Creation Order by God: Woman was created to help/assist/complement man.
Three basic complementarian view states that:
- Only men should hold church leadership positions. The women can serve as leaders over women’ Bible study group, teens or Children’s ministry but not the main Church leadership role.
- They hold to a patriarchal view of the family, with the father as the head over the family and not otherwise.
- They view that a man should love his wife as Christ loved the church, and a woman should submit to her husband as the church submits to Christ. (christianity.com)
Now, What are their main Biblical Texts to ground their position?
Genesis 2:18; The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
GTY Blog website on this “Women’s Role in Ministry” writes: “God did not create the man and the woman at the same time, but rather He created Adam first and Eve later for the specific purpose of being Adam’s helper.”
In other words, although God created both of them equally (in the image of God; whatever that means), the function of each gender differs and that’s how God made them to be.
They further the argument by stating: “The responsibility of wives to submit to their husbands, then, was part of the plan from creation, even before the curse.” So, that’s their argument.
Now, what about after the Fall which occurs in Genesis 3; “For the woman, God pronounced a curse that included multiplied pain in childbirth and tension in the authority-submission relationship of husband and wife.” (Genesis 3:16-19). They argue that the “authority-submission tension” between the role of men and women is due to the curse that included the multiplied pain in childbirth.
What about the Role of women in early Israelite history? No Examples in the OT of the Role of Woman as legit Leaders
They claim that “Throughout the Old Testament, women were active in the religious life of Israel, but generally they were not leaders. Women like Deborah (Judges 4), (we may include Esther) were clearly the exception and not the rule. There was no woman with an ongoing prophetic ministry. No woman was a priest. No queen ever ruled Israel. No woman wrote an Old Testament (or New Testament) book. In fact, Isaiah 3:12 states that God allowed women to rule as part of His judgment on the sinning nation.”
Let’s move further into the New Testament. What’s Jesus’ position on Women Leadership?
Out rightly, they claim that Jesus Christ did Not appoint Apostleship role to any Women: This is their classic statement of Complementarian view: “The apostles were all men; the chief missionary activity was done by men; the writing of the New Testament was the work of men; and leadership in the churches was entrusted to men.” (GTY Blog)
Men, men, men.. it’s a man’s world.. sorry ladies!
What about the Samaritan Women at the well in John 4, what about Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus to learn, what about the first woman who carried the message of the Gospel? Athough Jesus had high regards for women and invited them to join in their journey, “Jesus still did not exalt women to a place of leadership over men.” That’s their argument.
Now Paul, what do you say?
Let’s see what Apostle Paul has to say?1 Timothy 2:11-13
A womanshould learn in quietness and full submission.I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.
GTY Blog states: “Although the Apostle Paul respected women and worked side by side with them for the furtherance of the gospel (Rom. 16; Phil. 4:3), he appointed no female elders or pastors. In his letters, he urged that men were to be the leaders in the church and that women were not to teach or exercise authority over men (1 Tim. 2:12). Therefore, although women are spiritual equals with men and the ministry of women is essential to the body of Christ, women are excluded from leadership over men in the church.”
In summary, what’s the complementarian view of a women? Yes, they are spiritually equal with men. They are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). They are children of God (Gal. 3:28). But they are created for different roles: Men are created to head the family, head the Church and to lead the family while women are created to assist them in fulfilling those roles for the Glory of God.
The articles used for this write-up are linked here:
https://www.gty.org/library/articles/DD08/the-role-of-women
