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Complementarianism is a theological view in some denominations of Christianity, Rabbinic Judaism, and Islam,[1] that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family, and religious life. Some Christians interpret the Bible as prescribing a complementary view of gender, and therefore adhere to gender-specific roles that preclude women from specific functions of ministry within the community.[2][3][a] Though women may be precluded from certain roles and ministries, they still hold foundational equality in value and dignity. The phrase used to describe this is "ontologically equal, functionally different."[4]
Within a Judeo-Christian marital relationship, complementarianism prescribes headship and servant leading roles to men,[5][6] and support roles to women, being based upon the interpretation of certain biblical passages. One precept of complementarianism is that while women may assist in decision-making processes, the ultimate authority for the decision lies in the headship responsibility of the male. Its contrasting perspective is Christian egalitarianism, which holds that positions of authority and responsibility in marriage and religion should be equally available to both females and males.
The Foundation Documents of The Gospel Coalition describes complementarianism as follows:
In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways. God ordains that they assume distinctive roles which reflect the loving relationship between Christ and the church,[b] the husband exercising headship in a way that displays the caring, sacrificial love of Christ, and the wife submitting to her husband in a way that models the love of the church for her Lord.[7]
- ^ Karin van Nieuwkerk (21 July 2009). Women Embracing Islam: Gender and Conversion in the West. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292773769. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
Secular feminists in Muslim societies demanded full equality in the public sphere, calling for access to education, work, and political participation as part of women's self-development and the empowering of the society in the decolonizing process. Within this feminist framework women accepted the notion of complementarity in the private sphere, upholding the notion of male predominance, regarded as benevolent predominance in the family. They called upon men to fulfill their duties, protecting and providing in ways that upheld the rights and dignity of women.
- ^ Wright, N.T. (4 Sep 2004). "Women's Service in the Church: The Biblical Basis". Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 12 Jul 2010.
- ^ Blomberg, Craig; Markley, Jennifer Foutz (1 November 2010). Handbook of New Testament Exegesis. Baker Academic. p. 53. ISBN 978-0801031779.
- ^ Piper, John (1991). Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway. pp. 31–59. ISBN 9781856840453.
- ^ Piper, John (November 10, 2007). "Sexual Complementarity: Session 3". Desiring God. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Köstenberger, Andreas J.; Köstenberger, Margaret Elizabeth (January 15, 2019). "5 Myths about Complementarianism". Crossway. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Foundation Documents of The Gospel Coalition". The Gospel Coalition. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
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