Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Light from the Biblical Texts

By Andrew Bartlett

The debate about men and women in the church and in marriage continues to cause division among Christians. Most books on this issue are written from a firmly partisan point of view - complementarian or egalitarian. This one is unique.

Andrew Bartlett draws on his theological learning and his skills as a judge and arbitrator to offer an even-handed assessment of the debate. His analysis is thorough but accessible. He engages with advocates of each view and all the key biblical texts, weighing the available evidence and offering fresh insights. He invites the reader to move beyond complementarian and egalitarian labels and seeks progress towards healing the division.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IVP
• Release date: Mar 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781783599189

Andrew Bartlett

Andrew Bartlett QC is based in London and is a highly rated international arbitrator with a wide range of experience in dispute resolution in numerous locations. He has a BA in Theology (University of Gloucestershire) and has served as an elder and a churchwarden in various churches.

Book preview

In this remarkable book, Bartlett begins where any scholar and thinker should begin: in humility. He wisely stresses the biblical importance of unity amongst believers. He then follows the path of sound biblical exegesis, appropriate attention to the existing literature and a fresh non-biased perspective, to arrive at sound conclusions with strong supporting evidence. He admits where there are difficulties in interpretation (whether historical or textual), but also helps to ‘hack through’ some of these biblical and theological ‘thickets’. This book is an excellent addition to the canon of literature on what the Bible says about men and women. The summaries and guiding questions at the end of each chapter make the text both accessible to the average reader and a great resource for group or academic discussion.

The Rt Revd Dr Mouneer Hanna Anis, Bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa

An important contribution to a debate on which all sides need to listen carefully to each other with humility and a shared commitment to Scripture.

Peter Baker, Senior Minister, Lansdowne Church, Bournemouth, UK

If, like me, you thought there was very little new to say on this topic, here’s a book to make us think again. If, like me, you’ve become somewhat jaded by the sterile trading of arguments back and forth between the two main sides, here’s a book that invites both parties to reassess where they stand, and why. If, like me, you thought you’d pretty much settled your views on the main biblical passages, here’s a book to remind us that the Lord always has ‘fresh light to break forth’ from his word. As befitting a scholar and writer who is concerned for unity in our witness to the good news of Jesus, Andrew Bartlett’s treatment of this most crucial of issues is elegant, clear, winsome and gracious. Even where I disagree with him, I’m profoundly grateful for the challenge to look more closely at the Scriptures. I’d encourage you to do the same. Read it. Read it with an open Bible. Read it with others. Read it with a Berean-like curiosity to see if these things are so.

Antony Billington, Theology Advisor, London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, and Senior Pastor, Beacon Church, Ashton-in-Makerfield

The treatment of 1 Corinthians 7 is the best I’ve come across. Very sound arguments.

Revd Kuruvilla Chandy, Trivandrum, Kerala, India

Books on this topic can often be accompanied by the sound of an author steadily grinding their axe in the background. This work is refreshingly different. Meticulous research, careful argument, objective assessment and judicious evaluation make this a significant scholarly contribution to the discussion on the role of men and women in Christ’s church. It is essential reading for all in leadership.

Ian Coffey, Vice-Principal and Director of Leadership Training, Moorlands College, Dorset, UK

Andrew Bartlett offers an enriching and generous engagement with a difficult but important issue. He provides the reader with a clear understanding of the breadth of the debate and the various shortcomings of different positions. He doesn’t merely present the extremes of the discussion but instead helpfully offers insightful development of the arguments and clear conclusions on each relevant passage. He has a commitment to close reading of the text, alongside intelligent and articulate interaction with biblical scholarship and a gift for enabling readers to examine their own presuppositions. These all contribute to making a book which is both intellectually stimulating and spiritually rich. This is sure to be a significant and helpful addition to the conversation, and will be a must-read for those who are already familiar with the issues, as well as those new to the debate.

Ellie Cook, Staff Worker, UCCF: The Christian Unions, blogger and speaker

This is an excellent introduction to, and review of, the biblical teaching concerning men and women in marriage and ministry. The author is a judge and international arbitrator with theological training and he has produced a judicious, thorough and well-argued eirenicon, to be taken seriously by both complementarian and egalitarian alike. His careful analysis of the biblical evidence results in the description of strengths and weaknesses in the arguments for both positions. This leads him to call for a reframing of the debate with a greater mutual understanding. I particularly valued his discussion of the textual position of 1 Cor. 14:34–35 and the review of the meaning of authentein in 1 Tim. 2:12. I would not like to be the attorney that appears before him with a poorly argued brief, such is his precision! This should become one of the major texts on the topic.

Revd Richard Crocker, General Secretary, Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion, Fairfax, VA, USA

In over forty-five years of involvement in Bible translation I have frequently grappled with the interpretive issues dealt with in this book. Faithful translation should be accurate and unbiased, allowing the original text to speak for itself. This is the ideal, but translators are human. Cultural biases have affected English translations of texts concerning women. The author’s professional background helps him take a clear and refreshingly new look at the key texts. With careful scholarship and sound reasoning he resolves some important translation issues. I would recommend that Bible translators take note of this book.

G. J. Dannenberg, Bible translation consultant for Turkic languages

As an arbitrator I look for careful assessment of evidence and contextually sensitive reasoning. This book has both.

Dr Robert Gaitskell QC, international arbitrator

No matter what your current opinion on the topic is, this thoroughly researched book will make you think. It looks at all the important biblical passages as well as the historical context and the current debate and brings a fresh perspective to it.

Julia Garschagen, speaker and apologist, Zacharias Institut für Wissenschaft, Kultur und Glaube (Zacharias Institute for Science, Culture and Faith), Germany

This is a major contribution to the debate on the place of men and women in Christian ministry. It breaks new ground and is an important read whatever view you hold.

Dr Michael Green, author and theologian

Global communications are driving social change in East and South Asia. This increases the danger of importing Western theories unchallenged. I hope the insightful exegesis in this book will help Asian theologians and church leaders to engage with the Scripture without getting caught in the tramlines of the complementarian/egalitarian debate.

Anthony Harrop, former Publishing Consultant for the Asia-Pacific region, United Bible Societies

This is a landmark book on this key topic. It is an extremely readable yet in-depth study. Unexpectedly, I found it to be a page-turner because I really wanted to know what was on the next page. Andrew Bartlett has a profound understanding of Scripture. This book has changed and clarified my own thinking. It should be read by all Christians, from new converts to archbishops. Wives, buy it for your husbands! Husbands, buy it for your wives!

Professor Sir Colin Humphreys CBE FRS FREng, author of The Mystery of the Last Supper and The Miracles of Exodus

If we as evangelicals are sometimes tempted to do our theology (and preach our sermons!) by proof-texting, I know of no better antidote than this book: Bartlett’s close attention to context transformed my understanding of several passages I thought I knew well. Drawing on his legal background and wide reading, and with absolute respect for the authority of Scripture, his careful scholarship has produced an analysis which is comprehensive, meticulous and clearly expressed. What’s more, it is totally accessible to the interested layman, as it avoids technical terms and does not require knowledge of Greek – he explains what you need to know as you go along.

Revd Charles Mason, Priest-in-Charge, Waltham St Lawrence, Diocese of Oxford, UK

This book is rigorous, fair-minded, cautious, exegetical, analytical, logical, and dispassionately presented. I predict this will become the textbook used in colleges and seminaries that want to discuss women in ministry afresh. Every pastor, every elder board, every deacon board – anyone needing to sort through this topic must read this book.

Revd Canon Dr Scot McKnight, Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary, Illinois, USA

Although I lean more towards a fully complementarian position, I want to commend this book because of its recognition of the importance of Scripture in Christian belief and practice, its desire to explain Scripture in its biblical context, its scholarly quality and its promotion of good relationships between Christians who have divergent views, with objective assessment and without personal criticism.

Andrew Muwowo, founder, Proclamation Institute Zambia

This is a must-read for anyone considering the Bible’s teaching on the roles of men and women. It has changed some of my thinking. Using his skills as an international arbitrator and his deep theological understanding, Andrew weighs up the biblical teaching on this often contentious issue. His conclusions are fresh, illuminating and challenging to both egalitarian and complementarian alike. Every Christian leader and serious Bible student should read and digest this book. It will go a long way to bringing more humility and unity on the subject, which is a great need in today’s church.

Michael Ots, evangelist, international speaker and author

Many dedicated and talented Christian women look for creative and honest ways to follow their calling in a way that is consistent with the teaching of the Bible. This can be a painful and confusing struggle. Some go to work in secular fields because they feel they are not welcome to use their gifts in the church. This book is analytical, dialogical and honest. It helps spiritually gifted women to find their place. But the issues that it addresses are important not only for individual women. They have to do with the presence of God’s kingdom, missional effectiveness and – last but not least – godly attitudes among all believers.

Dr Einike Pilli, Principal, Tartu Theological Seminary, Estonia

An enjoyable and fascinating read. Andrew Bartlett writes in an engaging, highly readable style. He does not press his own views home but models a gracious openness; he ends each section with questions that are focused on biblical interpretation, personal reflection and practical application to church life. The book benefits from clear summary sections which ensure that, despite the complexity of some of its detail, the reader does not lose the main focus of the argument. This book is stronger for the fact that it does not pretend to have all the answers, but by reading it you will accompany a writer on his quest for understanding and you will encounter with him the twists and turns of his journey of discovery.

Dr Debra Reid, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Spurgeon’s College, London, UK

Andrew Bartlett’s magisterial study should be required reading for anyone exercising a teaching or leading ministry in any church. Every Bible student and ordinand should have it on their shelves as it is not just a book to read once, but a resource showing how to rightly handle the word. With devastating thoroughness, he subjects some of the most challenging passages in Scripture to rigorous scrutiny to establish their true intent. He gives light to views from some illustrious predecessors in the faith which may make you wince in shame. He did not expect to arrive at some of his conclusions when he set out to write, and not everyone will necessarily agree with all of them, but as we spur one another on in our desire as men and women to be obedient as God’s redeemed image bearers, we will have our eyes opened and our lives blessed by yet more truth that shines from God’s holy word.

The Rt Revd Keith Sinclair, Bishop of Birkenhead, UK

Whether you hold a complementarian or an egalitarian viewpoint, this book challenges you to read the Bible with fresh eyes. It is hard not to read the Bible through our frameworks, thus backing up our personal positions and prejudices while writing off others who hold a contrary opinion. Andrew Bartlett is seeking to reframe this contentious debate, which requires his readers to take careful note and read familiar passages again. He writes with both humility and meticulousness, pointing out inconsistencies with both frameworks. You may not agree with all of his conclusions but his reasoning should be carefully considered. At the very least, this book gives us much food for thought as we seek continually to reform our understanding in the light of God’s word.

Karen Soole, blogger, speaker and author of Unleash the Word

This thought-provoking and masterly analysis is also a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Marcus Taverner QC, London, UK

This is a stunning contribution to the debate about men and women in the church, for which I’m deeply grateful. The author’s determination to follow the evidence wherever it leads, based above all else on meticulous handling of the Bible, has blown apart my assumptions, resolved my uncertainties, transformed my thinking and built new convictions. I pray that the Lord will use it to help evangelical churches align themselves more faithfully with Scripture.

Tony Watkins, speaker and writer on media and the Bible, recently an elder of Above Bar Church, Southampton (FIEC), now studying for a doctorate in practical theology

This book is very thorough, leaving no stone unturned. Some of the ‘stones’ certainly needed to be turned!

Mike Wheate, formerly International Personnel Officer, Operation Mobilisation

This is a superb, cogent, precisely written and enjoyable book. Its author has endeavoured with considerable success to draw together a huge amount of material on a topic which all too easily leads to more heat than light. His qualifications in law perhaps lend themselves to a more objective reading of Scripture as he seeks to apply a judicial perspective to evaluating the material. His willingness to criticize both sides’ reasoning is noteworthy. Another real advantage of this book is that its key focus is ‘the biblical texts, in their context’. Ruthlessly centring on this focus results in a detailed exegesis of key texts, which helps the reader to keep an eye on the ball, in what is a very large discussion. The book makes a real contribution to the debate. It also suggests some valuable new approaches to the evidence, not least on 1 Timothy 2. And chapter 16 (‘Taking stock and moving closer together’) should be required reading for anyone approaching this topic. Whether you consider yourself egalitarian or complementarian, this book will challenge, provoke and deepen your understanding of Scripture.

Paul Woodbridge, Secretary of the Tyndale Fellowship and former Tutor in New Testament, Oak Hill College, London, UK

Andrew Bartlett has carefully studied Scripture to offer a sound assessment of both the complementarian and egalitarian positions. Without advocating one over the other, he has presented very helpful principles to discern how men and women may best witness and serve together for God’s glory in each ministry context.

Ven. Wong Tak Meng, Archdeacon, Diocese of Singapore, and Dean of Cambodia

This book’s consideration of male and female relations according to Scripture is a model of clarity, scholarship and summary. It is in every sense a judicious work, which helps to resolve some contentious issues of biblical interpretation. Its aim is thoroughly constructive: to promote mutual understanding and unity among those who believe in Holy Scripture and wish to be faithful to it.

Dr Nigel G. Wright, Principal Emeritus, Spurgeon’s College, London, UK, and former President, Baptist Union of Great Britain

TitlePage_ebk

INTER-VARSITY PRESS

36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4ST, England

Email: [e-mail]

Website: www.ivpbooks.com

© Andrew Bartlett, 2019, 2020

Andrew Bartlett has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.

Bible acknowledgments can be found on p. xxix.

First published 2019

Reprinted with corrections 2020

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-78359-917-2

ebook ISBN: 978-1-78359-918-9

Set in Monotype Garamond 11/13pt

Typeset in Great Britain by CRB Associates, Potterhanworth, Lincolnshire

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow

eBook by CRB Associates, Potterhanworth, Lincolnshire

Inter-Varsity Press publishes Christian books that are true to the Bible and that communicate the gospel, develop discipleship and strengthen the church for its mission in the world.

IVP originated within the Inter-Varsity Fellowship, now the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.uccf.org.uk. That historic association is maintained, and all senior IVP staff and committee members subscribe to the UCCF Basis of Faith.

To all scholars, whether complementarian, egalitarian or unaligned, who with sincere hearts and true faith have laboured to understand and explain God’s word concerning men and women

CONTENTS

Preface

List of abbreviations

Bible acknowledgments

1. Revising tradition, seeking unity

What is this book about?

How did these issues become so divisive?

The obligation to maintain unity

The traditional ‘Christian’ view of a woman’s place

Jesus Christ and women

Rejection of the traditional view – new terminology

The competing stories

Methods of interpretation

The path ahead

Does it really matter?

Summary of chapter 1

Questions to consider

2. Husband and wife, men and women: 1 Corinthians 7

Marriage: hierarchy or not?

Some recent history of 1 Corinthians 7

Threefold relevance of 1 Corinthians 7

1. Paul’s end-time perspective: the world in its present form is passing away

2. Marital relations and equal authority

3. Equality of men and women in personal relations

Complementarian acceptance of the significance of 1 Corinthians 7

Is Paul an egalitarian?

Where next?

Summary of chapter 2

Questions to consider

3. Hierarchies, submission and love: Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5

Three disputed questions

Preliminary topics

1. Relationship of Colossians and Ephesians

2. Submission and hierarchies

3. The ideas associated with ‘submitting’

4. When not to submit

5. How the marriage relationship was viewed in first-century culture

6. Some practical reasons for Paul’s emphases

Colossians and the three disputed questions

Does comparing the three pairs show Paul’s approval of a hierarchical view of marriage?

Summary of chapter 3

Questions to consider

4. Marriage portrays the Saviour: Ephesians 5

The big picture of Ephesians 5

Paul’s kephalē metaphor

The context and Paul’s use of kephalē

1. Paul’s use of apposition in verse 23

2. The theme of saviourhood in verses 25–33

3. Paul’s use of Genesis

4. The first word of verse 24

The first question: unilateral authority of the husband?

The second question: one-way or mutual submission?

The third question: does Paul differentiate the responsibilities of husbands and wives?

The beauty of Paul’s vision of marriage

Leadership of the household?

Summary of chapter 4

Questions to consider

5. Creation and life: Genesis 1 – 3 and beyond

Man and woman in Genesis

Narrative structure

Male rule in Genesis 1 – 3

Genesis 1 – 2 and authoritative headship?

Genesis 3 and authoritative headship?

What does it mean to be male or female?

Differentiation of man and woman

Marriage in the Old Testament

Who should protect and provide?

What if Genesis 2 – 3 teaches authoritative male headship?

Women’s leadership and authority in the Old Testament

Summary of chapter 5

Questions to consider

6. Submission and honour: 1 Peter

Peter’s focus

Peter’s theme

Submission and honour in wider society

Submission: hierarchical or mutual?

Instructions to wives in 3:1–6

Is Peter supporting a hierarchical view of marriage?

Peter’s instructions to husbands

Translation issues and Peter’s three points for husbands

The example of Sarah and Abraham

Dangers of coercive power

Submission and leadership

Summary of chapter 6

Questions to consider

7. Veiled meanings? 1 Corinthians 11

The thickets surrounding 1 Corinthians 11:2–16

The first thicket: the doctrine of the Trinity

The second thicket: unjustified conclusions from word studies

Grudem’s word studies

Metaphorical meaning is not determined by usage elsewhere but by context

The third thicket: authority structures

Eight red lights for the hierarchical interpretation

The significance of the red lights

The fourth thicket: veils

Cultural context

Does the veils interpretation fit what Paul writes?

The fifth thicket: translating for veils or only for hairstyles?

The structure

The culture

The words

The sixth thicket: translating for husband and wife or only for man and woman?

Summary of chapter 7

Questions to consider

8. Hair that dishonours: 1 Corinthians 11

Paul’s outline

A sources and hairstyles interpretation, verse by verse

Ten pointers

Objections to a sources interpretation

Significance of Paul’s teaching

Summary of chapter 8

Questions to consider

9. Silent women? 1 Corinthians 14

Shameful speech?

Relationship of verses 34–35 to verse 33

The context of verses 34–35

The nature of the inconsistency

Unsatisfactory attempts at harmonization

Women not to evaluate prophecies?

The first reason for women’s silence: the law

The second reason for women’s silence: cultural disgrace

The Lord’s command

Consequences of the lack of harmonization

Summary of chapter 9

Questions to consider

10. Silence added? 1 Corinthians 14

Removing added words

The question mark over verses 34–35

Text criticism

Introduction

Principles to apply

Marginal glosses and additions

Families of manuscripts

Were verses 34–35 added to what Paul himself wrote?

The intrinsic evidence

Assessing the external evidence

Variation in the position of verses 34–35: four explanations to consider

Examining explanations 1 and 2: moved down or moved up?

Examining explanations 3 and 4: afterthought or addition?

Relevance of intrinsic evidence to explanations 3 and 4

On the available evidence, which explanation is the most probable?

But what about the absence of extant manuscripts which wholly lack verses 34–35?

Codex Fuldensis

Codex Vaticanus

Concluding assessment

Summary of chapter 10

Questions to consider

11. Teaching and 1 Timothy 2: difficulties

The centre of the storm

The nature of the disagreement

The rival limitations

Paul’s main concern

Paul’s concept of teaching

General contents of the letter

Introducing the false teachings and false teachers

Difficulties for all

Some difficulties for egalitarian interpretations

Some difficulties for complementarian interpretations

1. Why only ‘I am not permitting’?

2. Exclusively male leadership?

3. Authoritative teaching as a special category?

4. A creation principle?

Making a fresh start

1 Timothy 2 and the public assemblies of the church

Summary of chapter 11

Questions to consider

12. Teaching and 1 Timothy 2: contextual keys

Opening the doors into 1 Timothy 2

The historical context

Four contextual keys

The basis of the second key

Using the first key: reading 2:9–10 in the context of 1:1 – 2:8

Using the second key to aid understanding of 2:9–10

Using the first key again: reading 2:11–12 in context

Using the second key to aid understanding of 2:11–12

The wealthy women as false teachers

Summary of chapter 12

Questions to consider

13. Teaching and 1 Timothy 2: Paul’s reasoning

Using the third key: the meaning of authenteō from the context, including Paul’s reasoning in 2:13–14

Why does Paul use the rare word authenteō?

Understanding verse 15

Using the fourth key: Paul’s signposts in verse 15

The link to chapter 3

What if I am wrong about the nature of the false teaching?

Reassessing current interpretations of 1 Timothy 2

The four tough questions

But isn’t this interpretation entirely new?

Practical consequences of how verse 12 is understood

Summary of chapter 13

Questions to consider

14. Women church leaders? A biblical survey

Should church leadership by women be restricted?

Pillar 1: 1 Corinthians 14:34–35

Pillar 2: 1 Timothy 2:11–15

Pillar 3: twelve male apostles

Pillar 4: Old Testament priests and teaching

Pillar 5: headship

Setting the scene for considering pillar 6

The distinction between governing and teaching

Women’s prominence in the young churches

The openness of the New Testament evidence on whether women served as elders

What would be assumed about whether women could be elders?

Summary of chapter 14

Questions to consider

15. Women elders? 1 Timothy 3

Qualifications for elders

Do Paul’s requirements include or exclude women?

Conclusion on women’s eldership

Elders as guardians

Women as leaders

Postscript to chapters 11 to 15: a threefold test

Summary of chapter 15

Questions to consider

16. Taking stock and moving closer together

Pulling some threads together

Where we have arrived

Wider themes

1. The paradox of equality and humility

2. Creation and new creation

3. What it means to be male or female

4. Raising expectations of Scripture

The importance of the divine mandate of unity

The obstacles to unity

Ongoing disagreements on interpretation of Scripture

Egalitarian misunderstanding of the nature and motivations of the debate

How complementarians characterize the debate

Re-framing the debate

Next steps

Summary of chapter 16

Questions to consider

Appendix 1: methods of biblical interpretation

The interpretation toolbox

1. Primacy of Scripture over tradition

2. Paying appropriate attention to culture

3. Going back to the source language in context

4. Coherence

5. A Christ-centred canonical approach

6. Spiritual openness

7. Practical wisdom

Application

Feeling the impact of culture: a thought experiment

Appendix 2: additional arguments deployed against mutual submission

Appendix 3: uses of authenteō in other writings

Appendix 4: the structure of 1 Timothy 2:12

The scholarly discussions

Payne’s thesis

Köstenberger’s thesis

Assessments

Conclusion

Appendix 5: interpretations of 1 Timothy 2:15

Appendix 6: shortcomings in complementarian analyses of 1 Timothy 2

Appendix 7: taking stock of translation issues

References

Search items for names

Search items for Scripture References

Search items for Ssources before 1900

Notes

PREFACE

This book is for scholars, pastors, Bible teachers, and anyone with a serious interest in how we should understand the Christian scriptures concerning relations between men and women in marriage and in church life. Because of the sharp divide between so-called egalitarian and complementarian viewpoints, this topic has vital implications for the unity and witness of the church.

¹

I have been in churches of both persuasions, to my benefit, and I have good friends who hold opinions on each side with strong and sincere conviction. While I have served as an elder or in similar roles, I am not currently doing so. This means I am not under obligation to support a particular viewpoint.

Although I have a degree in theology, I work in the law. My career as an English barrister is largely behind me and I now work as a judge and international arbitrator. Impartially adjudicating a dispute requires a different mindset from advocating for one side. As a judge or arbitrator, I have no prior commitment to a particular result but am required to go wherever the evidence and reasoned arguments lead. I have sought to adopt the same dispassionate approach to the issues covered in this book. When I started writing, I was unsure what conclusions I would arrive at.

Everyone agrees in theory that attention to context is vital for understanding what someone has written. Adjudication of a legal dispute often requires an understanding of commercial correspondence which takes into account both the written words themselves and the real-life context within which they were written. In my work I often have the experience of interacting with people who wrote the letters which are being interpreted, and who therefore correct my misunderstandings. Time after time this provides sobering practical lessons in seeing how radically context can affect the meaning of what is written, and also how important it is to attend to the precise details of the words used if we are to understand correctly. This book tries to apply those lessons to reading letters written by Peter and Paul.

To support his warning that not many should become teachers, James says that we all make many mistakes (Jas 3:1–2). I was reminded of these words recently, when I diligently checked which days an art exhibition was open and then, in true Homer Simpson style, booked non-refundable train tickets for the only day when it was closed. Doubtless I have also made mistakes in this book. But I hope they are not enough to affect my overall conclusion, which is that each side makes important contributions towards understanding what the Bible teaches on these topics and, in order to be closer to Scripture, each needs to move beyond the confines of the existing debate and closer to each other. I hope and pray that this book will make a positive contribution.

My profession requires me to assess arguments which are presented persuasively, by capable and intelligent people. Within the broader discussion, I have made particular use of two major works: Wayne Grudem’s Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth (EFBT) and Philip Payne’s Man and Woman, One in Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Paul’s Letters (M&W). I have chosen these because of their thoroughness and because they are among the best-reasoned presentations on each side. The length of Grudem’s major work is largely driven by the range and number of arguments advanced by a wide variety of egalitarian writers; where he has rebutted weak or speculative arguments, I do not go over old ground again. The published literature is too vast for interaction with all of it. My central focus is the biblical texts, in their context.

Paul writes: ‘All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness’ (2 Tim. 3:16). This is my starting point. Some readers may not share it. This is not the place for defending it. To Christian readers I would simply say, the Bible is our anchor. If we set ourselves adrift from it, we are severing our connection with God’s revelation of himself in Jesus Christ. To any non-Christian readers I would say that there is no-one like Jesus, and nothing that makes sense of life like Christian faith. If any readers are sceptical of the very idea of revelation, they may like to consider how odd it would be if God created people in order to love them and relate to them, and then did not communicate with them.

My discussions of the biblical texts do not address any questions about authorship: I accept that Paul and Peter wrote the letters attributed to them in the New Testament, with the assistance of others where indicated.

²

The arguments from Genesis 1 – 3 in chapters 5, 8, 9 and 13 are all presented on the basis of reading the text at face value. For contemporary readers, especially those interested in scientific theories of human origins, this approach may raise some questions. It is not necessary to address those questions in this book, because we do not need to take prior interpretive decisions about what is literal and what is figurative or symbolic in order to hear what the Genesis writer intends to convey which is relevant to our topic.

³

Paul’s points in 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 and 1 Timothy 2:12–15 are taken from the way the Genesis story is presented, because he believes that the Old Testament scriptures constitute revelation from God in the precise form in which they are given (1 Cor. 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; see also Matt. 19:4–5; 22:31). To what extent Paul himself understood the accounts literally or in other ways is a question which need not detain us, because it does not affect the nature of his reasoning. Wherever I refer to the fall, I am referring to the biblical account, not to one particular theological understanding of it rather than another.

Translations from the New Testament are my own, except where otherwise stated. On the spectrum of possible translations they are markedly literal. They are not meant as substitutes for published versions, which aim to provide functional or optimal equivalence to the original. My purpose is to help readers get a reasonable idea of what individual words or phrases are being discussed, without needing a Greek New Testament or lexicon open beside them.

When I render a Greek word in English letters I identify it by giving the form of the word that would be given in a dictionary (nominative singular for nouns, first person singular present indicative active for verbs, and so on). I have departed from this practice where necessary (for example, where words in a phrase need to be in grammatical agreement). Such departures should be clear from the context.

In this book I express various disagreements with what scholars and Bible translators have written. I wish to emphasize that, however strongly expressed, my criticisms are solely of their reasoning or of the accuracy of their interpretation. In no instance do I intend any personal criticisms.

Wayne Grudem’s EFBT and Phil Payne’s M&W are both the result of prodigious effort over many years. I owe an enormous debt to them. Phil Payne was also kind enough to provide detailed comments on several draft chapters; unfortunately, circumstances prevented Wayne Grudem from doing the same. Additionally, in the chapters on 1 Timothy 2 I have particularly interacted, with profit, with Women in the Church (WITC).

As regards New Testament Greek I have received invaluable aid from widely available reference resources, particularly the fine websites at Bible Hub (<biblehub.com>) and Step Bible (). Bible Gateway () has provided access to a wide range of English versions. I have also been helped by The New Greek–English Interlinear New Testament: A New Interlinear Translation of the Greek New Testament, United Bible Societies’ 4th, corrected edition with the New Revised Standard Version, translators Robert K. Brown and Philip W. Comfort (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1990).

Where the References list does not provide bibliographical details for older works in English or for translations of ancient texts, this is because I have used published versions which are in the public domain and quickly accessible by an online search.

I am very grateful to those who somehow found time in their busy lives to provide comments on one or more draft chapters, even when they disagreed with what they were reading, including Nigel Atkinson, Antony Billington, Brian Capper, Bobbie Cole, Ian Coffey, James Dannenberg, Charles de Lacy, Charles Mason, Michael Ots, Rosemary Pepper, Richard Rogers, John Stevens and my wife, Elisabeth, who was pleased to help with any task that may bring her fellow American believers closer together. Their thoughtful and gracious comments saved me from many mistakes, infelicities and obscurities. Those which remain are entirely my own. My thanks go also to my ever-helpful editors at IVP/SPCK, Philip Duce and Rima Devereaux, and copy-editor Suzanne Mitchell.

To God be glory.

Andrew Bartlett

London

ABBREVIATIONS

BDAG – A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, ed. W. Bauer, F. W. Danker, W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000)

BNTC – Black’s New Testament Commentaries

BST – The Bible Speaks Today

BT – The Bible Translator

CBE – Christians for Biblical Equality

CBMW – Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

DBE – Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis (eds.), Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005)

EFBT – Wayne Grudem, Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth: An Analysis of 118 Disputed Questions (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2004)

EvQ – Evangelical Quarterly

FIEC – Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches

JBMW – Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

JETS – Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

JGRChJ – Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism

JSNT – Journal for the Study of the New Testament

LSJ – A Greek–English Lexicon, ed. Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott and Henry Stuart Jones, 9th ed., with rev. supplement by P. G. W. Glare (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), electronic edition under CC-BY-SA by the Perseus Project of Tufts University

M&W – Philip B. Payne, Man and Woman, One in Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Paul’s Letters (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009)

NCBC – New Century Bible Commentary

NICNT – New International Commentary on the New Testament

NIGTC – New International Greek Testament Commentary

NTS – New Testament Studies

PNTC – Pillar New Testament Commentary

RBMW – John Piper and Wayne Grudem (eds.), Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (Wheaton: Crossway, 1991)

TGC – The Gospel Coalition

ThZ – Theologische Zeitschrift

TNTC – Tyndale New Testament Commentary

TrinJ – Trinity Journal

TynBul – Tyndale Bulletin

UBS – The New Greek–English Interlinear New Testament: A New Interlinear Translation of the Greek New Testament, trans. Robert K. Brown and Philip W. Comfort, United Bible Societies’ 4th, corrected ed. with the New Revised Standard Version (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1990)

WBC – Word Biblical Commentary

WITC – Andreas J. Köstenberger and Thomas R. Schreiner (eds.), Women in the Church: An Interpretation and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9–15, 3rd ed. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2016)

Bible versions

amp – Amplified Bible, 2015

asv – American Standard Version

brg – BRG Bible, 2012

ceb – Common English Bible, 2011

cev – Contemporary English Version, 1995

cjb – Complete Jewish Bible, 1998

darby – Darby Translation

dlnt – Disciples’ Literal New Testament, 2011

dra – Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

ehv – Evangelical Heritage Version, New Testament & Psalms, 2017

esv – English Standard Version (Anglicized), 2001

gnt – Good News Translation, 1992

gnv – Geneva Bible, 1599

gw – God’s Word Translation, 1995

isv – International Standard Version, 1995–2014

kjv – King James Version

mounce – Mounce Reverse-Interlinear New Testament, 2011

nabre – New American Bible (Revised Edition), 2010

nasb – New American Standard Bible, 1995

net – New English Translation, 1996–2006

niv – New International Version (Anglicized), 2011

niv 1984 – New International Version, 1984

nkjv – New King James Version, 1982

nlv – New Life Version, 1969

nmb – New Matthew Bible, 2016

nog – Names of God Bible, 2011

nrsv – New Revised Standard Version, 1989

nte – New Testament for Everyone, 2011

ojb – Orthodox Jewish Bible, 2011

phillips – J. B. Phillips New Testament, 1972

rsv – Revised Standard Version, 1971

rv – Revised Version, 1881

tlb – The Living Bible, 1971

tlv – Tree of Life Version, 2015

tpt – The Passion Translation, 2017

voice – The Voice, 2012

we – Worldwide English (New Testament), 1998

wyc – Wycliffe Bible, 2001

ylt – Young’s Literal Translation

Bible acknowledgments

The Scripture quotation marked dlnt is from the Disciples’ Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples. Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All rights reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing.

Quotations marked ehv are from the Evangelical Heritage Version (ehv), New Testament & Psalms, © 2017.

Quotations marked esv are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The quotation marked nabre is from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Quotations marked nasb are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Quotations marked niv are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicized edition). Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘niv’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

Quotations marked nrsv are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

1. REVISING TRADITION, SEEKING UNITY

How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live together in unity!

(Ps. 133:1, niv)

What is this book about?

Bible-based Christianity is threatened with a needless schism. Devout believers line up under rival banners emblazoned ‘complementarian’ and ‘egalitarian’. The champions of each group claim that they alone are being faithful to God’s word as given in the Bible. They are passionate about the cause of Jesus Christ; they are also passionate about the dangers of the competing opinion.

Some complementarians say that their rivals are disobeying God’s design, undermining both family and society, and giving encouragement to sexual confusion and immorality. Some egalitarians say that complementarians are opposing God’s purposes, damaging Christian witness, and pouring fuel on the fires of domestic abuse, pornography and the denigration of women.

These far-reaching claims may seem out of proportion with the actual points of divergence. The debate is over the place of men and women in marriage and in church leadership, as portrayed in the Bible. Complementarians say that men must be leaders of their wives and that church roles involving authoritative teaching are reserved for men. Egalitarians disagree on both points. The purpose of this book is to encourage progress towards reducing and resolving these disagreements.

How did these issues become so divisive?

The loudest voices have been raised in the USA. Despite the vigorous life and growth of the church in South America, Africa and the Far East, the USA remains dominant as regards publications and resources. The discussion reached a turning point in 1986, after the winter meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. Since that time the division has become more firmly entrenched.

¹

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) was set up in 1987 to promote the complementarian teachings of what became known as the Danvers Statement (because it was adopted in Danvers, Massachusetts).

²

The CBMW soon published a book called Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (RBMW).

³

In 1988 Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) was begun (based in Minneapolis), in opposition to what it called ‘the shallow biblical premise used by churches, organizations, and mission groups to exclude the gifts of women’. It adopted its own, firmly egalitarian, statement in 1989.

⁴

A process of polarization has ensued. Organizations which had previously allowed liberty of opinion started drawing red lines. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention, which had previously allowed women pastors, revised its statement of faith in 2000 to add the words ‘While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.’ When The Gospel Coalition

⁵

was set up in 2005, it included an explicitly complementarian position in its Confessional Statement.

⁶

In 2012 a team leader in a campus ministry refused to allow female staff to teach Bible studies to mixed-gender audiences, and was demoted as a result.

⁷

An insistence on adopting one view or the other is not, or not yet, reflected widely across the world. Four thousand Christian leaders from 198 countries gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2010 at the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. They stated in the Cape Town Commitment:

We recognize that there are different views sincerely held by those who seek to be faithful and obedient to Scripture. Some interpret apostolic teaching to imply that women should not teach or preach, or that they may do so but not in sole authority over men. Others interpret the spiritual equality of women, the exercise of the edifying gift of prophecy by women in the New Testament church, and their hosting of churches in their homes, as implying that the spiritual gifts of leading and teaching may be received and exercised in ministry by both women and men.[96] We call upon those on different sides of the argument to . . . accept one another without condemnation in relation to matters of dispute, for while we may disagree, we have no grounds for division.[97]

⁸

But despite the Cape Town Commitment, the polarization is becoming more visible beyond the USA. For example, in the UK the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) re-confirmed its prohibition on women pastors and elders in churches in 2011 by adopting a formal Women in Ministry Statement, expressing its understanding of Scripture.

⁹

Although less prescriptive than what it replaced, it took a firm position, which meant that some pastors and churches, which had not been acting in line with long-standing FIEC policy, had no option but to leave.

¹⁰

The Vice Principal of a UK theological college commented in 2018: ‘The tone of the debate has become more strident in the past couple of years. . . . Women . . . sit in a classroom with men who don’t think they should be there!’

¹¹

The obligation to maintain unity

This polarization is disturbing. There is ‘one body’. Through the apostle Paul, God commands the church to ‘make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (Eph. 4:3–4, niv). Jesus prayed for his followers ‘that they may be one’ (John 17:11). Some clear principles for handling disagreements are set out in Romans 14:1 – 15:13. It is no light matter to insist on a complementarian or egalitarian red line when fellow Christians, who are not ignoring Scripture but doing their utmost to follow it faithfully, are not of the same mind on it.

In practice, it is not always possible to maintain full unity. Some matters are so important (for example, whether a church holds to the full humanity and deity of Jesus Christ) that boundaries must be drawn. There can also be practical reasons which make unity difficult to maintain. For example, considerable graciousness and ingenuity would be needed to enable churches which believe that they should be governed by monarchical bishops (single leaders over each geographical area) to be in the same organized grouping as churches which reject that belief. Nevertheless, if a church or other Christian association ties membership to a particular interpretation of Scripture which is not generally shared, this needs clear justification.

Organizations which have insisted on dividing over this issue have sometimes published explanations of their position. Such explanations do not always address the question of how such insistence is consistent with the command of Ephesians 4:3–4 to make every effort to maintain unity, or with the principles for handling disputed matters set out in Romans, both of which they regard as no less authoritative than the texts relied on in support of their interpretations of gender relations.

We will return to the topic of unity in the final chapter. Before then, we must examine the debated texts to see God’s good purposes, and how far one or the other position can be supported. First of all, it is necessary to say something about the history of interpretation of a woman’s place, and then about how biblical interpretation ought to be carried out.

The traditional ‘Christian’ view of a woman’s place

The traditional majority Christian view was robustly patriarchal. Women were inferior to men, both in rank and in nature. Men were the leaders in all spheres of life. As compared with men, women were regarded as inherently defective, being less intelligent, more prone to sin and unfit for the kinds of leadership which men were able to provide. They were not in God’s image in the same full sense as men. Some teachers believed that this was the way God originally created them, while others understood women’s defective nature to be a result of the fall.

The traditional majority view is found in the writings of Christian teachers through the centuries, including some of the faith’s best-known luminaries such as Augustine, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin:

Clement of Alexandria (about 190):

The mark of the man, the beard, by which he is seen to be a man, is older than Eve, and is the token of the superior nature. (The Instructor 3.3

¹²

)

Augustine of Hippo (about 418):

The woman together with her own husband is the image of God, so that that whole substance may be one image; but when she is referred separately to her quality of help-meet, which regards the woman herself alone, then she is not the image of God; but as regards the man alone, he is the image of God as fully and completely as when the woman is joined with him in one. (The Trinity 12.7)

That a man endowed with a spiritual mind could have believed this [the lie of the serpent] is astonishing. And just because it is impossible to believe it, woman was given to man, woman who was of small intelligence and who perhaps still lives more in accordance with the promptings of the inferior flesh than by the superior reason. (Literal Commentary on Genesis 11.42)

¹³

Albertus Magnus (about 1258):

For a woman is a flawed male and, in comparison to the male, has the nature of defect and privation, and this is why naturally she mistrusts herself. And this is why whatever she cannot acquire on her own she strives to acquire through mendacity and diabolical deceptions. Therefore, to speak briefly, one must be as mistrustful of every woman as of a venomous serpent and a horned devil. . . . the female is more prudent, that is, cleverer, than the male with respect to evil and perverse deeds. . . . In this way, the woman falls short in intellectual operations, which consist in the apprehension of the good and in knowledge of truth and flight from evil. . . . sense moves the female to every evil, just as intellect moves a man to every good. (Questions concerning Aristotle’s On Animals, Book 15, Question 11: Whether the male is better suited for proper behaviour [mores] than the female)

¹⁴

Thomas Aquinas (1273):

As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten . . . (Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 92, Article 1, Reply to Objection 1)

Woman is naturally subject to man, because in man the discretion of reason predominates. (Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 92, Article 1, Reply to Objection 2)

Martin Luther (1535):

The woman, although she was a most beautiful work of God, nevertheless was not the equal of the male in glory and prestige . . . this sex . . . is inferior to the male sex. (Lectures on Genesis 1 – 5, Gen. 1:27)

¹⁵

John Calvin (1548):

There is no absurdity in the same person commanding and likewise obeying, when viewed in different relations. But this does not apply to the case of woman, who by nature (that is, by the ordinary law of God) is formed to obey; for gunaikokratia (the government of women) has always been regarded by all wise persons as a monstrous thing; and, therefore, so to speak, it will be a mingling of heaven and earth, if women usurp the right to teach. (Commentary on Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Tim. 2:12)

Now Moses shows that the woman was created afterwards, in order that she might be a kind of appendage to the man; and that she was joined to the man on the express condition, that she should be at hand to render obedience to him. (Genesis 2:21). . . . God did not create two chiefs of equal power, but added to the man an inferior aid. (Commentary on Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Tim. 2:13)

Let the woman be satisfied with her state of subjection, and not take it amiss that she is made inferior to the more distinguished sex. (Commentary on 1 Corinthians, 1 Cor. 11:12)

Unquestionably, wherever even natural propriety has been maintained, women have in all ages been excluded from the public management of affairs. It is the dictate of common sense, that female government is improper and unseemly. (Commentary on 1 Corinthians, 1 Cor. 14:34)

Richard Hooker (1597):

[T]hings equal in every respect are never willingly directed one by another: woman therefore was even in her first estate framed by Nature, not only after in time, but inferior in excellency also unto man . . . [I]n ancient times . . . women . . . were in marriage delivered unto their husbands by others. Which custom retained hath still this use, that it putteth women in mind of a duty whereunto