The Evangelical Response to Feminism

To say that feminism is evil will get you into a lot of hot water; you’re sure to contract the disdain and the glares of many people in America today. To say that a feminist is wrong in her understanding of the female role is like saying women should be slaves, or at least that is how such a statement will be regarded (whether or not that is justifiable). Nonetheless feminism is a growing problem and evangelicals must respond to it. Of course the questions to ask now are “how” and “why”.

Why Should Evangelicals Respond to Feminism?

The answer to the “why” question goes back to scripture. The Bible paints a picture of men and women that is not only contrary to the feminist picture, but is in fact opposed to it.

We read in Genesis chapter 2 that God “made man”. Many have noticed the numerical position of the created genders, and rightfully so, for it represents God’s desired order: man first and woman second. Now before you blow off reading the rest of this article because you have instantly labeled me as a “sexist pig”, let me urge you to continue reading and I hope to change that opinion.

Why did God ordain an order for the genders? Why did He create man first? What both of these questions are really asking is, “What is the purpose of a created order among genders?” The apostle Paul gives us the answer in his letter to the Ephesians. He writes, “Wives submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:22-25).

Paul’s words are indicative of the fact that the relationship of a wife and husband is a representation of the relationship between Christ and His church. God created marriage not as a solution to man’s aloneness in the Garden of Eden, but as an example of the already existent love of Christ Jesus for His church. Christ’s love for the church existed first and marriage was created to give us an example of this love (though it is not a perfect parallel).

Thus it may be said that if the relationship between male and female represents the relationship between Christ and the church, then one person must be the leader and the other must be the submitter. One must represent Christ and the other must represent the church. In this situation God has chosen male headship, though He could just as easily have chosen female, but the point is that man is the ordained leader. Of course that statement should not lead us to suppose that God arbitrarily chose men as leaders; God does nothing without a purpose, but Paul again gives us some insight. Paul says, “This mystery is profound”. This is partly a mystery. We do not know all of the reasons for God’s designing things the way He did but we can be certain that, as Paul says, “it refers to Christ and the church.”

In light of all this Biblical support it becomes apparent to us that evangelicals must respond to feminism because it opposes God’s created order. It is anti-biblical and it undermines the very relationship it was made to reflect (that is Christ’s love for the church). The feminist would have the church be equal (or even above) Jesus Christ. This perversion of the truth is what evangelicals must oppose, for the glory of God.

How Should Evangelicals Respond to Feminism?

The “how” question is much more difficult to answer. We certainly want to be sensitive to the pain and sorrow that corrupt, sinful, and unbiblical male headship has produced; but just because some ungodly men have taken advantage of their position does not meant hat we should abandon the whole God-ordained system.

First of all we must respond in love. Our priority in advocating this position is not to make women doormats or men dictators; our aim is love. We want the best for our families and our nation, and what is best is what God set up: male headship and female submission. Statistics show that children who grow up with out godly male leadership in the home are more prone to both extremes of the failed husband: neglect and passivity, and abuse. We love our families, our children, our wives, and our God, that is why we endorse complimentarianism, not egalitarianism.

Secondly, we must respond in truth. By avoiding the subject or caudling our brothers and sisters we are not helping them. We must speak the truth of God’s word, boldly and yet with patience and love. Correct our sisters and brothers who see no problem with female leadership in the home or church. Some have proposed that Paul was sexist or that this issue was a cultural thing- these fabrications don’t stand up against the text of scripture. To fail to defend the Bible is to disobey God.

Finally and most importantly it requires work by men. If we are to correct the pro-feminist attitude in the church it must begin by husbands taking responsibility and loving their wives like Christ loved the church. It requires male leadership to be taken seriously by men. The majority of spiritual leaders in the home and church, on average today, are women. Men are lethargic and indifferent for the most part on spiritual matters. That is a shame to men and a sin against God and our families. Men must not only be leaders but they must be sacrificial leaders. Paul gives men one command as husbands, but is a strong command: “Husbands love your wives, like Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”

Sacrifice. Lead in humility, serve your wives. If husbands will love like Christ then we will see women who willingly respect, honor, and submit to them.
Evangelicals must respond to feminism, we cannot sit in the shadows as this issue grows up ungodly men and women in our churches. We must fight with love, patience, humility, and with the aim of glorifying our God who has ordained that things be this way. Is this tough truth? Yes, but it is truth nonetheless