Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 12:2 (Spring 1998)
Article: Why I’m An Egalitarian A Personal Reflection
Author: Fred Gingrich

PP 12:2 (Spring 1998) p. 3

Why I’m An Egalitarian A Personal Reflection

Fred Gingrich

Dr Fred Gingrich is Associate Professor of Counseling at Emmanual Bible College in Kitchener, Ontario, and has been Co-Coordinator of the K-W Chapter of CBE. Dr. Gingrich is currently on a two-year term as director of Counseling Studies at Alliance biblical Seminary, Manila, the Philippines. This reflection is reprinted by permission from One, first quarter 1997.

Chances are that being a male, over 35 years old, ministering in a conservative evangelical denomination, and the product of a “dad-works, mom-at-home” traditional family I would not be an egalitarian. Chances are that I would be a “New Man,” probably of the Promise Keepers variety whose maleness has recently been reclaimed and revitalized. I would, as chances go, probably be a man who on the one hand is sympathetic to the feminist cause, listening to and understanding the plight of women throughout the centuries, while on the other hand being a man who has decided to follow “God’s plan” and has taken on the leadership of my family in a gentle but firm way.

But I am not, thank God, a victim of chance. Over my lifetime, throughout the many formative experiences, educational meanderings and ministry adventures, I have been led, I believe, and of course have chosen, to adopt a personal and ministry stance that affirms the equality of women and men, girls and boys, both in God’s eyes and in ours. The influences on the development of this stance are varied and complex, and I readily admit that as a counselor my penchant for self-reflection may be too self-absorbing for some of you to handle. But I trust that through having a glimpse into my story you might be able to reflect more clearly on your own and help others who may be struggling with this issue to move toward greater clarity of their own.

Many evangelicals would believe that this issue, like any issue that affects the life of the church, needs to be settled by turning to the Word of God for instruction. How could I disagree? Increasingly over my lifetime, Scripture has become the standard against which all doctrine and practice within the church must be tested. But one doesn’t have to be a thinking evangelical long to realize that Scripture isn’t always as clear as we would like. “Seeing through the glass darkly” clouds our understanding and causes serious divisions among us. The critical factor is how we approach Scripture. Who we are, what we have experienced in life, the friends and family we interact with, all coalesce in a complex web of perception with which we approach Scripture. Whether we like it or not we are never unbiased. Pure objectivity is never possible in any experience in life,

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