At a time in our church history that the main focus should be on winning lost souls and spreading the gospel to a hurting world, we fear for the future because the Council on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood has placed a greater priority on women’s submissive role rather on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. We are concerned that men are being taught that they are god-like in their relationship to women within the church and home. As the mothers, wives, and daughters of these men, it is our concern that this doctrine is setting them up for failure as Christian fathers, husbands, and sons:
Bravery or Stupidity?
I read a story this morning about an Afghanistan war vet who jumped into the New York Harbor and saved a woman he did not know. She had slipped and fell into the water while stepping off the ferry.
One time I had a supervisor who had a plaque from the mayor of his town recognizing a brave act he did. I asked him what he had done. He replied “It was really stupid of me. I faced down a man with a gun.”
That made me realize what bravery is. It is doing something out of the ordinary, something that you would call stupid the next day when you realized what you had done and what danger you had been in.
Bravery comes in many forms. We find it in battle, in the home, or in an encounter with strangers.
Most time bravery comes spontaneously. But there are times when we are brave when an injustice is seen and nobody is stepping up to right that injustice.
Only time will tell if what a group of women did this past weekend in Orlando, Florida, was brave, or just stupid.
We got fed up with being told that women are always to be submissive in the church and in the home, and that their husbands are to have authority over them, and sent a letter to the perpetuators of this theology – the Council on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood – demanding an apology.
Would you jump into the water, or would you stand by and watch the woman drown?
Join us, not just in word, but in action. Words are easy. Getting wet requires something more.
bWe Baptist Women for Equality's Blog 
“In the beginning a patriot is a scarce man, hated and feared and scorned. But in time when his cause succeeds, the timid join him, because then it costs nothing to be patriot.”
-Mark Twain
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My post in agreement with you ladies will appear on my blog tomorrow. I’m wrapping up a series on Phariseeism, false balances, false priorities, etc. and the timing of the letter to CBMW dovetails right into what I’ve been blogging about. Tomorrow’s post will link to Cindy’s blog on how the Danver’s negativly impacts mothers, daughters, son’s. Yesterday’s post linked to an negativly impacted son’s blog. Last week’s post linked to a negatively impacted daughter’s blog.
Everything else that has been tried to get CBMW’s attention has failed. The letter demanding an apology might get a rise out of them, or not.
The point is, it is making a splash and I see many have posted on it beyond you, Waneta, Cindy, and Joycelyn. I’m seeing it pop up all over.
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Mara, I agree, both that merely talking to comps in blogs has failed, and that the Demand is already serving to promote the issue.
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Great! I appreciate all of you who are helping get the word out.
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I think this issue has emotions running hot esp. for complementarians as they have ALOT to lose. I am still posting and trying to familiarize people with what the hubbub is all about. I will say one thing, some of my good friends have called my concern with this issue a ‘distraction’and even a ‘hinderance’. What they mean is that it takes my eyes off of Jesus and puts them onto men. I have been told I have a problem with authority, that ‘I’ actually want to be the head of my family, that’s why I post on this topic so much. People really DO NOT understand what all the big fuss is all about. I keep telling them over and over, that you cannot seperate the Gospel of Jesus and His good news from social justice, and simply doing what is right by other people, the two are a package deal.
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Nobody will argue against the points we make. They are trying to diffuse what we said. They will not address the points we made.
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A “distraction”?
Tell your “friends” that it’s quite simple:
Patriarchalism/so-called “complementarianism” is a denial of the Gospel. What part of “Anti-Christ” do they not understand?
(Okay, I’m being a little sarcastic – or maybe not.)
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Because the mantra works, Shirley:
Liberal/Feminists. All they have to do is sling the word around as an insult. We are dealing with those who are brainwashed with this indoctrination and elevating roles to a salvic issue. They will not debate specifics. They simply say you do not have a problem with them but with the Bible.
I am about as conservative as you can get both politically and theologically. So is Paula. We both know for a fact we can make the case for total mutual equality IN CHRIST from the Word because we do it all the time.
The idea of authorities within the Body of Christ and
in marriage comes from sin. It will take a road to Damascus conversion for the teachers in the male supremicist movement to repent. For one thing, it is a big money maker for them.
It is the ignorant pew sitter we must reach and encourage them to be Bereans in ALL things.
I can remembe being challenged to read Genesis 1-2 and to search for all the comp teaching BEFORE the Fall. I was told to pray that my filters would be lifted. I did this and could not find one single thing they taught before the fall actually in there. I checked the Hebrew and really studied it. I was stunned at how much I had been lied to. They read it into the text. And let’s face it, Genesis is where they HAVE to start to make a case for their view.
The worse thing they do, in my opinion, is advocate that there is a layer between Jesus Christ and women. Bascially THEY are usurping a “role”. The role of the Holy Spirit in a woman’s spiritual walk. And that is very dangerous ground for them.
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That is so very true Lydia. The best way for a hard comp to wiggle out of a discussion about gender equality is to use the ‘L’ word or the ‘F’ word…….it’s an easy thought and discussion stopper. With the possiblity of failing an argument on the horizon they take the cowards way out….but it saves face (and isn’t that what it is about after all.)
I never had anyone challenge me about gender equality. I just got angry enough at all the restrictions place on women that I started to study all on my own. And believe me, until I found wonderful websites like BWE and equality central, I had nobody to enter into discussion with. I don’t know what part of the country you live in but I live in North Georgia. There are alot of things that you just don’t bring up in polite company…….and this is one of them. If you ever did the men would chime in and proof-text some scriptures and it was all over. I actually had one preacher open the Bible when I asked him a question about mutual submission and quote, ‘Wives submit to your husbands’, and then closed his Bible and strolled away. He did not answer my question but just pulled that text out of its context and walked away (but then I did not know what proof-texting was!) 🙂
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What is worse is when the women pull the proof texting on you. And they do. I am in the South, too.
But my comeback now is too sweetly ask them how they can be sure since comp doctrine teaches that women are easily deceived and could easily be deceived by a ignorant pastor.
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Oh Lydia! lol I will have to remember that one!
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It’s what Satan tried to use on Jesus during the wilderness temptations. 🙂
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Welcome Eric! Glad you commented. Please keep reading and pass the word along that a group of women threw a rock at Goliath!
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http://powerscourt.blogspot.com/2010/07/grudems-thoughts-on-male-language.html
Here is how bad it has become when it comes to Grudem and interpretation. Keep in mind his ST book is the standard in most seminaries these days.
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