Christian Egalitarianism
Encyclopedia
Christian Egalitarianism (derived from the French
word égal, meaning equal or level), also known as biblical equality, is a Christian form of the moral doctrine of Egalitarianism
. It holds that all human persons are created equally in God's sight—equal in fundamental worth and moral status. This view does not just apply to gender, but to religion, skin colour and any other differences between individuals. It does not imply that all have equal skills, abilities, interests, or physiological or genetic traits. Christian Egalitarianism holds that all people are equal before God
and in Christ
; have equal responsibility to use their gifts and obey their calling to the glory of God; and are called to roles and ministries without regard to class, gender, or race.
in Christian church leadership (including pastor
s) and in Christian marriage is biblically sound. Its theological foundations are interpretations of the teachings and example of Jesus Christ and other New Testament
principles.
It refers to a biblically-based belief that gender, in and of itself, neither privileges nor curtails a believer’s gifting or calling to any ministry in the church or home. It does not imply that women and men are identical or undifferentiated, but affirms that God designed men and women to complement and benefit one another.
Egalitarian beliefs are generally subscribed to by Quakers, Seventh-day Adventist
s, Northern Baptist
s, and some Pentecostal churches such as the Assemblies of God
and United Church of God
.
The opposing view is Complementarianism that differing, often non-overlapping roles between men and women; manifested in marriage, church leadership, and elsewhere; is biblically required.
against racial minorities, slaves, and women, in both the church and marriage. They believe that the Bible teaches the fundamental equality of believers of all racial and ethnic groups and all economic classes. They consider overarching principles of the Bible
to be that men and women are equally created
in God's image; equally responsible for sin; equally redeemed by Christ; and equally gifted by God's Spirit for service; and equally held responsible for using their God-given gifts.
The Apostle Paul wrote:
Egalitarianism with regard to the doctrine of grace is taught throughout the Bible.
Utimately, Christian egalitarianism holds that all people are equal in fundamental worth and moral status. A significant source of this trend of thought is the Christian notion that humankind were created in the living image of God (Imago Dei).
Jesus Christ did not conform to a mentality unfavorable to women, but reacted against inequalities based on sexual differences. By calling women to follow him, it is believed he showed that he went beyond the customs and outlook of his environment.
Illustrative of efforts to institutionalize this notion are these excerpts from the organizational Statement of Faith of Christians for Biblical Equality
, a major Christian Egalitarian organization:
An interpretation of , , and suggests that Jesus even forbids any hierarchy in Christian relationships: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you!" While "lord it over" implies abusive leadership, his words "exercise authority" have no connotation of abuse of authority.
, established in the United Kingdom in 1984. The American organization Christians for Biblical Equality
was established by evangelicals in 1987.
This view argues that the Bible prescribes both equality and complementary positions and roles for both men and women. One academic book advocating this position is Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy. Another significant work which presents complegalitarian theology is Understanding Biblical Gender Equality: Men and Women in Marriage, the Home, and the Church
has formally opposed radical egalitarianism and has stated that the differences between men and women are not merely phenomenal, but are in fact ontological in nature.
In his 2004 Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
warned against a related tendency to see gender as culturally constructed, which has generated “a new model of polymorphous sexuality,” which reflects an “attempt to be free from one’s biological conditioning”.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word égal, meaning equal or level), also known as biblical equality, is a Christian form of the moral doctrine of Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
. It holds that all human persons are created equally in God's sight—equal in fundamental worth and moral status. This view does not just apply to gender, but to religion, skin colour and any other differences between individuals. It does not imply that all have equal skills, abilities, interests, or physiological or genetic traits. Christian Egalitarianism holds that all people are equal before God
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
and in Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
; have equal responsibility to use their gifts and obey their calling to the glory of God; and are called to roles and ministries without regard to class, gender, or race.
Gender equality
According to Christian Egalitarianism, gender equalityGender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
in Christian church leadership (including pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
s) and in Christian marriage is biblically sound. Its theological foundations are interpretations of the teachings and example of Jesus Christ and other New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
principles.
It refers to a biblically-based belief that gender, in and of itself, neither privileges nor curtails a believer’s gifting or calling to any ministry in the church or home. It does not imply that women and men are identical or undifferentiated, but affirms that God designed men and women to complement and benefit one another.
Egalitarian beliefs are generally subscribed to by Quakers, Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
s, Northern Baptist
American Baptist
American Baptist may refer to:* American Baptist Association* American Baptist Churches USA* Baptist who is an American...
s, and some Pentecostal churches such as the Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
and United Church of God
United Church of God
The United Church of God, an International Association is a Christian denomination based in the United States with members in various countries around the world...
.
The opposing view is Complementarianism that differing, often non-overlapping roles between men and women; manifested in marriage, church leadership, and elsewhere; is biblically required.
Biblical foundations
Christian Egalitarians' interpretation of scriptures and spiritual convictions bring them to the conclusion that the manner and teaching of Jesus abolished discriminationDiscrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
against racial minorities, slaves, and women, in both the church and marriage. They believe that the Bible teaches the fundamental equality of believers of all racial and ethnic groups and all economic classes. They consider overarching principles of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
to be that men and women are equally created
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
in God's image; equally responsible for sin; equally redeemed by Christ; and equally gifted by God's Spirit for service; and equally held responsible for using their God-given gifts.
The Apostle Paul wrote:
Egalitarianism with regard to the doctrine of grace is taught throughout the Bible.
Utimately, Christian egalitarianism holds that all people are equal in fundamental worth and moral status. A significant source of this trend of thought is the Christian notion that humankind were created in the living image of God (Imago Dei).
Jesus Christ did not conform to a mentality unfavorable to women, but reacted against inequalities based on sexual differences. By calling women to follow him, it is believed he showed that he went beyond the customs and outlook of his environment.
Illustrative of efforts to institutionalize this notion are these excerpts from the organizational Statement of Faith of Christians for Biblical Equality
Christians for Biblical Equality
Christians for Biblical Equality is non-profit organization of churches and individual members who believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of believers of both sexes, all racial and ethnic groups and all economic classes...
, a major Christian Egalitarian organization:
An interpretation of , , and suggests that Jesus even forbids any hierarchy in Christian relationships: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you!" While "lord it over" implies abusive leadership, his words "exercise authority" have no connotation of abuse of authority.
History
The first known use of the term "Christian egalitarianism" was in 1979 in an article in the journal "Theology Today." (Miller, RM, 1979, Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South [Book Review], Theology Today, 36(2), 297-299). The first organization whose purpose was advocating Christian egalitarianism was Men, Women and GodMen, Women and God
Men, Women and God was founded in the United Kingdom in 1984 in order to study and promote gender equality from a Christian perspective....
, established in the United Kingdom in 1984. The American organization Christians for Biblical Equality
Christians for Biblical Equality
Christians for Biblical Equality is non-profit organization of churches and individual members who believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of believers of both sexes, all racial and ethnic groups and all economic classes...
was established by evangelicals in 1987.
An alternative view: Egalitarianism and Complementarianism
Complementarian and Christian Egalitarian views need not be mutually exclusive, according to some recent proposals that one can subscribe both to Complementarianism and Christian egalitarianism. This theoretically would allow men and women to complement each other without any form of hierarchy. This view is sometimes (informally) called complegalitarian .This view argues that the Bible prescribes both equality and complementary positions and roles for both men and women. One academic book advocating this position is Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy. Another significant work which presents complegalitarian theology is Understanding Biblical Gender Equality: Men and Women in Marriage, the Home, and the Church
Church Magisterium's view
The Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
has formally opposed radical egalitarianism and has stated that the differences between men and women are not merely phenomenal, but are in fact ontological in nature.
In his 2004 Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
warned against a related tendency to see gender as culturally constructed, which has generated “a new model of polymorphous sexuality,” which reflects an “attempt to be free from one’s biological conditioning”.
Prominent Christian egalitarians
- Linda Belleville, author of Women Leaders and the Church (2000)
- Gilbert Bilezikian, author of Beyond Sex Roles (1985)
- Christians for Biblical EqualityChristians for Biblical EqualityChristians for Biblical Equality is non-profit organization of churches and individual members who believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of believers of both sexes, all racial and ethnic groups and all economic classes...
- Greg BoydGreg BoydGreg or Gregory Boyd may refer to:*Greg Boyd *S. Gregory Boyd, American author, attorney and professor*Greg Boyd , American football player...
, theologian and Senior Pastor of the Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, author of Myth of a Christian Religion: Losing your Religion for the Beauty of a Revolution (2009) - Shane ClaiborneShane ClaiborneShane Claiborne is one of the founding members of The Simple Way in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This community was featured on the cover of Christianity Today as a pioneer in the New Monasticism movement. Claiborne is also a prominent activist for nonviolence and service to the...
- Mary J. Evans, author of Woman in the Bible (1984) and co-editor of The IVP Women's Bible Commentary (2002)
- Gordon FeeGordon FeeGordon Donald Fee is an American-Canadian Christian theologian and an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God . He currently serves as Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada.-Biography:...
, contributing editor to Discovering Biblical Equality (2004) - Kevin Giles, Vicar of St. Michael's Church in North Carlton, Australia, in the Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
; author of Jesus and the Father: Modern Evangelicals Reinvent the Doctrine of the Trinity (2006) - Stanley GrenzStanley GrenzStanley James Grenz was an American Christian theologian and ethicist in the Baptist tradition.-Early years:...
, author of Women in the Church (1995) - Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, co-editor of Discovering Biblical Equality (2004); author of Good News for Women (1996) and Women Caught in the Conflict (1997)
- Kenneth E. HaginKenneth E. HaginKenneth Erwin Hagin was an influential American Pentecostal preacher. He is often referred to as the "father" of the "Word of Faith" movement. Many of his followers often refer to him affectionately as "Dad Hagin", "Pappa Hagin" and more commonly "Brother Hagin".- Personal life :Kenneth E...
, author of The Woman Question (1967) - Trevor HuddlestonTrevor HuddlestonErnest Urban Trevor Huddleston CR, KCMG was an English Anglican bishop. He was most well known for his anti-apartheid activism and his 'Prayer for Africa'...
- Paul King Jewett, author of Man as Male and Female (1975) and The Ordination of Women (1980)
- Craig S. Keener, author of Paul, Women and Wives (1992)
- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Catherine Clark Kroeger, co-founder of CBE; co-editor of The IVP Women's Bible Commentary (2002); co-author of Women, Abuse and the Bible (1996), I suffer not a Woman (1998)
- Scot McKnightScot McKnightScot McKnight is a New Testament scholar who has written widely on the historical Jesus, Christian spirituality, and the Emerging Church. He is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University. Prior to joining the NPU faculty in 1994, he was a professor at Trinity...
, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park UniversityNorth Park UniversityNorth Park University is a four-year university located at 3225 W. Foster Avenue on the north side of Chicago, Illinois in the North Park neighborhood. It was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church and shares its campus with the denomination's only seminary...
; author of The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How you Read the Bible (2008) - Roger NicoleRoger NicoleRoger R. Nicole was a native Swiss Reformed theologian and a Baptist, long regarded as one of the preeminent theologians in America. He was a Christian Egalitarian and Biblical Inerrantist. He was an associate editor for the New Geneva Study Bible and assisted in the translation of the New...
, Emeritus Professor of Theology at Reformed Theological SeminaryReformed Theological SeminaryReformed Theological Seminary is a non-denominational, evangelical Protestant seminary. RTS's first campus remains in Jackson, Mississippi, United States though the school has expanded to include several additional campuses.-Founding:...
, Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. - Carroll Osburn, Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Abilene Christian UniversityAbilene Christian UniversityAbilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
; author of Women in the Church: Reclaiming the Ideal (2001) - Ronald W. Pierce, co-editor of Discovering Biblical Equality (2004)
- Aida Besançon Spencer, author of Beyond the Curse - Women called to ministry (1985)
- Ruth A. Tucker, co-author of Daughters of the Church (1987)
- William J. WebbWilliam J. WebbWilliam J. Webb is a theologian, ordained Baptist minister and former professor of New Testament at Heritage Seminary, Ontario. He is notable for developing the "redemptive-movement" hermeneutic in his book Slaves, Women & Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis...
, author of Slaves, Women and Homosexuals (2001) - Ben Witherington IIIBen Witherington IIIBen Witherington III is an American evangelical Biblical scholar, and professor of New Testament Studies.Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.-Education:...
, Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological SeminaryAsbury Theological SeminaryAsbury Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational, graduate institution that offers a variety of master degree and postgraduate degree programs through the schools of Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation, Theology and Formation, Practical Theology, World Missions and Evangelism, and...
; author of Women in the Earliest Churches (1988) and Women and the Genesis of Christianity (1990) - N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham in the Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
; author of Women's Service in the Church: The Biblical Basis (2004)
See also
- Christian views about womenChristian views about womenGender roles in Christianity vary considerably today as they have during the last two millennia. This is especially true with regards to marriage and ministry.Christianity traditionally has given men the position of authority in marriage, society and government...
- Christian views of marriageChristian views of marriageChristian views on marriage typically regard it as instituted and ordained by God for the lifelong relationship between one man as husband and one woman as wife, and is to be "held in honour among all...."...
- Christians for Biblical EqualityChristians for Biblical EqualityChristians for Biblical Equality is non-profit organization of churches and individual members who believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of believers of both sexes, all racial and ethnic groups and all economic classes...
, an egalitarian organization - Complementarianism, an opposing view
- Council on Biblical Manhood and WomanhoodCouncil on Biblical Manhood and WomanhoodThe Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is an evangelical Christian organization promoting a complementarian view of gender issues. CBMW's current president is Dr...
, a complementarian organization - Evangelical and Ecumenical Women’s Caucus