Egalitarianism
From Theopedia
In Christianity, egalitarianism maintains that there should be no gender distinction in roles of men and women in the function or leadership of the church.
"For those not familiar with the terms here, egalitarians favor the ordination of women and complementarians maintain that this pastoral role is denied to women, but that women are called to serve in the Church in ways that are complementary to the role played by the men." [1]
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Contents |
Scriptures cited in support
- Galatians 3:28
Hermeneutic
"The redemptive movement hermeneutic . . . seeks to develop an approach to application that allows for women to be pastors today. It is based upon the progression found in the text about women relative to the Bible’s culture rather than looking strictly at the content of the Bible as a model for practicing leadership in the home and church. Contrary to this position, it is much better to simply accept God’s design in Genesis 2 (which is used in 1 Timothy 2:11-15) and eliminate the intrusion of feminist thought into theology." [2]
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Criticism
From the distinction between roles and equality
Critics argue that egalitarians fail to draw a distinction between equality and the role of individuals. For instance, men and women are not unequal because they are called to different roles. Women are not superior to men because they are called to the role of bearing children. Likewise, men are not superior to women because they are called to the role of Church leadership. Difference in roles does not imply difference in equality.
From the Trinity
Some feel that one's position on egalitarianism affects one's position on subordination within the Trinity. In other words, Jesus is the eternal Son and always does that which is pleasing to the Father (John 8:29), yet his (subordinate) role as the Son does not imply inequality. This relationship of equality with different roles fits the Complementarian view.
"The doctrine of the Trinity is especially troublesome for evangelical egalitarians since it teaches that Jesus was functionally submissive to the Father while at the same time being equal with the Father in His essence. If this is true, the argument cannot be made that women are less than men simply because of their submission to them in appropriate ways." [3]
- See also: 1 Corinthians 11:3
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See also
Resources
- Torjesen, Karen J. When Women Were Priests HarperSanFrancisco, 1995 (ISBN 0060686618)
- Tucker, Ruth A. Women in the Maze IVP, 1992 (ISBN 0830813071)
External links
Favorable
- Women’s Service in the Church: The Biblical Basis, by N.T. Wright
- Advocating Ordination of Women into the Catholic Priesthood
- Roman Catholic Women Priests
Critical
- Galatians 3:28 and Evangelical Egalitarianism, by Eric Peterman
