Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 36:2 (Spring 2022)
Article: Seven Needed Revisions Within Complementarianism
Author: John E. McKinley

PP 36:2 (Spring 2022) p. 8

Seven Needed Revisions Within Complementarianism

John McKinley

John McKinley teaches undergraduate theology at Talbot School of Theology in southern California. He holds a PhD from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as MA and MDiv degrees from Talbot.

Editor’s note: This article was presented at the 2021 meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) and then published in slightly revised form by Fathom Magazine (https://fathommag.com/) under the title, “The Need for a Third Way Between Egalitarianism and Complementarianism.” It is reprinted here with permission from the author and from Fathom. Dr. McKinley is not egalitarian, and we are grateful for his contribution to Priscilla Papers. ~Jeff Miller

Publisher’s note: “Evangelicals and Women”—a study section of the ETS—hosted Dr. McKinley’s presentation, published below, in 2021. As I was privileged to moderate his paper, I can attest to the crowd he attracted, the pressure he faced, and the courage, grace, and obedience to Christ he displayed. Prompted by the Holy Spirit to address these issues, John also spoke of his profound love and respect for his wife and daughter. His responsiveness to God is undeniable and a model to us all. ~Mimi Haddad

Complementarianism is a theological model of women and men that faces two problems.1

The first problem is the perception that this theology demeans women. When many people hear the discourse about role distinctions of women and men, they hear an emphasis on inequality. Some people also hear an implication that women are ontologically inferior, or they are more vulnerable to deception than men are (since many prominent proponents of complementarianism insist that God excludes women from teaching the church or functioning as pastors or elders). Many women have been hurt by complementarian institutions.2 I know that many proponents of complementarianism do not intend these impressions and experiences. We should all deplore this impression that complementarianism makes some women feel diminished, inferior to men, and less valuable to God. To meet this problem of perception, I propose six items below that should be emphasized because they are ways to affirm women in church practices. I expect that many who identify themselves as complementarian will agree with most or all these six emphases. Some who bear the label of complementarian will disagree, which is another problem.

The second problem facing complementarianism is that many proponents of the position disagree so strongly with the six emphases presented below that they do not belong to the...