Biblical patriarchy (also known as Christian patriarchy) is a set of beliefs in evangelical Christianity concerning marriage, the family, and the home. It sees the father as the head of the home, and responsible for the conduct of his family. Notable adherents of biblical patriarchy include Douglas Wilson,[1] Michael Pearl,[2] R. C. Sproul, Jr.[3] and Douglas Phillips. Notable publications include Patriarch magazine and Above Rubies.[4] The biblical patriarchy movement has been said to be "flourishing among homeschoolers.[5] "
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The "Tenets of Biblical Patriarchy" published by Vision Forum advocates such beliefs as
Some advocates of Biblical Patriarchy teach that women are "part of a chain of command. God is at the top, then Jesus, after that the husband, then the wife, and finally the children."[2]
Some churches connected to Biblical patriarchy practise "household voting". For example, Christ Church, in Moscow, Idaho (pastored by Douglas Wilson) reckons membership by household. The church's constitution states that, "Those members who vote in church elections are called electors. Electors are the heads of member households. Independent unmarried members are considered as a household for purposes of voting.[7] "
Biblical patriarchy is similar to Complementarianism, and many of the differences are only ones of degree and emphasis. While Complementarianism holds to exclusively male leadership in the church and in the home, biblical patriarchy extends that exclusion to the civic sphere as well, so that women should not be civil leaders[8] and indeed should not have careers outside the home.[9] Thus, William Einwechter refers to the traditional Complementarian view as "two point complementarianism" (male leadership in the family and church), and regards the biblical patriarchy view as "three-point" or "full" complementarianism, (male leadership in family, church and society).[10][11] In contrast to this, John Piper and Wayne Grudem, representing the Complementarian position, say that they are "not as sure in this wider sphere which roles can be carried out by men or women.[12] " Grudem also acknowledges exceptions to the submission of wives to husbands where moral issues are involved.[13]
Biblical patriarchy has been criticised for holding views that demean women and view them as property. Don and Joy Veinot of Midwest Christian Outreach interpret the Vision Forum statement to imply that "women really cannot be trusted as decision makers" and "unless a daughter marries, she functionally remains pretty much the property of the father until he dies.[14] "
Andrew Sandlin argues that a "renewed patriarchalism in some quarters is working for hegemony over the other legitimate spheres of God’s authority"[15] In other words, the authority of the father dominates other authority structures in the church and in society. Sandlin writes that some patriarchalists "have gone so far as to suggest that Christian day schools are sinful or erosive of the family" and to "demand almost unswerving obedience and servanthood from their forty-year old married sons".
In 2008, Cynthia Kunsman ran a workshop at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (sponsored by Evangelical Ministries to New Religions) critiquing biblical patriarchy.[16] She defined it as an "intolerant ideology" that has arisen within circles of the Christian homeschool movement during the last two decades. She suggested that the biblical patriarchy movement was guilty of subordinationism, and identified the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, the Federal Vision movement and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as adherents of biblical patriarchy. In response, both EMNR and MBTS accused Kunsman of making "unwarranted and misinformed accusations against Christian teachers and ministries, including the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and agencies within the Southern Baptist Convention.[16] "
"My Life as a Daughter in the Christian Patriarchy Movement". AlterNet. http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/152393/my_life_as_a_daughter_in_the_christian_patriarchy_movement_--_how_i_was_taught_to_obey_men,_birth_8_kids_and_do_battle_against_secular_america?page=entire.