I wish I could be on the same team as Owen Strachan of the CBMW, but his divisive political rhetoric makes it very difficult.
Case in point is this week’s post over at CBMW.org. For one, he implies that “the true church” preaches hierarchical complementarianism- an odd view given their utter lack of Biblical foundation for such gender hierarchy. But I realize such stone-throwing is part of their politics of denigrating egalitarians at every opportunity.
Thus Owen quotes Matthew Vines linking gay marriage with egalitarianism, and claims they are both born from the same hermeneutics. I’m sorry, Owen, but this brother has to call BS.
Just this morning I read the excellent new article at the Junia Project on Women Leaders in the American Colonies. If Doctor Strachan doesn’t know that godly preachers from the early centuries of the USA were preaching egalitarianism from the Bible and not from a godless humanistic cultural worldview perhaps he should take another class or two. Or maybe just read up on it at The Junia Project.
I don’t have to look it up to know that Anne Hutchinson, Margaret Fell, and Jarena Lee weren’t OK with gay marriage, because the Biblical hermenutics that led them to embrace egalitarianism has nothing whatsoever to do with affirming gay marriage and sexual practice.
Owen reminds me of Joe Friday from Dragnet. Does anyone remember this?
That kind of thinking was very common in the 60s and 70s. And you know what? We knew it was all a load of hooey. And once we figured that out, we didn’t listen to a word they had to say. I think the Joe Friday speeches turned more young people toward drugs than away from them.
Yes, Owen. You’re trashing the credibility of us all by your non-Biblical nonsense. And youre dividing with Christians like me who agree with you about the gay marriage concern, because you’d rather play the fear card as a political wedge for your pet issue.
It’s people like you spreading fear and division, and the Sunday morning all male revue advocated by CBMW and 9marks that has led us to the current confusion in the church over how to minister to gay folks without compromising the Word of God.
We could actually work together on that, but your doctrine won’t allow it. So I do agree with you on one thing: complementarianism matters a great deal more than many of us think.
This Brother 