Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood - John Piper

482 Pages·1997·1.4 MB·English

R B
ECOVERING IBLICAL
M W
ANHOOD AND OMANHOOD
A Response to
Evangelical Feminism
Edited by
John Piper and Wayne Grudem
CROSSWAY BOOKS
WHEATON, ILLINOIS
A DIVISION OF GOOD NEWS PUBLISHERS
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.
Copyright © 1991 by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.
Published by Crossway Books, a division of
Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except
as provided by USA copyright law.
First printing, 1991
Printed in the United States of America
This book is sponsored by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, P.O. Box
317, Wheaton, IL 60189.
Readers may order booklets of chapters 1, 3, 4, 13, 22, and 23 by writing the Council on
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, P.O. Box 317, Wheaton, IL 60189. Other chapters
may be available as booklets in the near future.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Recovering Biblical manhood and womanhood /John Piper and
Wayne Grudem, editors.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Sex role-Religious aspects-Christianity-Miscellanea.
2. Sex role-Biblical teaching-Miscellanea. 3. Men (Christian theology)-Miscellanea. 4.
Woman (Christian theology)-Miscellanea. 5. Men (Christian theology)-Biblical
teaching-Miscellanea. 6. Woman (Christian theology)-Biblical teaching-Miscellanea. I.
Piper, John, 1946- .
II. Grudem, Wayne, 1948
BT708.R415 1991 261.8’343-dc20 90-20258
ISBN 0-89107-586-0
99 98 97 96 95 94 93 92 91
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
2
To Noël and Margaret
3
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
About the Authors 7
Preface
John Piper and Wayne Grudem 10
Foreword
For Single Men and Women (and the Rest of Us)
John Piper 13
Section I: Vision and Overview
Chapter 1: A Vision of Biblical Complementarity:
Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible
John Piper 25
Chapter 2: An Overview of Central Concerns:
Questions and Answers
John Piper and Wayne Grudem 56
Section II: Exegetical and Theological Studies
Chapter 3: Male-Female Equality and Male Headship:
Genesis 1-3
Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr. (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) 86
Chapter 4: Women in the Life and Teachings of Jesus
James A. Borland (Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary) 105
Chapter 5: Head Coverings, Prophecies and the Trinity:
1 Corinthians 11:2-16
Thomas R. Schreiner (Bethel Theological Seminary) 117
Chapter 6: (cid:210)Silent in the Churches(cid:211):
On the Role of Women in 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36
D. A. Carson (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) 133
Chapter 7: Role Distinctions in the Church:
Galatians 3:28
S. Lewis Johnson (Believers Chapel, Dallas) 148
Chapter 8: Husbands and Wives as Analogues of Christ and the Church:
Ephesians 5:21-33 and Colossians 3:18-19
George W. Knight III (Knox Theological Seminary) 161
Chapter 9: What Does It Mean Not to Teach or Have Authority Over Men?:
1 Timothy 2:11-15
Douglas Moo (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) 176
4
Chapter 10: Wives Like Sarah, and the Husbands Who Honor Them:
1 Peter 3:1-7
Wayne Grudem 193
Chapter 11: The Valuable Ministries of Women in the Context of Male Leadership:
A Survey of Old and New Testament Examples and Teaching
Thomas R. Schreiner (Bethel Theological Seminary) 211
Chapter 12: Men and Women in the Image of God
John M. Frame (Westminster Theological Seminary) 228
Chapter 13: The Church as Family: Why Male Leadership
in the Family Requires Male Leadership in the Church
Vern Sheridan Poythress (Westminster Theological Serminary) 237
Chapter 14: The Meaning of Authority in the Local Church
Paige Patterson (Criswell College) 251
Section III: Studies from Related Disciplines
Chapter 15: Church History
Women in the History of the Church: Learned and Holy, But Not Pastors
William Weinrich (Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne) 265
Chapter 16: Biology
The Biological Basis for Gender-Specific Behavior
Gregg Johnson (Bethel College, St. Paul) 285
Chapter 17: Psychology
Psychological Foundations for Rearing Masculine Boys and Feminine Girls
George Alan Rekers (University of S. Carolina School of Medicine) 299
Chapter 18: Sociology
The Inevitability of Failure:
The Assumptions and Implementations of Modern Feminism
David Ayers (The King’s College) 320
Chapter 19: Law
Is It Legal for Religious Organizations to Make Distinctions
on the Basis of Sex?
Donald A. Balasa (Attorney, Chicago, IL) 343
Section IV: Applications and Implications
Chapter 20: The Family and the Church:
How Should Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Work Out in Practice?
George W. Knight III (Knox Theological Seminary) 353
Chapter 21: Principles to Use in Establishing Women in Ministry
H. Wayne House (Western Baptist College) 366
5
Chapter 22: The High Calling of Wife and Mother in Biblical Perspective
Dorothy Patterson (Criswell College) 371
Chapter 23: Where(cid:213)s Dad? A Call for Fathers with the Spirit of Elijah
Weldon Hardenbrook (St. Peter and St. Paul Orthodox Church, Santa Cruz) 384
Chapter 24: Women in Society:
The Challenge and the Call
Dee Jepsen (Author, Washington, D.C.) 394
Chapter 25: The Essence of Femininity: A Personal Perspective
Elisabeth Elliot (Author, Massachusetts) 400
Section V: Conclusion and Prospect
Chapter 26: Charity, Clarity, and Hope:
The Controversy and the Cause of Christ
(including a response to the statement by Christians For Biblical Equality)
John Piper and Wayne Grudem 405
Appendices
Appendix 1: The Meaning of Kephaleł ((cid:210)Head(cid:211)): A Response to Recent Studies
Wayne Grudem 424
Appendix 2: The Danvers Statement
The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 477
6
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
John Piper is Senior Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. He has
authored a number of books, including Desiring God and The Supremacy of God in
Preaching. He received his B.A. from Wheaton College, B.D. from Fuller Theological
Seminary, and Dr. Theol. from the University of Munich.
Wayne Grudem is Associate Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He received his B.A. from Harvard, M.Div. from
Westminster Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of
Cambridge, England. He has written three books, including The Gift of Prophecy in the
New Testament and Today and 1 Peter in the Tyndale New Testament Commentary
series. He and his wife, Margaret, have three children.
David J. Ayers is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Kings College. He is a
graduate of Edinboro University, PA(B.A.), American University (M.A.), and is in the
process of finishing his Ph.D. at New York University. He and his wife, Kathleen, have
two daughters.
Donald A. Balasa is Executive Director and Legal Counsel for the American
Association of Medical Assistants. He has a B.A. and J.D. from Northwestern University
and an M.B.A. from University of Chicago. He and his wife, Kate, have one child.
James A. Borland is Professor of New Testament and Theology at Liberty Baptist
Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of L. A. Baptist College (B.A.), L. A. Baptist
Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Talbot Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and Grace
Theological Seminary (Th.D.). He has written Christ in the Old Testament, A General
Introduction to the New Testament, Old Testament Life and Literature, and Lectures on
Bible Prophecy. He and his wife, Cheryl, have six children.
D. A. Carson is Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
He received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University. He and his wife, Joy, have two
children.
Elisabeth Elliot is a noted speaker and author whose books include Shadow of the
Almighty, Passion and Purity, and Let Me Be a Woman. She is the mother of one and
grandmother of seven.
John M. Frame is Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster
Theological Seminary and Associate Pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church (PCA). He
is a graduate of Princeton University (B.A.), Westminster Theological Seminary (B.D.),
and Yale University (M.A. and M.Phil.). He has written Doctrine of the Knowledge of
God, Medical Ethics, and Toward Reunion: A Critique of Denominationalism. He and his
wife, Mary Grace, have five children.
Weldon Hardenbrook has been pastor of St. Peter/St. Paul Orthodox Church for
seventeen years. He is the editor of Again magazine and is the author of Missing in
Action. He is a former Campus Crusade for Christ staff member. He lives in Ben
Lomond, California.
H. Wayne House is Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Theology
at Western Baptist College. He has a B.A. from Hardin-Simmons University, an M.A.
from Abilene Christian University, an M.Div. and Th. M. from Western Baptist
Seminary, a Th.D. from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and a J.D. from O. W. Coburn
School of Law. He is the author of The Role of Women in the Ministry Today,
Civilization in Crisis, and Dominion Theology, Blessing or Curse? A Biblical Look at
Christian Reconstructionism. He and his wife, Leta, have two children.
7
Dee Jepsen is Chairman of the Board at Regent University (formerly CBN
University). She was formerly public liaison to President Reagan for women’s
organizations. She has authored three books, including Women Beyond Equal Rights.
She is married to former Iowa senator Roger Jepsen. They have six children and eight
grandchildren.
Gregg Johnson is Associate Professor of Biology at Bethel College, St. Paul. He has
a B.S. from Bethel College and a Ph.D. from the University of North Dakota. He is the
author of Cyto-genetics. He and his wife, Lois, have four children.
S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. is minister at Believers Chapel in Dallas, Texas. He is a
graduate of the College of Charleston, SC (A.B.) and Dallas Theological Seminary
(Th.M., Th.D.) and has done graduate study in Edinburgh, Scotland, University of Basil,
Switzerland, and Southern Methodist Seminary in Dallas. He is the author of The Old
Testament in the New.
George W. Knight, III is Administrator, Dean and Professor of New Testament at
Knox Theological Seminary. He has earned a B.A. from Davison College, North
Carolina, a B.D. and Th.M. from Westminster Theological Seminary, and a Th.D. from
Free University in Amsterdam. He has written Faithful Sayings in the Pastoral Letters,
Prophecy in the New Testament, and The Role Relationship of Men and Women. He and
his wife, Virginia, have five children and four grandchildren.
Douglas Moo is Associate Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School. He is a graduate of the University of DePauw (B.A.), Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School (M.D.), and the University of St. Andrews (Ph.D.). He wrote
The Old Testament in the Gospel Passion Narratives and A Commentary on James. He
and his wife, Jenny, have five children.
Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr. is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School. An ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church in
America, he is a graduate of Wheaton College (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary
(Th.M.), the University of California at Berkeley (M.A.), and the University of Aberdeen,
Scotland (Ph.D.). He and his wife, Jani, have four children.
Dorothy Patterson is a homemaker and adjunct faculty member of the Criswell
College. She has a B.A. from Hardin-Simmons University, a Th.M. from New Orleans
Baptist Theological Seminary, and a D.Min. from Luther Rice Seminary. She is a
contributor to the NIV Women’s Devotional Bible, contributor of notes on James in the
NKJV Study Bible, and assistant editor of the Criswell Study Bible and its revision The
Believer’s Study Bible. She and her husband, Paige (see below), have two children.
L. Paige Patterson is President of The Criswell College and Associate Pastor of First
Baptist Church of Dallas. He is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University (B.A.) and
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (Th.M. and Th.D.). He has written
commentaries on Titus, 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, and the Song of Solomon. He and his
wife, Dorothy (see above), have two children.
Vern Sheridan Poythress is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at
Westminster Theological Seminary. His degrees include a Ph.D. from Harvard University
and a Th.D. from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. He is the author of
Philosophy, Science and the Sovereignty of God, Understanding Dispensationalists, and
Science and Hermeneutics. He and his wife, Diane, have two children.
George A. Rekers is Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science at the
University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor
of Counseling at Tyndale Theological Seminary in The Netherlands. He has a B.A. from
Westmont College and an M.A., C.Phil., and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los
Angeles. He is the author of over eighty academic journal articles and seven books,
including Counseling Families. He and his wife, Sharon, have five children.
8
Thomas R. Schreiner is Associate Professor of New Testament at Bethel
Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of Western Oregon College (B.A.), Western
Conservative Baptist Seminary (M.Div.), and Fuller Theological Seminary (Ph.D.). He
has written Interpreting the Pauline Epistles. He and his wife, Diane, have three children.
William C. Weinrich is Professor of Early Church History and Patristic Studies at
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has a B.A. from Oklahoma
University, an M.Div. from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and a D.Theol. from the
University of Basel. He authored Spirit and Martyrdom and edited The New Testament
Age: Essays in Honor of Bo Reicke. He and his wife, Barbara, have three children.
9
PREFACE
A controversy of major proportions has spread through the church.
It began over 20 years ago in society at large. Since then an avalanche of feminist
literature has argued that there need be no difference between men’s and women’s roles-
indeed, that to support gender-based role differences is unjust discrimination. Within
evangelical Christianity, the counterpart to this movement has been the increasing
tendency to oppose any unique leadership role for men in the family and in the church.
“Manhood” and “womanhood” as such are now often seen as irrelevant factors in
determining fitness for leadership.
Many evangelical Christians have defended this position in writing. They include
Letha Scanzoni and Nancy Hardesty (1974), Paul Jewett of Fuller Seminary (1975),
Richard and Joyce Boldrey of North Park College (1976), Patricia Gundry (1977),
Berkeley and Alvera Mickelsen of Bethel College and Seminary (1979), Catherine Clark
Kroeger (1979), E. Margaret Howe of Western Kentucky University (1982), Gilbert
Bilezikian of Wheaton College (1985), Aida Spencer of Gordon-Conwell Seminary
(1985), Gretchen Gaebelein Hull (1987), and many others, in articles, lectures, and
classroom teaching. Although they have disagreed on details, their common theme has
been the rejection of a unique leadership role for men in marriage and in the church.
Yet these authors differ from secular feminists because they do not reject the Bible’s
authority or truthfulness, but rather give new interpretations of the Bible to support their
claims. We may call them “evangelical feminists” because by personal commitment to
Jesus Christ and by profession of belief in the total truthfulness of Scripture they still
identify themselves very clearly with evangelicalism. Their arguments have been
detailed, earnest, and persuasive to many Christians.
What has been the result? Great uncertainty among evangelicals. Men and women
simply are not sure what their roles should be. Traditional positions have not been totally
satisfactory, because they have not fully answered the recent evangelical feminist
arguments. Moreover, most Christians will admit that selfishness, irresponsibility,
passivity, and abuse have often contaminated “traditional” patterns of how men and
women relate to each other.
But the vast majority of evangelicals have not endorsed the evangelical feminist
position, sensing that it does not really reflect the pattern of Biblical truth. Within our
churches, we have had long discussions and debates, and still the controversy shows
signs of intensifying, not subsiding. Before the struggle ends, probably no Christian
family and no evangelical church will remain untouched.
We have edited this book in the hope that it might lead to a constructive solution to
this controversy. Our secondary purpose is to respond to evangelical feminist writings
like those mentioned above-hence the subtitle, A Response to Evangelical Feminism. We
consider these authors to be brothers and sisters in Christ, and we have endeavored to
respond to them in sincerity and love. Yet we also consider their essential position to be
wrong in the light of Scripture, and ultimately harmful to the family and the church.
Therefore we have tried to respond to them in detail and with clarity, and we have in
many cases attempted to show that their interpretations of Scripture are simply not
persuasive, and should not be accepted by Christians.
But our primary purpose is broader than that: We want to help Christians recover a
noble vision of manhood and womanhood as God created them to be -hence the main
title, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Our vision is not entirely the same
as “a traditional view.” We affirm that the evangelical feminist movement has pointed out
many selfish and hurtful practices that have previously gone unquestioned. But we hope
10