Christians generally take one of two views regarding women’s roles in the church—either the complementarian view, or the egalitarian (or biblical mutualist) view. Complementarians believe men and women share equal value, but have different God-given roles. (What this means in plain English is women are restricted from certain leadership roles in complementarian churches because of their gender.) Egalitarians believe men and women are created for partnership and should be treated equally, including serving as leaders in the church. In the ongoing debate on this topic, I’ve Continue Reading
Prophecy is not a toy (so handle it with care)
Through the gift of prophecy, the Holy Spirit offers followers of Jesus strength, encouragement and comfort for their trials (1 Cor. 14:1-5). Prophecy also serves as a powerful weapon for spiritual warfare (1 Tim. 1:18). That said, powerful weapons require handling with care. I became familiar with prophecy decades ago in a small, start-up fellowship. Most of us were in our twenties. What we lacked in wisdom, we made up for with zeal, especially regarding prophetic words. Unfortunately, we weren’t taught how to deliver words within the healthy guidelines provided by Scripture. Turns Continue Reading
Theology has Consequences for Real People
Regarding the issue of women in church leadership, both the complementarian and the egalitarian view can be supported by Scripture. It’s only possible for one of these views to be correct, though—either women should be barred from at least some leadership roles in the church, or they should not be excluded from any. While the debate between evangelical scholars on this issue continues, real people are affected by the theological positions held by those whose voices they trust. What happens if we get this wrong? If egalitarians are incorrect in their view that Continue Reading
What does “Different Roles” Mean?
Some Christians believe women and men share equal worth but have different, complementary, God-given roles. This belief is called complementarianism. Photo by Marc Stress on Unsplash Differing but complementary roles sounds like it means certain roles are only for men, and other roles are only for women. (This would logically include leadership roles, right?) Let’s look a little closer, beginning with defining “role.” Sociologically speaking, a “role” refers to routine behavior or acts that can change over time and differ from culture to culture. (Think of Continue Reading