Some Christians believe women and men share equal worth but have different, complementary, God-given roles. This belief is called complementarianism.
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 an actor playing a part, an employee getting a new job, or an officer stepping up in rank. Roles can change.)
However, complementarian teaching changed the usage of the term “role” to refer to what identifies one as a man or a woman.
In other words, when complementarians use the term role, they mean:
Fixed power relations given at birth based on gender. [1]
This redefined version of “role” no longer speaks of a function which can change depending on the circumstances.
Instead, it means:
Men may do all the things, but women may not.
Regardless of the character quality and spiritual gifts women may possess, complementarian theology restricts them from certain leadership ministries in the church based solely on their gender.
So, despite the innocent-sounding language, we’re talking about a permanent power differential which favors men and subjugates women.
Given that “different” roles actually means excluding women from certain church leadership functions, the claim that men and women share equal value rings hollow.
Based on the George Orwell classic, Animal Farm, we could put it this way,
“All humans are equal, but some humans are more equal than others.”
Complementarians use a handful of Scripture verses to support the idea of different roles for men and women.
I don’t doubt the sincerity of people who hold this belief. However, some challenges regarding their view present themselves:
1. The handful of texts used to support this position remain disputed by scholars. Therefore, complementarians should not present their view as the only biblical one, or weaponize it by calling it “God’s design.”
2. Claiming certain leadership roles are reserved for men requires inserting an assumption into numerous passages describing church leadership and spiritual gifts. Scriptural qualifications for leadership positions are based on character and gifting, not gender. See Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-13; Ephesians 4:11-13 and Colossians 3:16 for starters.
(By the way, the list of qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 uses no masculine pronouns in the Greek, other than the phrase “one-woman man.” This expression was used generically for either gender and the point is marital fidelity.)
The above factors demonstrate the problem in trying to say women’s and men’s roles are merely “different.”
Complementarians insist men must lead, but this view promotes injustice between genders and hampers the entire church from her mission.
In the words of theologian Marg Mowczko,
“…there is something askew with a view that places gender above godliness and giftedness. There is something wrong with a system where, potentially, every man can be considered for teaching and leadership ministries, but every woman is automatically disqualified.”
And as I put it in Prophesying Daughters,
“We must make room for the gifts our sisters have (and are) to the church, and never stand in the way of God’s call on their lives…any ‘gospel’ which offers one gender greater benefits and more power than the other must be rejected.”
Imagine how many unqualified men may have been placed as leaders simply because they aren’t female.
Imagine how many contributions women could be making to the church, all tragically forfeited for the sake of maintaining a power imbalance.
Circling back to the “equal in value, but different roles” mantra—my husband often says, “Say what you mean and mean what you say.”
Let’s call it like it is.
“Equal worth, different roles” is a disingenuous disguise for male rule in the church—and it’s hurting all of us.
To learn more about women in leadership, purchase Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church, AND the study guide for under $20. Also available in audio book and eBook!
[1]George Knight III cleverly changed the meaning of the term in his 1977 work, New Testament Teaching on the Role Relationship of Men and Women. See “Complementarianism Theology in Crisis,” Kevin Giles. https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/complementarian-theology-crisis/