This post is the second part of a series responding to Molly Aley, a homeschooling mother of five, undergraduate psychology student, lover of God, Alaska resident and self-described "99% egalitarian" blogger who recently posted My Disassembling Protestantism: Sola Scriptura.

I understand that Molly is representing her own thoughts and not serving as the official spokesperson for all egalitarians everywhere.  (And I certainly don't pretend to speak for all complementarians!)  I understand that many egalitarians believe the Bible is the final authority, and a dialogue based on careful reading and exegesis of the Scriptures is a healthy process for the church.  CBMW is glad to engage in this ongoing civil discussion through JBMW, many published books, this website, and personal interactions.

The key point that I would like to make today is that a consistent complementarian could not make the statement, "I'm fed up with Sola Scriptura." Sola Scriptura is essential to the complementarian position.  Revelation from the Word of God is the only solid foundation for our understanding that men and women are equal in value and dignity, but distinct in their roles and functions at home and church.

The foundation of the complementarian position cannot rely on reason alone.  There is not a convincing rational argument about why I should lead my family and not my wife.  An argument for male headship could not be solely based on greater spirituality (not true, we have equal access to the Cross), greater intelligence (not true anyway), greater height (true, but not relevant), or greater strength (true, but domination based on strength is not the same as leadership).  The argument for complementarianism depends ultimately on Scripture alone.

I can't make a convincing argument for male headship in marriage based on my feelings alone.  Feelings are a helpful guide, and to me it feels good and right to hold a door for a woman or to hold my daughter protectively close during scary parts of movies.  In this sense, I agree with John Piper that God wrote manhood and womanhood on our hearts and deeper down men and women know it.  Unfortunately, sin has defaced this imprint.  In other words I would not trust the inclinations of my deceitful heart because the temptation toward pride, selfishness or laziness in marriage is too great.  On the other side, it seems to me that an argument against male headship based on feelings apart from the Scripture ultimately reduces to, "I feel patriarchy is yucky."

I can't make a convincing argument for male leadership in the church or headship in marriage based on tradition alone, even though it has been the long-standing practice of the Church for centuries.  Times and traditions change but the Word of God endures forever.  Tradition must be guided by revelation.

The complementary nature of manhood and womanhood and its implications for the home and church can only be defended from the Scripture alone.  Sola Scriptura is essential to the complementarian position.  But, praise God, we do have the Word of a speaking God to guide and correct our reasoning, feelings and traditions.  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Word of God is not only understandable and authoritative for matters of home life and church doctrine, it is also sufficient to fully equip a man or woman of God for every good work.  It is profitable.  Training in righteousness will lead to competence in loving headship and joyful submission. 

If the Scriptures are clear and sufficient, then why is there an ongoing divide between egalitarians and complementarians, Calvinists and Arminians, and other disagreements over interpretation in the church?  We will address that tomorrow in part III.

Molly Aley is a homeschooling mother of five, undergraduate psychology student, lover of God, Alaska resident and self-described "99% egalitarian" blogger. I'm grateful for the common grace of the Internet that allows people around the globe to carry on a Christian dialogue about significant issues. In a recent post entitled My Disassembling Protestantism: Sola Scriptura, Molly shared her understanding of Scripture:

And so here's where I get thrown out of the camp and dragged to the stake, but it seems silly not to be honest only for the sake of group think. Fact is, I'm fed up with Sola Scriptura.

I found her entire post provided several clarifying insights that distinguish my understanding of the complementarian position from her egalitarian position. My goal for the next two days is not to pillory Molly, but to highlight these distinctions so that my presuppositions may be clearly known and to clarify for mutual readers one reason why we might not see eye-to-eye on gender issues.

Specifically, I believe that Sola Scriptura is essential to the complementarian position. We would not ever understand the equal value and the complementary roles of men and women apart from revelation in the Bible.

Fans of Martin Luther will remember that Sola Scriptura is a Latin phrase meaning "Scripture alone" and was a fundamental tenet of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. It asserts that the Bible alone (not the Bible along with church tradition) is both clear and sufficient to guide individual believers in all matters of living out the Christian life.

In her blog, Molly asks the following two questions:

First Question: Does the Bible say that it is the final authority of Christian doctrine?

Second Question: Is the Bible clear to the rational reader?

She argues that if the Bible were both clear to rational readers and the final authority of Christian doctrine, then we would no longer have deep and lasting disagreements in the body of Christ. Therefore, the existence of such divisions in the church raise questions about the clarity and sufficiency of Scripture. She says:

Complimentarians and Egalitarians both find their position from Scripture. The Arminian and Calvinist positions both claim they are found in the clear teaching of the Bible. Charismatic and non-Charismatic both base their stance on the Scriptures. The Church of Christ claims it best reflects God's desire for the way "church" ought to be, but then again, so does the Baptist and the Pentecostal, and all three of them point to the Bible for "proof" that they are right.

And finally, she asks:

Was the Bible ever supposed to be clear? That's what I'm wondering.

I would humbly, yet boldly assert that the Bible is clear and sufficient. It is God's proclamation of the good news of salvation made available through the death of Jesus Christ and serves as a guide for Christian life and conduct.  The Bible alone is the ultimate authority over the believer's conscience.

Is the Bible clear? It certainly claims to be. By God's grace, it is the Word of God that helps simple people like me become wise: "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple (italics mine, Psalm 19:7). The Bible must be understandable because it imparts understanding to simple people (Psalm 119:30). Further, God's words are assumed to be accessible in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 where all parents are commanded to teach them to children and discuss them throughout the daily activities of life. Therefore, seminary can be helpful, but is not required to understand the Bible.

Does the Bible claim to be the final authority on Christian doctrine? Well, the Bible claims to be the very words of God, and God does not lie (Deuteronomy 18:18-22, Titus 1:2). To disobey the words of the Bible is equal to disobeying God himself. A claim to authority from within Scripture itself is not a never-ending circular argument, but an appeal to the highest attestation because there is no greater authority than God. Jesus and the other New Testament authors recognize the Old Testament as true and binding (John 5:45-47, Hebrews 1:1-2, and many others). Peter and Paul also recognize New Testament writings as the authoritative Word of God ( II Peter 3:15-16, I Timothy 5:18).

In this light, what does the divide between egalitarians and complementarians, Arminians and Calvinists, and many others tell us about the clarity and sufficiency of Scripture? In Bible Doctrine, Wayne Grudem concludes:

But in no case are we free to say that the teaching of the Bible on any subject is confusing or incapable of being understood correctly. In no case should we think that persistent disagreements on some subject in the history of the Church mean that we will be unable to come to a correct conclusion on that subject ourselves. Rather, if a genuine concern about some such subject arises in our lives we should sincerely ask God's help and then go to Scripture, searching it with all our ability, believing that God will enable us to understand rightly. (p. 53)

Sola Scriptura is essential to the complementarian position, and the long-standing existence of the gender debate does not cast any doubt on the clarity or sufficiency of the Scriptures. Tomorrow we will explore the implications of this key difference in presuppositions.

"God has given spiritual gifts enabling women to serve the church in crucial ways, and one of the goals of CBMW is to help Christian leaders recognize, develop and utilize these gifted women to edify the body of Christ," stated David Kotter, Executive Director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.  He added, "While God has reserved some positions of leadership for men, churches should not limit women beyond biblical guidelines.  In fact, healthy churches will encourage members of both genders to joyfully and humbly serve to advance the Gospel."

For this reason, CBMW will examine the topic of women in ministry at its annual "Different by Design Half-Day Conference" to be held from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Feb. 4 at the Minneapolis Hilton, prior to the annual Desiring God Pastor's Conference.

Sponsored by the Fidelis Foundation, the event will feature J. Ligon Duncan III and Susan Hunt as keynote speakers. Duncan serves as senior pastor for First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Miss., and is chairman of the board for CBMW. Hunt is a speaker and author who also serves as consultant to the Presbyterian Church in America's Women in the Church Ministry. Duncan and Hunt co-authored the 2006 Crossway book Women's Ministry in the Local Church.

"We hope that pastors, elders, and women's ministry leaders will join us to better understand how to practically implement biblical guidelines for how men and women can best serve in the local church," said Kotter.

Online registration for the half-day Conference is $20. Audio files from "Different by Design 2007"  are available here.

The wind conceals a biting edge, Jack Frost leaves morning traces on windshields, and festively-decorated "holiday" trees have graced stores for several months.  This means that Christmas is officially in the air, and raises the burning question of what to get that special complementarian in your life.  What gift would Santa bring to a complementarian who has been especially good this past year?

While not exhaustive, the following list is an attempt from the team at CBMW to lower your stress levels by providing some helpful suggestions that will enhance your celebration of Christmas and still bring good cheer in the New Year.  

These gift ideas are targeted to those people you love who optimistically hang stockings capable of holding bulky items and who enjoy reading about how precious truths from the Word of God are applied to to the gender differences that are inevitably highlighted at at holiday time (i.e. the giving of small household appliances as "sweetheart" presents, falling asleep in front of a football game instead of pitching in to help clean up after the feast, or fill in details from your own experience.)

Drumroll please:

Husbands
     Building Strong Families 
     edited by Dennis Rainey

John Piper' s chapter on "Marriage Lived for the Glory of God" should be read by every single husband and every young man who aspires to be a husband. Stu Weber and Susan Hunt team up to provide chapters on raising masculine sons and feminine daughters. C. J. Mahaney also contributes a helpful chapter on sexual intimacy in marriage.

Wives
     Biblical Womanhood in the Home 
     edited by Nancy Leigh DeMoss 

"True Beauty" by Carolyn Mahaney paints a biblical portrait of the essence of femininity. "Liberated through Submission" by P. Bunny Wilson teaches the truths that will set hearts free.

Single Men and Women
     Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart
     by John Ensor

Girltalk recommends this book. Need we say more?

Pastors
     Pastoral Leadership for Manhood and Womanhood 
     edited by Wayne Grudem and Dennis Rainey 

This year, give the pastor in your life something more substantial and lower calorie than a batch of cookies. Chapters on "The Pastor's Marriage", "How to Encourage Husbands to Lead And Wives to Follow", and "Standing Courageously in Your Home, Church, and Community" will be a blessing both to your pastor and the whole congregation.

Seminary Students
     Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth  
     by Wayne Grudem 

What could possibly say “I love you” to the seminarian in your life better than an 856 page book with small type? Every future pastor should have Wayne Grudem's biblical and critical response to every single evangelical feminist claim ever made on planet Earth.

Can God use the iPod to build up the church?  New technologies can often be a mixed bag, but one of the blessings I have appreciated from digital audio is access to outstanding teachings from churches around the world and even from past years. 

I also appreciate being able to listen to them anywhere.  While I confess that hearing a sermon while working out or mowing the lawn is not a substitute to sitting under the preached Word with a gathering of believers on a Sunday morning, biblical teachings and audio books have been an improvement to the classic rock soundtrack at my fitness center or the mindless drone of the mower motor.

The following is a sampling of the sermon and conference MP3s that have recently been added to our website, and we hope that they are a blessing to you both in convenience and in biblical content:

Marriage, Gender, and Sex: Sorting it All Out
R. Albert Mohler Jr.
How to Be Feminine in a Feminist World
Mary K. Mohler
Portrait of a Foolish Woman
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Tampering with the Trinity: How the Trinity Relates to Gender Roles
Bruce A. Ware
Models for Biblical Womanhood
Jodi Ware
Wisdom for Women from Titus 2
Susan Hunt
Is Evangelical Feminism a New Form of Liberalism?
Wayne Grudem
Marriage Lived for the Glory of God
John Piper
Preaching on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
John Piper

I applaud Desiring God Ministries, Sovereign Grace Ministries and other ministries like them who are committed to serving the church by making resources available for free.  Our goal at CBMW is to make available some of the best biblical teaching on gender free of charge.  We are constantly seeking to add to our library, and would appreciate your feedback if you are aware of a sermon, lecture or conference talk that should be included.