History is being rewritten and wars are being waged against a Frankenstein-ed enemy. That needs to stop—not the least for the sake of women. It’s time that we recommit to complementarian history as it actually stood and start aiming our punches specifically at those who really do dehumanize, diminish and denigrate the daughters of Eve.
Hi Dani - I’m thinking through related issues, and I’m wondering whether complementarian theology has a view on women writing theological text books/commentaries. Do you see authoring an academic text as holding teaching authority over the audience that reads it? And I mean a text aimed at theological teaching and research, not an apologetic or historical or narrative style publication. I’m not sure yet how to view that one or what I think about the issue. I’d value your view on that. Thanks.
Great question! Danvers makes comments on the roles of men and women in marriage and in the church - and specifically certain governing and teaching offices in the gathered church. I don’t see authoring a theological book (academic or otherwise) as being equivalent to a teaching office within the church. Those offices are ones you are appointed to after being discerned as qualified and the offices are embedded within relationship in a specific church bodies. Scripture speaks of those relationships as being characterised by leadership, service, authority and submission. In my opinion, authoring a book (or writing a blog post for that matter!) doesn’t bear any real resemblance to that relational context. I haven’t been appointed to lead or teach those who read my book. They are under no biblical injunction to submit to my leadership. They are invited to engage with my ideas and then just ignore them as much or as little as they would like etc. It’s a very different context to that of the locally embedded body of Christ who gathers together under the leadership of those who are determined to be qualified.
So I want to encourage women to write! To share our understanding of scripture with others. To allow our voice to speak into important discussions. In that vein, my theological academic book on singleness comes out in May and I’ve also been invited to write a theological commentary of a biblical book for a new commentary series in the next few years 🙂
Thanks for the thoughts - I think your point about the office in a local gathered church is the key - THAT office DOES carry with it the biblical imperative on the body in that gathering to submit, and yes, a book lacks that relational context I think, upon further thought. I think that’s the key difference (for me at least) - the biblical imperative I cannot in good conscience seek to exercise over a man. Other women yes (as per Titus), men, no (as per 1 Timothy). But the question of writing has vexed me - and I lack the detailed careful study in theology to draw a conclusion that is reliably (accurately? perhaps is the better word?) consonant with biblical truth as declared in God’s word. Thanks. I look forward to Part 3 and more food for thought.
You might be interested in checking out this book by a friend of mine (and another Australian), Claire Smith. She’s a complementarian NT scholar (who did her PhD on 1 Tim 2). The book (God’s Good Design) works through seven of the key biblical passages in a way which provides robust but not overly complicated engagement and exploration. Highly recommended!
Hi Dani - I’m thinking through related issues, and I’m wondering whether complementarian theology has a view on women writing theological text books/commentaries. Do you see authoring an academic text as holding teaching authority over the audience that reads it? And I mean a text aimed at theological teaching and research, not an apologetic or historical or narrative style publication. I’m not sure yet how to view that one or what I think about the issue. I’d value your view on that. Thanks.
Hi Kate,
Great question! Danvers makes comments on the roles of men and women in marriage and in the church - and specifically certain governing and teaching offices in the gathered church. I don’t see authoring a theological book (academic or otherwise) as being equivalent to a teaching office within the church. Those offices are ones you are appointed to after being discerned as qualified and the offices are embedded within relationship in a specific church bodies. Scripture speaks of those relationships as being characterised by leadership, service, authority and submission. In my opinion, authoring a book (or writing a blog post for that matter!) doesn’t bear any real resemblance to that relational context. I haven’t been appointed to lead or teach those who read my book. They are under no biblical injunction to submit to my leadership. They are invited to engage with my ideas and then just ignore them as much or as little as they would like etc. It’s a very different context to that of the locally embedded body of Christ who gathers together under the leadership of those who are determined to be qualified.
So I want to encourage women to write! To share our understanding of scripture with others. To allow our voice to speak into important discussions. In that vein, my theological academic book on singleness comes out in May and I’ve also been invited to write a theological commentary of a biblical book for a new commentary series in the next few years 🙂
Thanks for the thoughts - I think your point about the office in a local gathered church is the key - THAT office DOES carry with it the biblical imperative on the body in that gathering to submit, and yes, a book lacks that relational context I think, upon further thought. I think that’s the key difference (for me at least) - the biblical imperative I cannot in good conscience seek to exercise over a man. Other women yes (as per Titus), men, no (as per 1 Timothy). But the question of writing has vexed me - and I lack the detailed careful study in theology to draw a conclusion that is reliably (accurately? perhaps is the better word?) consonant with biblical truth as declared in God’s word. Thanks. I look forward to Part 3 and more food for thought.
You might be interested in checking out this book by a friend of mine (and another Australian), Claire Smith. She’s a complementarian NT scholar (who did her PhD on 1 Tim 2). The book (God’s Good Design) works through seven of the key biblical passages in a way which provides robust but not overly complicated engagement and exploration. Highly recommended!
https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Good-Design-Claire-Smith/dp/1921896396