What is really going on here? During the last decade, English-speaking Evangelical Christians have been describing themselves as ‘complementarians’ and ‘egalitarians’, both claiming scriptural authority. As is apparent, I reject both these terms not only as inadequate but downright misleading in the search for a biblically-based Christianity...Sydney Anglican leaders claim that these are vows with biblical warrant, for the New Testament includes passages exhorting wives to ‘submit’ to their husbands...This is, nonetheless, the most disturbing development to come out of Sydney Anglicanism in its long and proud history. It is unbiblical, idolatrous, and sinful.The proposed service takes the analogy of church / bride and Christ / husband used by St Paul and hardens it, such that the bride becomes the church and the husband becomes Christ. The woman submits to her husband as if he were God.
While this might suit the present fad for would-be saviours of baseball-bat Christianity like Mark Driscoll, it is not good news. There is only one God, and both male and female are made in God’s image, not husbands alone.
The proposed service ties women, however willingly at the time, to a holy vow before God that they will submit to their husband without qualification. Vows like this become meaningful, not when life is easy and love is shared, but in those tough times that occur in all relationships.
When the nice Sydney Anglican husband falls off the rails, forgets his vow to love his bride like Christ, and comes home and beats she has no choice but to submit to the assault. Calling the police or ringing the women’s refuge is not an option. The best she can hope for is that her male pastor might notice the bruises and have a discreet word to her husband about his duty to be Christ-like in his love before she is in fear of her life....The proposed Sydney Anglican wedding service attempts to cement the ideology of complementarianism in the most common public occasion where gender and Christianity are explicated: marriage. It reveals how far this division has gone, how false this division is, and how horrific is the true agenda.
Complementarians do not teach merely that women cannot be leaders in the home or the church. In fact there is nothing whatsoever that is complementary (or complimentary) about the relationship between man and women within marriage. At the end of the day, when the going gets tough, the wife must do whatever her husband requires.
Complementarians support rape within marriage.
Complementarians believe domestic violence is a domestic problem the husband should solve.
Complementarians believe women should not read the bible in church meetings when men are present.
Complementarians are unbiblical, idolatrous and sinful.
Complementarians believe in slavery, and the duty of slaves to submit to their masters.
This is not Christian, this is not Anglican, and Sydney is worthy of far better than this.
So I hope and pray that members of Sydney Synod will throw out this perilous innovation and avoid condemning a whole generation of bible-believing women to unbiblical submission.
Bill you know them bondage sessions... are them women allowed to scream out... or do they remain silent like Sydney Anglican women. Surely when they call out "Mercy" them fellas know they've asserted too much control?
Calam... "Mercy" might work in bondage sessions... but I think Sydney Anglicans are more about combative submission ...so I think that they would prefer "I surrender" or "I give up" from their women!
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