Where’s Your Denomination? -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Volume: JBMW 01:1 (Aug 1995)
Article: Where’s Your Denomination?
Author: Anonymous


Where’s Your Denomination?

CBMW wants to provide a fair and accurate summary of official statements on manhood and womanhood made by denominations and other Christian organizations during the next few years. In order for us to list a denomination or specialized ministry in the “complementarian” category, we need to see some official statement that it agrees with the affirmations of the Danvers Statement. Specifically, regarding church leadership, it should agree with Affirmation 6 that

In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men.

And regarding the family, it should agree that

In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands’ authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands’ leadership.

We realize that groups may differ in the way they apply these principles, especially the principle that “some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men.” But if an organization agrees that some governing and teaching roles are reserved for men, it clearly distinguishes itself from the egalitarian position, which insists that no governing or teaching roles within the church should be restricted to men.

Send us the statements published by your denomination or organization! If clear decisions are made in either category, we want to make that known to the wider Christian world. Moreover, if your church has opened new opportunities for women to minister in Biblically legitimate ways, we want to report and encourage that as well. (Send statements to CBMWNEWS, 204 Brooks Rd., Mauldin, SC 29662)

So far, we can report that the following groups have firmly committed themselves to the “egalitarian” (evangelical feminist) or “complementarian” (CBMW) position.

Egalitarian

  • Presbyterian Church-USA
  • United Methodist Church
  • Fuller Theological Seminary
  • InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

Complementarian

  • Presbyterian Church in America
  • Southern Baptist Convention
  • Association of Vineyard Churches
  • Southern Seminary—Louisville
  • Southeastern Seminary—Wake Forest
  • Westminster Theological Seminary
  • ...
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