Why I’m Not Egalitarian

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

If someone were to look at me on the surface, they might make certain assumptions about me and conclude that I am egalitarian: I am a strong woman with leadership gifts and a passion for transmitting the truths of Scripture to others. So, naturally, I ought to be egalitarian, right? Wrong.

I am complementarian because I believe that it is the clearest biblical position on this subject. Does that mean I think our egalitarian brothers and sisters are heretics and with whom we should break fellowship? By no means. This is a secondary issue of doctrine, along with questions of predestination and free will, the miraculous gifts, eschatology, etc. That having been said, even if this doctrine is secondary, my positioning significantly impacts how I live out my faith and life in community. Which is why I wanted to address it in this article.

Is It a Question of Competence?

A faithful male listener to our podcast Chrétienne recently made the following comment on one of our episodes over YouTube:

Why do some churches teach that women should not teach? At the Salvation Army, of which I am a member, women teach and some much better than men.

I am so thankful for this brother and his frequent encouraging comments. Yet this particular question suggests that the reason that complementarian churches don’t allow women to teach (in certain contexts) is due to a lack of competence. Some churches may implicitly or explicitly communicate that, but most healthy complementarian churches do not. Because what the Scriptures teach about gender roles has nothing to do with competence and everything to do with God’s good plan for humanity. To discover that, we need to go back to the beginning.

The Cultural Mandate Issued to Man and Woman 

In Genesis 1-2, we discover two different accounts of creation. The first, in chapter 1, is the big picture: God speaks everything into existence. He creates the heavens, the earth, and the seas, and then he fills them with the sun, moon, and stars, and with flying, swimming, and crawling creatures of every kind. And finally, he crowns his creation by forming humanity in his image.

In Genesis 1:26-31, God gives the man and the woman the cultural mandate, to rule over all of creation together as his co-regents. So, from the start, we see that God creates them equal in dignity, worth, and calling. He gives them a job that they can only carry out together. He does not say to the man to exercise dominion and to the woman to be fruitful and multiply. Both must work together to accomplish their mission in the world.

Man and Woman: Equal Yet Distinct

In chapter 2, the author slows down and retells the story, but with special attention to the creation of the first man and the first woman. And this is where we begin to see some of the distinctions between them. Distinctives that predate the fall. 

1. The order of creation

God makes the man first, and then the woman. I believe God does this for two reasons. First, to highlight Adam’s need for community. Bringing all the animals before him two by two, the LORD has the man name them. Yet, no companion who corresponds to him is found (Ge 2:20). Something’s missing, or rather someone, and it takes being alone for the man to appreciate that truth. 

The second reason God creates Adam first is to highlight his leadership. We see this in a couple of ways. First, God gives Adam the responsibility of naming the animals. And secondly, before forming the woman from his side, God gives the man the command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Paul later one leans on the order of creation to explain God’s design for male leadership in the church (1 Co 11:8-9, 1 Ti 2:9-15).

2. Woman as Helper

Before the fall, God appoints woman to be man’s helper (Ge 2:18). A citation from the notes in the NET Bible helps us understand this verse:

The meaning of "good" must be defined contextually. Within the context of creation, in which God instructs humankind to be fruitful and multiply, the man alone cannot comply. Being alone prevents the man from fulfilling the design of creation and therefore is not good.

Usage of the Hebrew term does not suggest a subordinate role, a connotation which English "helper" can have. In the Bible God is frequently described as the "helper," the one who does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, the one who meets our needs. In this context, the word seems to express the idea of an "indispensable companion." The woman would supply what the man was lacking in the design of creation and logically it would follow that the man would supply what she was lacking, although that is not stated here.

Gender Relations at the Fall

Genesis 3:16 has often been misunderstood throughout church history. The exact meaning of this verse is the subject of much debate. But one thing is clear: God is not commanding the man to dominate the woman. He’s not saying, “You must ensure her submission. Be sure to keep her in line.” This verse speaks, rather, of a natural consequence of the fall. And I would argue that the possible conflictual relationship between man and woman is undone in redemption. Christ makes it possible for man and woman to live in harmony. 

Women of Courage Throughout Redemptive History

The Bible has so much to say about women throughout redemptive history. When it comes to this conversation, we often jump straight to the key passages. But the Bible tells one united, cohesive story of redemption. And the writers of Scripture go out of their way to showcase women of valour whose faith in God parallels that of their male contemporaries. We don’t have time to mention all the women of faith in Scripture, nor to tell their story, but I do want to at least mention a few:

• Miriam: Prophetess 

• Rahab: Woman of Courage

• Deborah: Judge & Prophetess

• Jaël: Slayer of Sicera

• Ruth: Woman of Valour

• Hannah: Woman of Faith

• Abigail: Woman of Wisdom

• Huldah: Prophetess

• Esther: Queen and Deliverer

• Mary the mother of Jesus: Servant of the Lord

• Elizabeth: Woman of Prayer

• Mary of Bethany: Woman of the Word

• Martha: Woman of Understanding

• Mary Magdalene: Woman of Devotion

• Priscilla: Woman of the Word

• Phoebe: Patroness of Paul

• Euodia & Syntiche: Co-laborers of Paul

• Junia: Prominent among the Apostles

Male Leadership in the Home

Moving on to the New Testament, we find the most detailed passage concerning male leadership in the home in Ephesians 5:22-33, which is one of a series of household codes (Co 3:18-4:1; Ep 5:21-6:9; Ti 2:1-10; 1 Pe 2:18-3:7). These texts make clear that a wife is to submit to her own husband. Not to every man. Certain complementarians teach that all women are to submit to all men, but there is no clear evidence for this in Scripture.

That having been said, this passage ought not to be dismissed as purely cultural and irrelevant to us today. Because Paul anchors his argument here on two timeless truths: The love of Christ for his Bride, and the condition of husband and wife prior to the fall.

Some have argued that this teaching lays a heavy burden on women. Yet, I would argue, on the contrary, that the demands placed on husbands are far greater! While submission may not always be easy for a wife, a husband’s Christ-like self-sacrifice to the point of death is even harder! Moreover, while Paul describes a wife’s responsibility in two verses, he takes eight verses to elaborate on the husband’s.

Limits to Voluntary Submission

In case one had any doubt, the Bible is clear that a wife’s submission is voluntary. Nowhere in this passage, nor anywhere else in Scripture, are husbands told to ensure that their wives submit. The Bible always directs this exhortation directly to the wife. She is to submit to her husband. How? As to the Lord. That means that there are limits to that submission. If a husband requires anything that goes against Christ, a wife must submit to the Lord rather than to him. 

Male Leadership in the Church

First Corinthians 14:33-36 serves as one of the key passages on male leadership in the church. Egalitarian scholars argue that its injunction calling women to silence is a culturally bound practice unique to Corinth. Yet in v. 33, Paul qualifies this as a practice “in all the churches.” He is thus indicating that this is not an isolated incident requiring special instructions for rowdy women in one church in one city.

A Gag Order on Women?

The question arises, is Paul intending to put a gag on women’s mouths? Not at all. Most scholars believe that the silence required of women is limited to the judgment of the prophets. That is because these verses are found in a long series of instructions on how to conduct public worship in an orderly way (1 Co 11-14). 

Paul begins the section in chapter 11 by addressing the question of head coverings, as well as of the Lord’s Table. He then speaks in chapter 12 of spiritual gifts and their exercise in Christ’s body the church. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul insists that everything done in the assembly of the saints must be founded on love. He then returns in chapter 14 to give further instructions on orderly public worship, specifically in the use of tongues and prophecy. 

Paul cannot be placing a gag order on women, given that in 1 Corinthians 11, he gives instructions on how a woman is to pray and prophecy during public worship. We may not know exactly what NT prophecy looks like, but Paul is clear that women, along with men, are free to pray and prophecy in public worship.

Authoritative Teaching: Reserved for Elders

A final text to consider on male leadership in the church is 1 Timothy 2:9-15. Our egalitarian friends also tend to argue that this passage speaks to Paul’s cultural moment and to the unique circumstances surrounding the Ephesian church and the prominence of women in the cult of Artemis. But, again, the fact that Paul anchors his argument in creation and the fall makes it applicable to every age. 

Women as Learners

Rather than seeing this text through our own cultural lenses, we do well to consider it in its cultural context and to see the dignity it gives to women. Women are encouraged to receive instruction in v. 11. This contrasts with the rabbinic tradition common in Paul’s era. In the Jerusalem Talmud, it’s written, “The words of the Torah should be burned rather than entrusted to women.”

Moreover, we need to understand this passage in its literary context, as in the verses that follow, Paul lays out the requirements for elders. For this reason, many scholars believe that the authoritative teaching Paul is barring women from is that which is reserved for qualified men, i.e. elders. 

As we’ve already seen in 1 Corinthians 11, women were not barred from all forms of teaching. We see another such example in Acts 18:26, where Priscilla, along with her husband Aquila, instructs Apollos more accurately in the way of Christ. Other examples of women teaching Scripture include the women prophets of the Old Testament and the seven daughters of Phillip in the New Testament. 

My Mission: To Inspire and Equip Women

A thorough study of all that the Bible has to say on gender is beyond the scope of this article, as is a discussion of all the details of what a woman can and cannot do in the church. That is a matter for church elders to decide based on a careful study of Scripture. What we do know is this: 

(1) Paul instructs women in Titus 2 to teach other women. 

(2) Women have spiritual gifts and are called to use them to build up the body of Christ in their exercise of them. I have the privilege of equipping women to do just that: My mission is to inspire and equip French-speaking women so that they’ll be able to unearth the treasures of Scripture for themselves. 

Gender and Me

So, why is this subject worth considering? Because understanding the biblical mission of women is a major challenge of the 21st century. What is my role in this great story? How can I better reflect Christ in my home, in my church? As society progresses in gender confusion, we should seek the glory of God. 

Gender and We

Church leaders should define the role of women in their church. In many churches, women limp (with one foot in the church and another outside). I understand that there are fears, but it is up to the elders to say where women's ministry starts and where it ends with solid biblical support. If the church does not give a clear biblical vision of gender roles, we will not fulfill the mandate God gave us in Genesis 1 and 2.

Gender and Eternity

Our ultimate goal in the way we live as men and women in the church is not earthly, but heavenly. We desire to be without blemish or wrinkle when Christ appears on the last day. We long to be that community of men and women who worship with one heart, with one voice, for the glory of God. This eschatological perspective should help us to give grace and love to those who do not share the same position and to show wisdom and patience to live out the life of the church in unity and peace. 

(Special thanks to my podcast co-hostess Aurélie for her reflections, which I borrowed for this last section).