Christians for Biblical Equality
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Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) is non-profit organization of Christian men and women that advocates a biblical basis for gift-based, rather than gender-based ministry of Christians of all ages, ethnicities and socio-economic classes. Its charter, Statement of Faith, and raison d'être is based on its interpretation of overarching principles of the Bible. Founded in 1987, CBE's international home office is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. Their Web site is located at www.cbeinternational.org
Its membership classes include individuals and churches representing more than 80 mostly evangelical denominations and are from across the United States, Canada, and 150 additional countries.
The organization defines injustice as an abuse of power, taking from others freedom, dignity, resources, and even life itself. When individuals are not allowed to use their God-given gifts in Christian ministry, it is injustice that harms the Christian church at large and Christian ministry in the world. The organization sees as its call to be part of God’s mission in opposing injustice as required in Scriptures such as the following:
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- He has showed you, O man, what is good.
- And what does the LORD require of you?
- To act justly,
- To love mercy
- To walk humbly with your God.
[edit] Core Values
Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) has adopted the following beliefs as their core values:
- The Bible teaches the equality of women and men.
- God has given each person gifts to be used for the good of Christ’s Kingdom.
- Christians are to develop and exercise their God-given gifts in home, church, and society.
- The Bible teaches that Christians are to oppose injustice.
[edit] CBE's Statement of Faith
Any religious organization's Statement of Faith tells a great deal about its philosophical and theological basis for service and where it falls on a spectrum between Conservative and Liberal thought. Strong social concerns are most often identified as reflecting liberal stances. However, CBE's Statement of Faith represents almost the antithesis of liberal thought except in the area of CBE's gender-based concerns, its organizational distinctive. With that important exception, these declared matters of faith are typical of the beliefs shared by most conservative evangelical Protestant Christian churches and organizations:
- We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, is reliable, and is the final authority for faith and practice.
- We believe in the unity and trinity of God, eternally existing as three equal persons.
- We believe in the full deity and full humanity of Jesus Christ.
- We believe in the sinfulness of all persons. One result of sin is shattered relationships with God, others, and self.
- We believe that eternal salvation and restored relationships are possible through faith in Jesus Christ who died for us, rose from the dead, and is coming again. This salvation is offered to all people.
- We believe in the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation, and in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers.
- We believe in the equality and essential dignity of men and women of all ethnicities, ages, and classes. We recognize that all persons are made in the image of God and are to reflect that image in the community of believers, in the home, and in society.
- We believe that men and women are to diligently develop and use their God-given gifts for the good of the home, church and society.
- We believe in the family, celibate singleness, and faithful heterosexual marriage as God's design.
- We believe that, as mandated by the Bible, men and women are to oppose injustice.
[edit] Conferences
Beginning in 1989, CBE has presented biennial national conferences--three-day events consisting of plenary sessions and workshops in such U.S. cities as St. Paul (Minnesota), Winter Park (Colorado), Wheaton (Illinois), San Diego (California), Orlando (Florida), and Dallas (Texas). Its 2007 conference will be held in Denver, Colorado, in August.
An international off-shore topical conference was held in 2004 in Durham, England. In 2007, one is scheduled for Bangalore, India, in February.
[edit] References
The organization's Web site contains a list of CBE's Board of Reference, an interdenominational group of theologians and authors prominent in conservative Christian circles. It present Board of Directors is also listed by name.
[edit] Resources
Along with providing resources on their interpretation of Bible passages and encouragement for those who see themselves as disenfranchized, CBE has a large Web site with many online resources. CBE also offers a book service, Equality Depot ([1]), with resources on theology, Christian history, mutuality in relationships, reconciliation, and spiritual/physical/emotional abuse.
CBE publishes two periodicals, both of which have received awards from the Evangelical Press Association: Priscilla Papers, an academic journal, and Mutuality, a newsmagazine. CBE also publishes an online journal, E-Quality, and hosts The CBE Scroll, a blog for respectful and thoughtful discussion on gender and the Bible.
CBE's statement, "Men, Women, and Biblical Equality” lays out the biblical rationale for equality as well as its application in the community of believers and the family. Available in 23 languages! NEW: Bulgarian, Dutch, Kiswahili, Marathi, Nepali and Polish © Copyrighted by CBE. All rights reserved. Click here for reprint information.
[edit] Statement on Men, Women and Biblical Equality
The Bible teaches the full equality of men and women in Creation and in Redemption (Gen 1:26-28, 2:23, 5:1-2; 1Cor 11:11-12; Gal 3:13, 28, 5:1).
The Bible teaches that God has revealed Himself in the totality of Scripture, the authoritative Word of God (Matt 5:18; John 10:35; 2Tim 3:16; 2Peter 1:20-21). We believe that Scripture is to be interpreted holistically and thematically. We also recognize the necessity of making a distinction between inspiration and interpretation: inspiration relates to the divine impulse and control whereby the whole canonical Scripture is the Word of God; interpretation relates to the human activity whereby we seek to apprehend revealed truth in harmony with the totality of Scripture and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. To be truly biblical, Christians must continually examine their faith and practice under the searchlight of Scripture.
Biblical Truths
Creation 1. The Bible teaches that both man and woman were created in God's image, had a direct relationship with God, and shared jointly the responsibilities of bearing and rearing children and having dominion over the created order (Gen 1:26-28).
2. The Bible teaches that woman and man were created for full and equal partnership. The word "helper" (ezer), used to designate woman in Genesis 2:18, refers to God in most instances of Old Testament usage (e.g. 1Sam 7:12; Ps 121:1-2). Consequently the word conveys no implication whatsoever of female subordination or inferiority.
3. The Bible teaches that the forming of woman from man demonstrates the fundamental unity and equality of human beings (Gen 2:21-23). In Genesis 2:18, 20 the word "suitable" (kenegdo) denotes equality and adequacy.
4. The Bible teaches that man and woman were co-participants in the Fall: Adam was no less culpable than Eve (Gen 3:6; Rom 5:12-21; 1Cor 15:21-22).
5. The Bible teaches that the rulership of Adam over Eve resulted from the Fall and was therefore not a part of the original created order. Genesis 3:16 is a prediction of the effects of the Fall rather than a prescription of God's ideal order.
Redemption 6. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ came to redeem women as well as men. Through faith in Christ we all become children of God, one in Christ, and heirs to the blessings of salvation without reference to racial, social, or gender distinctives (John 1:12-13; Rom 8:14-17; 2Cor 5:17; Gal 3:26-28).
Community 7. The Bible teaches that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came on men and women alike. Without distinction, the Holy Spirit indwells women and men, and sovereignly distributes gifts without preference as to gender (Acts 2:1-21; 1Cor 12:7, 11, 14:31).
8. The Bible teaches that both women and men are called to develop their spiritual gifts and to use them as stewards of the grace of God (1Peter 4:10-11). Both men and women are divinely gifted and empowered to minister to the whole Body of Christ, under His authority (Acts 1:14, 18:26, 21:9; Rom 16:1-7, 12-13, 15; Phil 4:2-3; Col 4:15; see also Mark 15:40-41, 16:1-7; Luke 8:1-3; John 20:17-18; compare also Old Testament examples: Judges 4:4-14, 5:7; 2Chron 34:22-28; Prov 31:30-31; Micah 6:4).
9. The Bible teaches that, in the New Testament economy, women as well as men exercise the prophetic, priestly and royal functions (Acts 2:17-18, 21:9; 1Cor 11:5; 1Peter 2:9-10; Rev 1:6, 5:10). Therefore, the few isolated texts that appear to restrict the full redemptive freedom of women must not be interpreted simplistically and in contradiction to the rest of Scripture, but their interpretation must take into account their relation to the broader teaching of Scripture and their total context (1Cor 11:2-16, 14:33-36; 1Tim 2:9-15).
10. The Bible defines the function of leadership as the empowerment of others for service rather than as the exercise of power over them (Matt 20:25-28, 23:8; Mark 10:42-45; John 13:13-17; Gal 5:13; 1Peter 5:2-3).
Family 11. The Bible teaches that husbands and wives are heirs together of the grace of life and that they are bound together in a relationship of mutual submission and responsibility (1Cor 7:3-5; Eph 5:21; 1Peter 3:1-7; Gen 21:12). The husband's function as "head" (kephale) is to be understood as self-giving love and service within this relationship of mutual submission (Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:19; 1Peter 3:7).
12. The Bible teaches that both mothers and fathers are to exercise leadership in the nurture, training, discipline and teaching of their children (Exod 20:12; Lev 19:3; Deut 6:6-9, 21:18-21, 27:16; Prov 1:8, 6:20; Eph 6:1-4; Col 3:20; 2Tim 1:5; see also Luke 2:51).
Application
Community 1. In the church, spiritual gifts of women and men are to be recognized, developed and used in serving and teaching ministries at all levels of involvement: as small group leaders, counselors, facilitators, administrators, ushers, communion servers, and board members, and in pastoral care, teaching, preaching, and worship.
In so doing, the church will honor God as the source of spiritual gifts. The church will also fulfill God's mandate of stewardship without the appalling loss to God's kingdom that results when half of the church's members are excluded from positions of responsibility.
2. In the church, public recognition is to be given to both women and men who exercise ministries of service and leadership.
In so doing, the church will model the unity and harmony that should characterize the community of believers. In a world fractured by discrimination and segregation, the church will dissociate itself from worldly or pagan devices designed to make women feel inferior for being female. It will help prevent their departure from the church or their rejection of the Christian faith.
Family 3. In the Christian home, husband and wife are to defer to each other in seeking to fulfill each other's preferences, desires and aspirations. Neither spouse is to seek to dominate the other but each is to act as servant of the other, in humility considering the other as better than oneself. In case of decisional deadlock they should seek resolution through biblical methods of conflict resolution rather than by one spouse imposing a decision upon the other.
In so doing, husband and wife will help the Christian home stand against improper use of power and authority by spouses and will protect the home from wife and child abuse that sometimes tragically follows a hierarchical interpretation of the husband's "headship."
4. In the Christian home, spouses are to learn to share the responsibilities of leadership on the basis of gifts, expertise, and availability, with due regard for the partner most affected by the decision under consideration.
In so doing, spouses will learn to respect their competencies and their complementarity. This will prevent one spouse from becoming the perennial loser, often forced to practice ingratiating or deceitful manipulation to protect self-esteem. By establishing their marriage on a partnership basis, the couple will protect it from joining the tide of dead or broken marriages resulting from marital inequities.
5. In the Christian home, couples who share a lifestyle characterized by the freedom they find in Christ will do so without experiencing feelings of guilt or resorting to hypocrisy. They are freed to emerge from an unbiblical "traditionalism" and can rejoice in their mutual accountability in Christ. In so doing, they will openly express their obedience to Scripture, will model an example for other couples in quest of freedom in Christ, and will stand against patterns of domination and inequality sometimes imposed upon church and family.
[edit] External links
- CBE's home page
- The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (a group critical of CBE's agenda)
