Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Part of a series on Christianity and Gender

Theology

Female disciples of Jesus Gender roles in Christianity Jesus' interactions with women List of women in the Bible Paul of Tarsus and women Women as theological figures Women in the Bible

4 major positions

Christian Egalitarianism Christian feminism Complementarianism Biblical patriarchy

Church and society

Christianity and homosexuality Ordination of women Women in Church history

Organizations

Christians for Biblical Equality Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus

Theologians and authors

Feminist: Letha Dawson Scanzoni · Anne Eggebroten · Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Egalitarian: William J. Webb · Kenneth E. Hagin · Gordon Fee · Frank Stagg · Paul Jewett · Stanley Grenz · Roger Nicole Complementarian: Don Carson · John Frame · Wayne Grudem · Douglas Moo · Paige Patterson · Vern Poythress Patriarchal: Doug Phillips · R. C. Sproul, Jr. · Douglas Wilson

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The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) is an evangelical Christian organization promoting a complementarian (as opposed to an egalitarian, feminist, or patriarchal) view of gender issues.^[1][2][3] CBMW's current president is Dr. Randy Stinson^[4] who is also Dean of the School of Church Ministries at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

History

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood was organized in 1987.^[5][6] Its origins lie with a talk by Wayne Grudem on "Manhood and Womanhood in Biblical and Theological Perspectives" at a 1986 meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), where he invited delegates to join "a new organization dedicated to upholding both equality and differences between men and women in marriage and the church."^[7] This was followed by a meeting in Dallas with Grudem, John Piper, Wayne House, and others.^[7] A subsequent meeting was held in Danvers, Massachusetts. Here the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood was finalized.^[8] A full page advertisement containing the full Danvers Statement was published in Christianity Today in January 1989.^[9]

In 1991, Crossway Books published the organisation's lengthy book, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism. Edited by Piper and Grudem, this book included contributions by D. A. Carson, John Frame, Vern Poythress, Douglas J. Moo, Paige Patterson, Elisabeth Elliot, and several other writers.^[10] Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ also supported the organisation.^[11]

The Danvers Statement^[12] has been endorsed or adopted by the Southwestern Baptist Seminary^[13] and several independent churches.^[14][15] Randall Balmer says that the Statement was an attempt to "staunch the spread of biblical feminism in evangelical circles."^[16] Seth Dowland suggests that the authors of the statement "framed their position as a clear and accessible reading of scripture.^[17] The Danvers Statement is included in readers such as Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism: A Documentary Reader (NYU Press, 2008) and Eve and Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim readings on Genesis and gender (Indiana University Press, 2009).

The Danvers Statement recognised the "genuine evangelical standing of many who do not agree with all of our convictions."^[18] In 1994, three leaders of CBMW met with Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) for discussions. While there was much dialog, little agreement was found.^{[citation needed]}

In 1998, the organisation established a British branch, in which Terry Virgo was active.^[19]

As of December 2010, the CBMW had a funding level of around $127,000, down from $336,000 two years earlier.^[6]

Positions

The CBMW takes the position the the Bible restricts the ordination of women.^[20]

In the late 90s CBMW published articles and papers critical of gender-neutral Bible translations, such as Today's New International Version of 2002. CBMW has drawn Christian media attention by expressing concerns about such translations.^[21][22][23] The organizations thoughts on Bible translations have had influence upon Southern Baptists,^[24] Focus on the Family, and other evangelical organizations.

Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood (JBMW)

Wayne Grudem co-founded a CBMW newsletter, which became the Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood,^[25] published biannually.^[26] The editor is Dr. Denny Burk.^[27]

The journal usually consist of around fifteen articles composed by various evangelical scholars who hold to complementarian views.

Publications

Books

• Piper, John; Grudem, Wayne A.. Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism. Crossway Books. ISBN 978-1-58134-806-4.  (Book of the Year for Christianity Today, 1992) – online edition

See also

• What's the Difference?
• Women in Christianity
• Women in the Bible

Notes

1. ^ Rosemary Skinner Keller, Rosemary Radford Ruether, and Marie Cantlon (2006), Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America, Indiana University Press, p. 468.
2. ^ Pamela Cochran (2005), Evangelical Feminism: a History, NYU Press, p. 160.
3. ^ Agnieszka Tennant, "Nuptial Agreements," Christianity Today, March 11, 2002.
4. ^ CBMW web site: Randy Stinson, accessed 13 Sept 2011.
5. ^ CBMW web site: about us, accessed 13 Sept 2011.
6. ^ ^{a b} Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability web site: Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, accessed 13 Sept 2011.
7. ^ ^{a b} Wayne Grudem, "Personal Reflections on the History of CBMW and the State of the Gender Debate," JBMW, Vol. 14 No. 1.
8. ^ Roger E. Olson (2004), The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology, Westminster John Knox Press, p. 312.
9. ^ Daniel T. Rodgers (2011), Age of Fracture, Harvard University Press, p. 312.
10. ^ John Piper and Wayne A. Grudem, eds. (1991), Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism, Crossway Books, table of contents.
11. ^ John G. Turner (2008), Bill Bright & Campus Crusade for Christ: The renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America, UNC Press, p. 209.
12. ^ "Core Beliefs: The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood." Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), 1987. Web:13 Jul 2010.
13. ^ http://www.swbts.edu/index.cfm?pageid=1727
14. ^ http://www.gracenevada.com/What_we_believe.htm
15. ^ http://churchofthefirstcentury.org/SOF.aspx
16. ^ Balmer, Randall (2004). "Danvers Statement". Encyclopedia of evangelicalism. Baylor University Press. p. 170. 
17. ^ Dowland, Seth (2009). "A New Kind of Patriarchy: Inerrancy and Masculinity in the Southern Baptist Convention, 1979-2000". In Friend, Craig Thompson. Southern masculinity: perspectives on manhood in the South since Reconstruction. University of Georgia Press. p. 258. 
18. ^ Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen (2010), A Sword Between the Sexes?: C.S. Lewis and the Gender Debates, Brazos Press, p. 76.
19. ^ Mathew Guest, Karin Tusting, and Linda Woodhead (2004), Congregational Studies in the UK: Christianity in a Post-Christian Context, Ashgate Publishing, p. 194.
20. ^ Stanley James Grenz and Denise Muir Kjesbo (1995), Women in the Church: a Biblical Theology of Women in Ministry, InterVarsity Press, p. 15.
21. ^ "'I will make you a fisher of PEOPLE': New gender-neutral Bible translation angers conservatives," Daily Mail, 18 March 2011.
22. ^ Glen G. Scorgie, Mark L. Strauss, and Steven M. Voth (2009), The Challenge of Bible Translation: Communicating God's Word to the World, Zondervan, Note 55.
23. ^ Art Toalston, "Bible scholars quickly begin debate of new gender-neutral NIV revision," Baptist Press News, 30 Jan 2002.
24. ^ Michael Foust, "Patterson, Mohler endorse resolution critical of NIV '11," Baptist Press News, 29 June 2011.
25. ^ Sarah Sumner and Phillip E. Johnson (2003), Men and Women in the Church: Building Consensus on Christian Leadership, InterVarsity Press, p. 38.
26. ^ CBMW web site: Journal, accessed 13 Sept 2011.
27. ^ CBMW web site: Staff, accessed 13 Sept 2011.

External links

• The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood official site