifted Healer (χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων)
13. Worker of Miracles (ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων)
14. Prophesier (προφητεία)
15. Discerner of Spirits (διακρίσεις πνευμάτων)
16. Glossolalist (ἑτέρῳ γένη γλωσσῶν)
17. Interpreter of Glossolalia (ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν)
18. Helper (ἀντίλημψις)
19. Administrator (κυβέρνησις)
20. Exhorter (παρακαλέω)
21. Giver (μεταδίδωμι)
22. Leader (προΐστημι)
23. Mercy-showing (ἐλεάω)

I. Which of the above can be filled/held/done by either sex:

• For any that can be filled/held/done by either sex, also list any required or necessary restriction(s) for females in those roles/operations (versus no such restriction(s) for males in that same role/operation), and the reasons for those restrictions.
  
• For any that can be filled/held/done by either sex, also list any required or necessary restriction(s) for males in those roles/operations (versus no such restriction(s) for females in that same role/operation), and the reasons for those restrictions.

II. Which of the above can be filled/held/done only by males? Explain why they can only be done by males.

III. Which of the above can be filled/held/done only by females? Explain why they can only be done by females.

Again: Please be sure to give the "why" for any answer!

Complementarian Genetics

I’ve heard or read complementarians argue based on 1 Timothy 2:9-15 that the reason (or "a" reason) that women cannot teach men or have or exercise authority over them is because "the woman" (Eve), and not Adam, was (completely) deceived, which shows that women are more deceivable than men.* (Plus, they've come to be "in transgression" as well.)

So, would this be Complementarian Genetics 101:

The "x chromosome" carries the "deception gene."

The "y chromosome," however, carries the "anti-deception gene."

So if a person has two x chromosomes, and is therefore a female, they are by nature "completely deceivable" - which is one way you can translate the compound εξαπαταω (exapataô) in 1 Timothy 2:14 in contrast to the plain απαταω (apataô) in the same verse.

However, if a person has one x and one y chromosome, and is therefore a male, they have a genetic defense against being completely deceived. It is for this reason that only those with both an x and a y chromosome are to be entrusted with positions of authority in the church, and only they can teach both men and women.

If this is not Complementarian Genetics, why isn’t it?

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* Or sometimes, perhaps because they realize how ridiculous it would sound, they just skip explaining that part of this passage. See, e.g., Silent in the Church: Why Can’t Women Preach? 1 Timothy 2:11-15, 1 Corinthians 14 by J. Ligon Duncan III where he writes:

...That is what Paul is saying in 1 Timothy 2:11.

And then in verses 12-15, he reiterates it. "I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet." And then he gives his rationale for it. I won't go into the specifics of that rationale, except to say this. Isn't it interesting that when Paul gives his rationale for this, he doesn't say, "Because this is something that I thought up." He doesn't even say, "Because this is what Jesus says." He goes all the way back to the first book of the Bible, all the way back to the Torah written by Moses, and he goes all the way back to the beginning and to the story of Adam and Eve and the Fall. And he says, the reason that this is to be this way in Ephesus is not because of some ad hoc problem that you have, but because this is the way that God made men and women to relate. When that way is not followed, let me tell you a little story from Genesis 3. In other words, Paul says that the reversal of roles that is contemplated when the all male qualified teaching office is violated in the church is precisely the same circumstance that we see played out in the Fall of man where Adam abdicated his responsibility as the covenant keeper and Eve started a chain that led to the fall of man. So, this is his rationale for women not teaching or exercising authority in the public assembly.

Why Arguments Against Women In Ministry Aren't Biblical

Biblical scholar and author Ben Witheringon III has written a column on his Beliefnet blog entitled: Why Arguments against Women in Ministry Aren't Biblical (Sunday October 25, 2009). As he explains:

[I]n this post I am going to deal with the usual objections to women in ministry, one by one. Some of these objections come out of a high church tradition, some tend to come from low church traditions, some are Catholic/Orthodox some are Protestant, but we will take on a sampling of them all without trying to be exhaustive or exhausting.

Agree or disagree with Dr. Witherington, you should read his post and the comments.

FWIW, I contributed the comment "EricW October 28, 2009 10:53 AM," which I have revised and expanded for this posting in order to ask the following question:

What is the status or relationship of man vis-a-vis woman in Christ? I.e., to what state has Christ restored the sexes?

I see at least four main possible understandings or viewpoints (with some subpoints) of this:

I. Christ has restored man and woman to where they were just after the Fall - i.e., with the woman desiring her husband and him ruling over her, and the woman being in (having fallen into) transgression (1 Timothy 2:14).

A. This may also include seeing the woman as still having a greater propensity to being deceived. See comments below at II.B.1. re: 1 Timothy 2:13-14.

II. Christ has restored man and woman to where they were in Genesis 2 before the Fall in one of the following two ways:

A. Man and woman are essentially equals in all respects (other than physical/sexual), with no hierarchy of superordination/subordination between them.

Note: There is no essential difference between this and viewpoint III. II.A. relates the status of the man and the woman to the Genesis 2 creation account, whereas III. relates it to the Genesis 1 creation account.

B. The woman is subordinate to the man because the man was created first and the woman was created from him as a helper corresponding to him and for his sake.

1. Viewpoint B. may also include seeing the woman as still having a greater weakness or propensity when it comes to sin or deception (or enticement), per 1 Timothy 2:13-14:

13 Aδαμ γαρ πρωτος επλασθη, ειτα Eυα: 14 και Aδαμ ουκ ηπατηθη, η δε γυνη εξαπατηθεισα εν παραβασει γεγονεν.
For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived*, but the woman, having been deceived*, has fallen (lit. "has become") into transgression.
* or "enticed"

III. Christ has restored man and woman to where they were in Genesis 1 - i.e., both created equally and equal in the image and likeness of God (or perhaps "male and female" together being the image and likeness of God), with no sense of one being subordinate to the other.

IV. Christ has done away with the Genesis 1 "male and female" as Paul may be saying in Galatians 3:28 where he changes the conjunction joining his pairs from ουδε ("nor"; lit. "and not") to και ("and") when he says that there is not "male and female" (i.e., the LXX phrasing of Genesis 1:27) - unless it's normal Greek practice to make the last in a string of ουδε's a και instead). I.e., in Christ there is not simply a restoration of the original creation, but a New Creation, One New Man, whose Head is Christ and whose Body is the church in which there is no "male and female," but all the members, male and female, are also the Bride of Christ.

When it comes to the topic of women in ministry, I think questions that need to be asked and answered include:

• What did Christ accomplish and inaugurate?
• What did He restore and/or establish?
• What of His work is to be evident and put in place now, and what must await the eschaton and/or the restoration of all things?

I think how one answers these questions and the one question that these derive from - i.e., "What is Man and Woman in Christ?" - both affects and effects one's beliefs and assumptions about women in the church and in ministry.

What do you think of my list and questions? Which viewpoint I. - IV. (or another one you might propose) reflects how you see Christ's work and women's consequent position in the church, and why? Please indicate if you are a man or a woman, and your approximate age or stage in life.

How Stan Gundry Became An Egalitarian

From Bobbed Hair, Bossy Wives and Women Preachers to Woman Be Free

Read the comments, too.

Whence "Complementarianism"?

(Warning: The following may be "fightin' words" to some people.)

I've recently waded into the "Complementarian - Egalitarian" battle that's being waged in Evangelical Protestantism. (See, e.g., the Complegalitarian blog site.) Though I am not well read in the area,¹ I do not lack thoughts or opinions on the subject! And, per an earlier post, I've been to a church that is on the front lines of this battle.

Anyway, here's a salvo from me:

Note: Had I first read the introduction to Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy (Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, Editors), I might not have written this post, since in it the editors discuss the subject I address here, though not exactly as I have done. And as the subtitle of the book indicates, egalitarians regard themselves as complementarians, but without the hierarchy that restricts church and home leadership to men.

Why is the "only men can be church leaders and teach other men in church" position called "Complementarianism"?

While there are certain biological roles and functions for which men and women have complementary functions, Christian "Complementarianism" also uses these biological differences to restrict certain church roles and functions to men, even though men are allowed to do in church everything that women can do (including the women-assigned things in Titus 2:4-5 - i..e, men can so instruct these young women as well). Such a "Complementarianism" seems to be saying: "All Christians are equal, but some are more equal than others." (Cf. the commandment in Animal Farm being changed from "All animals are equal" to "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."²) This, despite what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Galatians 3:26-28 and Colossians 3:10-11 about such former distinctions being done away with in Christ and all believers being one in Christ.

Hence, I would suggest an alternative term for such a position. Here are some candidates:

• "Subordinationism." But since "lay" men are just as "subordinated" to male pastors, elders, and deacons as "lay" women are, this is probably not a good alternative.
• "Restrictionism." This might be a valid alternative, since whereas "lay" men can become "clergy" and hold "church offices" and teach others, both male and female, it's not similarly open to women to enter or achieve the same rank or position or place of authority.
• "Patriarchalism." This formerly-used term most literally means a society headed by a "father." But since it also means a system or organization whereby power is held by and transferred through males, it might be the best and most accurate alternative term for so-called "Complementarianism."

To critique "Complementarianism" directly, and not just the term, if one distinguishes home and married life from church life, I think it shows that "Complementarianism" may be somewhat improperly importing the husband-wife relationship of men and women into the church realm or imposing it on the church. This seems contrary to one of the major Biblical images of the church as being the Bride of Christ, regardless of the genders of its members. It also seems contrary to the image of the church as the body of Christ in which God has placed the members as He decided, and to whom His Spirit gives gifts and giftings as It wills (1 Corinthians 12:11,18) - with no mention made of restrictions or distinctions based on gender, or some positions or giftings being more appropriate for men than for women, or vice-versa.

(Note: When I talk about importing the husband-wife relationship into the church realm, I am not thereby saying or assuming that the husband-wife relationship has to be patriarchal, though there does seem to me to be Scriptural support for that, with the husbands' mutual respect and love and self-giving reciprocating the wives' and children's non-leadership or lesser-leadership roles. What I'm saying is that "Complementarians" seem to be imposing that model onto church roles and offices and tasks when they give men authority over women while denying a woman an equal right to be in authority or a pastor or a teacher of men.)

Maybe "Complementarians" would be offended if "Egalitarians" insisted on using "Patriarchalism" again, a term that more accurately describes the negative aspects of "Complementarianism." Is it the desire to dialogue without offending the other party that causes "Egalitarians" to acquiesce and accept the "Complementarians'" somewhat-euphemistic self-designation?

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¹ I haven't read many of the latest articles written about this, but I have in the past owned and read several books on the subject, though I've subsequently sold or given away most of them. I have yet to read much of the largish (500+ pages) Discovering Biblical Equality, but have read most of the second edition of Two Views on Women in Ministry, as well as the first edition of Women in the Church: An Analysis and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 (and own the second edition as well). I've also read several responses and rebuttals to and from the opposing sides.

² George Orwell, Animal Farm, Chapter X