Editor's Column

These are sobering days for evangelicalism. While there are many signs of God's favor and blessings, those endeavoring to be faithful to God and his word are faced with departures from sound biblical teaching on many fronts. Within the discussion of biblical manhood and womanhood alone, there are grave reasons for concern, prayer, and renewed fidelity.

David Jones opens our Fall 2003 issue with an eye-opening look at the undeniable historical connections that exist between groups denying biblical views of manhood and womanhood and those same groups being urged to move in the direction of the acceptance of homosexuality's legitimacy. Jones is careful to avoid making any claim of logical necessity here; i.e., an egalitarian is not logically bound to affirm homosexuality. But, the nature of the arguments for egalitarianism lend themselves particularly well elsewhere, and Jones provides much helpful information on this connection.

Randy Stinson, CBMW's executive director, suggests another departure the egalitarian movement is being urged to take. Masculine God language has been retained by conservative egalitarians, due to the fact that the God of the Bible has named himself this way. But, it is no surprise that many egalitarians are not happy about this. The pressure to remove masculine God language from our (formerly) Christian vocabulary is strong and growing. Stinson has done a great service for Christian readers in helping us see more clearly just what is happening and what is at stake.

Behind many of these departures stands a method of biblical interpretation that gives rise to these deeply troubling views. Paul Felix offers a very insightful analysis of the hermeneutical methodology employed in egalitarian writings and exposes some of its most significant flaws. Only when we see how egalitarians think in their approach to the Scriptures are we able to assess their procedure and critique their positions.

In striking contrast to these areas of departure from biblical fidelity, we offer two very fine examples of how to understand, articulate, and apply true biblical principles of manhood and womanhood. Pastor David Prince's sermon, "Saved in Childbearing? God's High Calling for Mothers," is both insightful and inspiring. And, Patricia Ennis's essay, "Portraying Christian Femininity," offers an abundance of practical wisdom. These two resources are rich with biblical insight, wise counsel, and carefully conceived practical application.

The title of our cultural commentary from Russell Moore will turn a few heads, but more to the point, its content will inform all of ours in helpful ways. And, along with this cultural commentary, we introduce in this issue another column that we've entitled, "Celebrating Biblical Womanhood." Nancy Leigh DeMoss has agreed to write a brief column for this and several upcoming issues of JBMW, and we are thrilled to bring to our readers her passion and insight. Nancy is a dear friend of CBMW, and we rejoice in the ministry God has given her to encourage women in their spiritual growth and in their understandings of their God-given womanhood. Here are just a few gems from this godly woman, and we trust readers will profit much from her words.

Randy Stinson also offers here a brief review of a very popular book: John Eldredge's Wild at Heart. And again, I commend the hard work, diligence, and skill of Mr. Rob Lister, our Managing Editor, in offering to our readers an annotated bibliography of the most significant books on gender published in the previous year, 2002. No other resource, to my knowledge, offers such a helpful survey of this literature, and so we express our gratitude for this useful service.

As a theologian, I am painfully aware that the evangelical church today risks massive doctrinal departures from "the faith once for all given to the saints" in a staggering array of areas. Among these, and at the center of Christianity's interface with our culture, are the temptations to compromise on issues of sexuality and gender. We offer this issue of the Journal, then, with the prayer that God would be pleased to use this tool to keep more men and women of God faithful to him and, by his grace, to pull some back from paths of ruin. If so, we will give God all the praise for any and all good accomplished for his kingdom. May God be glorified!