Many evangelical Christians know Susan Wise Bauer as an advocate of a classical approach to home school education.

Home schoolers also know her well by her four-volume history series for children, The Story of the World.

Thus, many evangelicals may have been blindsided by the egalitarian view of gender roles which she informally—but unambiguously—set forth on her weblog this week. On her blog "The History of the (Whole) World," on which Bauer muses about her upcoming four-volume series on world history and other topics, Bauer reflects upon a recent lecture series she presented at her alma mater, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadephia.

Bauer expresses great affection for Westminster Seminary, but bemoans the fact that the school from which she earned a master of divinity remains committed to a complementarian view of gender roles despite the fact that the culture has "moved on" to a full embrace of egalitarianism.

Writes Bauer, "My guest lecture was in an ecclesiology class, in which I tried to get the students to consider the ways in which their Americanized evangelical indoctrination in what it means to be "masculine" or "feminine" affects their understanding of the New Testament.

"Evangelicals generally are very resistant to the idea that their ideas about masculinity and feminity are in any way shaped by their culture; a certain division of gender roles has become, for many American evangelicals, the center of their orthodoxy… Far too many evangelical groups identify themselves, not by their understanding of the resurrection, but by the restrictions they place on women.

Randy Stinson, Executive Director of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is disappointed. "Many of us have long appreciated Bauer’s contributions to the home schooling movement but unfortunately she is undermining biblical authority by holding her current position on the gender issue. While all of us are impacted in some way by our culture, the Bible gives clear guidelines and examples of how men and women should relate to one another. We do not consider this to be the core issue of orthodoxy but we do see this as a central issue with regard to Christian discipleship. We are not generic Christians, we are either male Christians or female Christians and the Bible is clear that there are distinct differences in many of the ways we will live out the Christian life."

Bauer also noted, "There are tremendous fears that lie behind this attitude, which I have written and lectured on before and won’t take the time to lay out here. Sometimes discussions about "women in the church" are actually discussions about the reliability of the Bible, and sometimes discussions about the reliability of the Bible are actually discussions about men’s fears of women, and it’s exceedingly difficult to figure out WHICH conversation you’re having at any given time..."

Stinson responded by saying, "Bauer is certainly correct in believing that complementarians see this as a matter of biblical authority and fidelity. Fear of women is not part of the equation for us. Our concern for obedience to Scripture and maintaining the picture of Christ and the church as depicted in Eph. 5 is the driving force behind our work and efforts. Nothing less than the health of the home and church is at stake."

Bauer then applauds heartily a recent book by John G. Stackhouse, Jr., Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender; She particularly hails Stackhouse’s conclusion in which he asserts "Now…that modern society is at least officially egalitarian, the scandal is that the church is not going along with society, not rejoicing in the unprecedented freedom to let women and men serve according to gift and call."

Bauer concludes her brief analysis by pointing readers to "check out" Stackouse’s book at Amazon.com, while warning them to disregard "reactionary ignorant customer review, an ongoing hazard for all thoughtful writers," apparently alluding to the one reviewer who disagrees with Stackhouse’s thesis.

Bauer is an English instructor of writing and American literature at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and founder of Peace Hill Press.

She is the author of The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, a guide to reading the great books. She co-authored, with her mother, Jessie Wise, The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. She is also a contributing editor to "Books & Culture."

To read Bauer’s complete weblog post quoted in this article, please see: http://susan.peacehillpress.net/blog/?p=30

The guidelines include a set of general suggestions regarding how Vineyard members and leaders are to pursue gracious, loving relationships in general and another set of more specific guidelines urging latitude on the issue of women in the ministry.

Under the heading of "Guidelines on the Issue of Women as Senior Pastors," the document recommends that:

In the introductory section, the board says it is re-examining the issue of women in church leadership as a whole: "In response to concerns that have been raised, the Vineyard board is committing it's self to further study and prayer on the subject of women in all levels of leadership."

Charismatic pastor John Wimber founded Vineyard Ministries International in 1984. Today, there are more than 850 Vineyard churches worldwide and the ministry includes a global church planting movement, a publishing house and a music production company. The Vineyard is distinguished for its belief in the continuation of the "sign" gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues and miraculous healing.

Wayne Grudem, a board member for The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), is a former Vineyard church member and leader. He says Wimber himself would not agree with the new guidelines. Wimber believed that Scripture limited the office of pastor (or elder) to men, Grudem said.

"I am saddened by this development in the Association of Vineyard Churches, especially because I was formerly a member of one Vineyard church and helped to found another one," Grudem said.

"This development has moved the Vineyard in a direction that (Vineyard founder) John Wimber explicitly opposed when he was alive, such as his 1994 statement, ‘I believe God has established a gender-based eldership of the church.’

  "This development is further evidence of the fact that no ‘middle ground’ position is possible in the long run regarding the ordination of women as pastors and elders. Once the egalitarian position gains a foothold in a denomination, it soon begins to require everyone to agree with it or else leave the denomination."

Asking one who rejects female pastors on biblical grounds to "bless" female pastors when they see them at work is encouraging that believer to sin, Grudem said.

"I do not see how anyone (like myself) who thinks women are disobeying God when they function as senior pastors or elders could in good conscience ‘bless these women’ as the policy requires," Grudem said.

"How can I bless or support someone doing an activity that I deeply believe is sin, and that the Bible (1 Tim. 2:12; 3:2) explicitly forbids? How could God be pleased with me if I were to bless or support this? But this is the direction the egalitarian position always goes, forcing those who disagree with it to fall into line."

Grudem fears that the net result of the new guidelines will be further capitulation by the Vineyard movement to the spirit of the age.

"Under the guise of ‘mutual respect’ I believe the Vineyard leadership, by this policy, will drive out the pastors who are most faithful to the teaching of John Wimber and most faithful to the Word of God itself," Grudem said.

"With sadness and regret I now expect that compromise with the spirit of the age will soon follow in other areas of Vineyard teaching as well.  I sincerely hope that the Vineyard will reverse this policy."

First published in 1980, a few years before the term complementarian was coined, Man and Woman in Christ: An Examination of the Roles on Men and Women in Light of Scripture and Social Science has long been considered the magnum opus in detailing the complementarian position of biblical manhood and womanhood.

Author Stephen B. Clark, a Yale sociologist, writes from a Christian perspective and aims his volume at an ecumenical audience. The work, recently reprinted by Tabor House, presents a detailed look at gender roles from a biblical perspective and deals with feminist arguments from social science.

In his examination of Scripture, Clark looks at the social structures of both the Old and New Testament cultures as well as individual sections and texts to demonstrate that gender roles are woven into the fabric of God’s special revelation.

Clark also unpacks the view that that the light of nature—God’s general revelation—also demonstrates complementary differences between men and women as well. This is seen in the work of the social sciences, he shows.

Clark exposes the faulty methodology that feminist social scientists use to arrive at their conclusions that there are very few differences between males and females. Feminists employ these methods to advance an explicitly political agenda, Clark argues. Clark interacts with major feminist figures and their arguments.

Donald Bloesch calls Man and Woman in Christ "a welcome antidote to the barrage of propaganda from the egalitarian left that blurs the distinction between the sexes and denies the biblical teaching of hierarchy in the order of creation."

Man and Woman in Christ is available through The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood’s webstore here.

            Besides making new the hearts of the Christian man and woman who have united in wedlock, what does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to do with a healthy marriage?

            Everything, Gary and Betsy Ricucci assert in a new book from Crossway, Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace.

The book--written for married or engaged couples or those in anticipation of marriage--is a biblical exposition of how to make the truth and principles of a godly marriage not just come alive, but last. Together, husband and wife discuss what the Bible has to say about marital roles, the why and how of communication, conflict resolution, romance, intimacy, and more.

The Ricuccis are members of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md., where CBMW council member Joshua Harris serves as pastor. They have more than 25 years of experience in presenting marriage seminars and counseling couples. Gary teaches students pastoral care in the Sovereign Grace Pastors College. C. J. Mahaney, vice-chairman of  CBMW, serves as president of Sovereign Grace Ministries.

In an interview with Sovereign Grace Ministries’ “Family News,” Gary Ricucci said the goal of the book is to see married and engaged couples to build their marriage upon the immovable foundation of the gospel. One critical aspect of a “love that lasts” is a couple’s commitment to the local church, he says.

“Our desire is to offer a biblical, gospel-centered and grace-motivated approach to marriage that brings genuine hope (which will never come from pursuing marriage for our own happiness). We also want to point readers toward the local church as a means of grace for marriage. Marriage must find its purpose in God, its hope in the gospel, and its home in the local church.

“Quite simply, we really do want our readers to find hope for change…hope for a “love that lasts.” But the right question is not “how do I do this?” The right question is “who is this about?” And the answer is God himself.”

The book begins with two foundational questions that the authors consider the defining questions of a biblical marriage:

• Does your marriage find its purpose primarily in God?
• Does your marriage find its hope in the gospel of grace?

The authors unpack the centrality of the gospel of grace from there, applying it to comprehensively to areas such as the roles of the husband and wife, communication, romance, and sexual intimacy. In every area, they seek to show how a grace-centered marriage is a healthy marriage.

            “We are intent (because God is intent) on having your heart and marriage filled with the hope and grace of God’s love, faithfulness, and power displayed in the gospel—the person and finished work of Christ,” the authors write.

            “And God’s grace is every bit as present and effective on our best days as it is on our worst. God is constant in his commitment to love, bless, and transform, not because of our performance, but because of the perfection of his Son. That is the gospel of grace. And it is grace that gives us hope.

            “When we grasp the depth of God’s love for us revealed in the gospel, when we rest in the joy of God’s forgiveness toward us in the gospel, when we experience God’s transforming power in us through the gospel, and when we begin to emulate the pattern of humility and obedience we see in the gospel, what a wonderful difference this will make in our lives and marriages! Nothing is more essential to a marriage, and nothing brings more hope than applying the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

            The book also includes a forward by C. J. and Carolyn Mahaney. Love That Lasts is available in the CBMW webstore here.