Which Way Modern Women?
Author Unknown
What does the Church teach about Womanhood and Marriage?
Egalitarian – “Equality” of sexes, marriage is mutual submission, no hierarchy
Complementarian – Pietistic headship and submission, rejects male “authority”
Biblical Patriarchy – “Father Rule” Historical and biblical view on gender roles
Since Christians have increasingly rejected Biblical Patriarchy over the last 100 years and brought secular philosophy of love and marriage into the church, we’ve seen the utter destruction of the Christian family.
Just look at the statistics:
Over 50 percent of all marriages now end in divorce (Christian divorce rate is the same)
70 percent of all divorces are initiated by women (90 percent if they are college educated)
Married women working outside home: from six percent in 1900 → to 60 percent in 2019
Number of children per family: 7.04 in 1800 → 3.56 in 1900 → 1.73 in 2018
Less than 10 percent of Evangelicals today disagree with a woman preaching in the pulpit
Today, 84 percent of Christians send their children for public school indoctrination
Lifeway: female authors now outnumber male authors four to one in Christian literature
82 percent of “youth group” teens abandon the Christian faith after one year in college
In less than three generations, 2000 years of church history, and the clear reading and application of the biblical texts regarding love, marriage, gender roles, child rearing, and male headship in the church and home are now completely and thoroughly rejected by nearly all Western denominations. Today, most pastors and seminaries will teach literally, the exact opposite of a clear and simple reading of the text. Less than one percent of seminaries still hold to and teach Biblical Patriarchy when it was over 95 percent a hundred years ago.
How did this tectonic shift happen? The simple answer is the absolute cowardice of the men in the pulpits over the last 75 years to confront, with scripture, the meteoric rise of feminism inside their churches. In that vacuum, Egalitarian feminists took over the seminaries and rewrote the “doctrines” and “theology” regarding “Godly womanhood.”
Just like Satan in the garden, Egalitarian “doctrine” openly teaches women to:
Doubt Scripture – Gen 2:1 “Did God really say…”
Deny Scripture – Gen 2:4 “No! That’s not what God said…”
Distort/Twist Scripture – Gen 2:5 “In fact, God knows your eyes will be opened…”
Just like 2 Tim 3:6 warns, Egalitarians destroy entire households by going after wives through false teaching in bestselling Christian books, music, higher education, entertainment, and social media influencers. Egalitarians tell a lot of emotional stories, distort God’s Word, decry the past evils of Patriarchy, and elevate descriptive stories over prescriptive scripture to tickle women’s ears. Today, most Christians are being led astray on this topic by the “spirit of the age.”
In 1987, John Piper tried to create a “middle-way” appeasement to the rise of feminism by coining the term Complementarianism and telling men to become a “Servant Leader” to their wife. On paper, they affirm headship and submission but only in pietistic fashion while rejecting any male authority in practice. They joined hands with the Egalitarians decrying Biblical Patriarchy as too strict, oppressive, and “abusive” to women.
Now, with Patriarchy’s demise, Complementarian women are rapidly being led into full Egalitarianism (most don’t even realize it). Meanwhile, godly men are increasingly rejecting marriage to loud, independent, and rebellious Christian women who don’t want to be a “mere” homemaker or help meet. Sadly, the feminist battle cry of “Smash the Patriarchy” succeeded.
The Western Christian church is almost fully Egalitarian at this point, even though many still use the superficial Complementarian title. If we truly love Christ, desire to please him with our lives, and wish to repair the millions of broken and dysfunctional Christian marriages, we must conform ourselves to scripture and return to traditional Biblical Patriarchy in the home.
Below are two, must-read historical, doctrinal, and theological books on marriage, home life, and gender roles (available on Amazon):
Richard Baxter – The Godly Home (1673)
William Gouge – Of Domestic Duties (1622)
Which Way Modern Woman? Will you follow 21st Century “cultural christianity” or God’s Word?
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15
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7 thoughts on “Which Way Modern Women?”
What I think is sad is how many men prefer the equal status, I have found a lot of men prefer it more than women. I can never understand that. Some men I know have gone as far as saying that it is insure men who prefer the whole Biblical Patriarchy and that it is not for nowadays we have wait for it evolved beyond it – bonkers!
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I’m a bit confused by this
article. What exactly is the difference between Patriarchy and Complementarianism In practical terms. I’d thought I was both. What am I missing here? 🙂
Hi MJ, Patriarchy believes that men are the ones God put into authority in the homes, churches, and nations. Complementary does not. It’s watered down to make it more palatable to modern women. Women can rule outside of the home which isn’t biblical. And husbands lead by serving rather than serve their wives by leading.
A modern book with more detail on the origins of Complementarianism and what Christian Patriarchy actually looks like is:
“Masculine Christianity” by Zachary Garris
For a good look at the history of feminism and some positive encouragement for the role God created women to live out, I recommend:
“Eve in Exile: The Restoration of Femininity” by Rebekah Merkle
Thanks Lori for explaining. I didn’t realise that Complementarianism was watered down.
Thank you for all the writing that you do. You’re doing a superb job. I was once a feminist, so I understand where so many modern women are coming from, but they just don’t see how beautiful God’s ideal for them is. I so pray for them. I’ve been very influenced by your writing. I don’t always agree with everything you say but I have changed my mind sometimes about things you’ve said. Never stop being contrary.
I’ll be checking out those books, Trey.
Dear MJ;
I always find it so interesting when a women claims that she was “once a feminist” but now, ostensibly, rebukes it; and in the same breath offers the obligatory “…not always agree with everything you say…” comment that is the irrefutable hallmark of a feminist. How can you reconcile your supposed abandonment of the evils of feminism with the declaration that Mrs. Alexanders’ factual statements about feminism are disagreeable to you? Lori’s deconstruction of feminism is based solely on scripture; not personal opinion. So you actually “disagree” with God since He is the source of Lori’s statements and factual discourse.
There is absolutely nothing redeeming about feminism since it rejects God’s order of mankind and his place in the universe. How do you or any other “Christian” woman find fault in this incontrovertible fact? It seems to me that statements such as yours are indicative of your support and belief in feminism. If you were being absolutely honest with yourself, you would admit that you: still believe its lies; and whisper its merits to other women from the shadows because you are still deceived.
There is nothing scriptural supporting the behavior of modern western women: from their pride in “body counts; pride in their shameless exhibitionism of their barely-concealed nudity in public; to their absolute pride in disobedience to God {vicariously} by wanton disobedience to their marital vows. Feminism is anathema to Christianity. When a woman publicly admits that she “…{sometimes} change[s] her mind…” to scriptural truth of God’s order, what she is actually admitting is that she rebukes God the majority of the time by convincing herself that the very same scripture is only a matter of opinion when it highlights her sin of open rebellion. Remember feminism’s tenets are for women to pursue all sin and rebellion by claiming they have the strength of men; the privilege of women; and the responsibilities of a child. Only when western women finally abandon their rebellion to God will order be restored in the contract of marriage: in this there is no debate.
Dear Mr. Williams
You sound like a troll. I may well be wrong of course, but why should the fact that we know nothing about someone stop us from making assumptions about them? All I said was that I didn’t agree with everything Lori said. I never said anything else.
Dear MJ;
Yes, of course I am a troll for noticing the same patterns over and again with statements made by feminists clothed as “Christian” women. I suggest you re-read your own words as they are the true testament to your beliefs in feminism.