Editor’s Note: The following article appears in the Fall 2024 issue of Eikon.
Several years ago, a debate surrounding the inner workings of the Trinity erupted. One theologian whose views were in the crosshairs was Wayne Grudem, recently retired distinguished research professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary.[1] Through his voluminous writings and decades of lectures, Grudem has significantly influenced the evangelical theological landscape. His most popular work, Systematic Theology,[2] has gone through multiple editions and sold more than 500,000 copies.[3]
In 2016, however, Grudem’s explanation of the Trinity in reference to the eternal relationship of the divine persons, specifically the Father and the Son, came under fire from other Protestant theologians.[4] Though filled with complexities, Grudem has consistently explained that he believes in ontological equality within the Trinity. That is, within the nature of the Trinity, all persons are equal in essence. Functionally, however, the Son submits to the Father and always has (thus, eternal subordination). For years, some theologians and pastors have found this to be a helpful explanation of the Trinitarian relationship and used such arguments to undergird their complementarian theology. That is, men and women are equally created in the image of God and are of equal value and worth (just like the Father and Son are equal in divinity). Yet, women are called to submit to the leadership of their (male) husbands and to their (male) elders (like the Son submits to the Father).
As critics have taken Grudem’s trinitarian theology to task and offered a corrective that many have found convincing, some pastors and theologians have decided to cast Grudem aside altogether. But this is a mistake. Grudem is not perfect, but his many writings are still helpful today. Pastors and professors alike would find his work on various subjects a real help to them in their ministries.
One of the areas of theology that Grudem has spent a lot of time addressing is that of manhood and womanhood.[5] Specifically, he has written extensively on the topic of egalitarianism and complementarianism. For more than fifty years, Grudem has contributed journal articles, lectures, and book-length treatments on God’s design for men and women in the church, home, and world. His books, despite some areas of warranted criticism, are still worth reading today as Christians aim to practice biblical manhood and womanhood.[6]
One of the books he has written in this vein is Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says this book “represents one of the most insightful and courageous theological works of our time.” Mohler is correct. This book was important in 2006 when originally published and remains important today as evangelical feminism continues to plague the church.
In Evangelical Feminism, Grudem shows how evangelical feminist arguments undermine the authority of Scripture. Indeed, this is Grudem’s overarching concern. Nothing less than the trustworthiness and authority of the Bible is at stake. In Grudem’s view, the tactics evangelical feminists employ to make their case for egalitarianism end up “undermining the authority of Scripture” (11). This will, in Grudem’s estimation, lead churches and Christians down the path of liberalism. The stakes, then, are high. Given the weight of the debate, evangelical feminists and their approach to the Bible should not be ignored. For Grudem, what is true and, therefore, what is demanded of Christians hangs in the balance.
While addressing evangelical feminist arguments, Grudem does not imply that every evangelical feminist is a theological liberal. That is, not every egalitarian “denies the complete truthfulness of the Bible as the Word of God and denies the unique and absolute authority of the Bible in our lives” (15).[7] Some egalitarians have made feminist arguments and resisted the slide into liberalism. But Grudem tries to show “that the arguments used by egalitarians actually undermine the authority of Scripture again and again, and in so doing they are leading the church step by step toward liberalism” (262). So not every egalitarian has succumbed to liberalism, but only by the grace of God and in spite of their own arguments.
This refrain fills the pages of the book. Grudem shows chapter-by-chapter how evangelical feminist arguments weaken biblical authority and hurt the church. To make his case, Grudem divides the book into four parts. The first part of the book introduces the subject matter ahead, while the second chapter unpacks history. This second chapter is particularly important in our current cultural moment. The moment we are living in now (2024) connects with the feminist moment when Grudem wrote the book (2006). There is an egalitarian posture that pervades society in the West. Males and females are often seen as interchangeable.[8] Whatever a man can do, a woman can do (and probably better!). A case in point: the US government is currently debating the idea that both men and women should register for selective service.[9] The #MeToo movement, the portrayal of men as bumbling fools on television (think Ray in Everybody Loves Raymond), and the rise of the female superhero (e.g., Marvel, Black Widow)[10] all reflect a feminist culture. In 2020, Pew Research reported that 61% of women identify as feminists, while the majority of the population in America believes feminism has resulted in positive outcomes.[11] Within the church, the rise of female pastors and women preaching in evangelical churches has been well documented and supports the assertion that we live in an egalitarian moment.[12]
Grudem stepped into his own egalitarian moment in 2006 and tried to show the historical connection between egalitarianism and theological liberalism. To show this pattern, he begins by noting what year certain liberal denominations began ordaining women. He lists the Methodist Church (1956), PCUSA (1956 [north] and 1964 [south]), the American Lutheran Church (1970), Lutheran Church in America (1970), and the Episcopal Church (1976). Today, the leadership in these denominations is “dominated by theological liberals” (24). Again, Grudem explicitly notes that not every egalitarian is a liberal. Yet, the historical connection is undeniable. Liberalism and egalitarianism are joined at the hip. As Grudem writes, “it is unquestionable that theological liberalism leads to the endorsement of women’s ordination. While not all egalitarians are liberals, all liberals are egalitarians. There is no theologically liberal denomination or seminary in the United States today that opposes women’s ordination” (29). This historical connection should serve as a warning to every evangelical. The slippery slope, while often derided as a logical fallacy, seems to be slippery.[13]
In sections two and three, Grudem begins to deal with the arguments of evangelical feminists. In section two, Grudem addresses fifteen arguments that either “deny the complete truthfulness of Scripture or deny the full authority of Scripture as the Word of God for us today” (33). For example, in chapter three Grudem takes on the view of Rebecca Groothuis. Groothuis, a popular egalitarian author, argues that the language of the Old Testament simply reflected a “patriarchal culture.” This, however, according to Groothuis, “says nothing about God’s view of gender” (36). Yet, as Grudem carefully shows, “to say that these words of the Bible have a ‘patriarchal meaning’ that God did not intend, and in fact to say that these words of the Bible tell us ‘nothing about God’s view of gender,’ is simply to deny the authority of this part of Scripture” (36). Grudem takes on such approaches to Scripture and consistently shows how the arguments are not supported by historical evidence, are not faithful to the Bible, and are riddled with logical inconsistencies.
In the third section of the book, Grudem moves away from dealing with arguments that directly deny the authority of the Bible to writing ten chapters that look at how evangelical feminists use arguments that introduce “untruthful or unsubstantiated claims about what certain words in the Bible ‘really mean,’ or about some historical facts that change our understanding of the situation to which a book of the Bible was written” (153). That is, if you simply understood the historical situation or had a more thorough knowledge of the semantic range of words, the egalitarian reading would make sense. As Grudem will show, the problem with these arguments is that there is “no proof” to support them (157).
For example, some evangelical feminists assert that the reason Paul did not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over men (1 Tim 2:12) is because the female residents of Ephesus were uneducated. Therefore, they lacked the qualifications needed to teach God’s people. Gilbert Bilezikian makes such an argument in his book, Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible Says About a Woman’s Place in Church and Family.[14] Grudem, however, cites the work of S. M. Baugh to show that these arguments are not supported by the available historical evidence. In addition, Grudem convincingly demonstrates that the available biblical evidence actually repudiates the egalitarian argument.[15] For instance, according to Grudem, “the Bible never requires advanced degrees for people who teach God’s Word or have governing authority in the church” (174). Furthermore, “the New Testament shows several women who had a considerable level of understanding of Scripture” (175). Consider Priscilla and Aquila. These two went with Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18–19) and “explained [to Apollos] the way of God more accurately” (18:26). Grudem concludes, “So in A. D. 51 Priscilla knew Scripture well enough to help instruct Apollos…[yet] Not even well-educated Priscilla, nor any other well-educated women of Ephesus who followed her example and listened to Paul’s teaching for several years, were allowed to teach men in the public assembly of the church” (176). These ten chapters, then, effectively challenge the idea that there is “a special background situation” or some obscure meaning of a word that ends up supporting an evangelical feminist reading of the Bible.
Sections two and three of the book comprise twenty five chapters that offer devastating rebuttals to evangelical feminists claims. These chapters are well researched, displaying an impressive grasp of the available literature on the topics at hand. Whether or not a person agrees with Grudem, if you pay attention to the footnotes you’ll have a better grasp of the corpus one could read in order to be acquainted with the larger conversation. These chapters are also filled with biblical exegesis, are historically astute, and rigorously logical. In short, what Grudem has produced in Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism continues to offer Christians a valuable resource in understanding God’s design for manhood and womanhood while challenging the prevailing feminist winds.
Are there things to critique in the book? Of course. I think Grudem’s use of the Trinity is misguided. I do not believe the concept of the eternal submission of the Son to the Father is the correct way to talk about the Trinity. Yet, Grudem does not appeal to the Trinity to support every argument. His work, in other words, does not stand or fall on EFS — contrary to the claims of his egalitarian critics. For example, though his view of the Trinity is found at a few other points in the book, he devotes only one chapter to eternal functional subordination. Outside that specific chapter, Grudem does not often mention the Trinity. In his chapter dealing with education and Ephesus, for instance, the function of the Trinity is not mentioned at all.
Again, in my opinion, EFS is not the most faithful description of trinitarian relations. Yet, I do not think Grudem is a heretic. This important part of his work may be off base, but it does not mean the whole of his work should be cast aside. In fact, if you take out every reference to EFS in this specific book, you will still find the book effectively challenges the arguments so often used by egalitarian authors.
Therefore, I believe we can read Grudem’s work with a discerning eye (as we should with any author), test what we read like good Bereans, take what is good, and discard the rest. And it is my belief that there is much good in Grudem’s Evangelical Feminism. It remains a relevant and helpful work of our own day and age where the feminist impulse and egalitarian moment is alive and well.
[1] Dr. Grudem earned his PhD at Cambridge University and subsequently taught at several institutions during his career. This includes teaching posts at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. In addition, he has served as the President of the Evangelical Theological Society (1999), as well as the General Editor for the ESV Study Bible from Crossway.
[2] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020).
[3] According to waynegrudem.com, “[Systematic Theology] has sold over 500,000 copies and has been translated into fifteen other languages, with at least four more foreign translations now in process..” (https://www.waynegrudem.com/systematic-theology).
[4] The debate over “eternal functional subordination” (EFS) or “eternal subordination of the Son” (ESS) was at a fever pitch in 2016. Liam Golligher and Carl Trueman, two Presbyterian theologians, challenged both Bruce Ware (systematic theology professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) and Wayne Grudem. Both Ware and Grudem maintained that the Son was eternally subordinate to the Father, but only in terms of function. In terms of essence, the Father and Son were both equally divine. The controversy continues today, and it seems the views of Grudem and Ware have become the minority position. To read more on the debate, read this summary by Michael Ricarrdi from The Master’s Seminary: “The Recent Trinitarian Debate” The Master’s Seminary Blog (June 15, 2016), https://blog.tms.edu/recent-trinitarian-debate.
[5] Grudem is one of the founders of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) and helped coin the term “complementarianism” in the 1980s.
[6] Other than the book under consideration in this article, there are a number of books written or edited by Grudem worth reading on this subject. See John Piper and Wayne A Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006); Wayne A. Grudem, Evangelical Feminism & Biblical Truth: An Analysis of More than One Hundred Disputed Questions, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012). In addition to these books, Grudem has written dozens of articles that address key questions and debates, some of which can be found at waynegrudem.com.
[7] This is how Grudem defines a theological liberal in his book: a theological liberal “denies the complete truthfulness of the Bible as the Word of God and denies the unique and absolute authority of the Bible in our lives” (15).
[8] For a corrective, see Doug Ponder, “Egalitarians and the State of Christianity Today,” American Reformer (April 5, 2024) https://americanreformer.org/2024/04/different-from-and-different-for.
[9] Some have reported that congress had already passed this bill. It seems, however, that the bill is being debated. Ted Barrett, “Top GOP senator on Armed Services Committee opposes proposed changes to military draft registration and having women drafted” CNN (June 19, 2024), https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/19/politics/roger-wicker-opposes-military-draft-changes/index.html.
[10] “We are really seeing the effect of women demanding characters who are more relatable,” says Linda Mizejewski, Distinguished Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Ohio State. “We’re seeing the effect of feminism in the media, and more opportunities for women in filmmaking, such as Patty Jenkins, who directed ‘Wonder Woman.’ All those things are happening together.” “The Rise of the Female Superhero,” Ohio State Impact (June 1, 2021) https://www.osu.edu/impact/arts-and-creativity/mizejewski-female-superhero. See Greg Morse, “Behold Your Queen: The Real Conflict in Captain Marvel,” Desiring God (March 11, 2019), https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/behold-your-queen.
[11]Amanda Barroso, “61% of U.S. women say ‘feminist’ describes them well; many see feminism as empowering, polarizing,” Pew Research Center (July 7, 2020), https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/07/07/61-of-u-s-women-say-feminist-describes-them-well-many-see-feminism-as-empowering-polarizing.
[12] Kevin McClure, “How many female pastors are there in the SBC?” American Reformer (June 10, 2023), https://americanreformer.org/2023/06/how-many-female-pastors-are-in-the-sbc.
[13] It is worth noting that a slippery slope argument does not seem to be an automatic fallacy. If the premises are more plausible than not, then the argument has merit. For a good explanation, see Patricia Engler, “Logical Fallacies: Slippery Slope Arguments,” Answers in Genesis (February 10, 2021), https://answersingenesis.org/blogs/patricia-engler/2021/02/10/logical-fallacies-slippery-slope-arguments.
[14] Gilbert G. Bilezikian, Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible Says about a Woman’s Place in Church and Family, 3rd ed (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006).
[15] See S. M. Baugh, “A Foreign World: Ephesus in the First Century,” in Women in the Church: A Fresh Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:9–15, ed. Andreas Köstenberger, Thomas Schreiner, and H. Scott Baldwin (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1995).
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