Why Gender Reconciliation Should Be a Priority for Evangelical Men

WHY SHOULD GENDER RECONCILIATION BE A PRIORITY FOR EVANGELICAL MEN?

by Gianluca Cueva

Gianluca Cueva is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife, Deborah, live in Evanston, Illinois, where he serves at his church, Evanston Bible Fellowship, as a Pastoral Apprentice. He is part of the EFCA and hopes to continue serving the Free Church after he graduates. As a man, I live in a world that has been and is for the most part run by men. I am, therefore, privileged simply because of my gender in ways (sometimes unknown to me) that many of my Christian sisters aren’t. This unbalanced and privileged lifestyle, however, is not how God intended it to be.

When mankind first sinned against God, it not only put enmity between humanity and God but also ruptured the relational shalom shared between man and woman. Since the Fall, men and women have strained in their relationships, whether at the individual level or the institutional level (pornography, unequal wages, etc.).

Although there have been forward steps in women’s equality in our own context, there is still a long journey ahead. Sadly, the church has not been immune to these issues. There are still vital steps that need to be taken in order to see greater women’s equality within the church as well. In a word, this calls for gender reconciliation. So what is gender reconciliation? Gender reconciliation is not primarily about theological debates between complementarianism and egalitarianism, however important these conversations may be. Gender reconciliation, instead, is the reconciling work Christ is doing in and through his Bride for the goal of returning relational shalom to men and women united together in Christ.

So why should gender reconciliation be a priority for evangelical men? It should be a priority because it is a gospel issue; it is love for the church; and it shows the fullness of God’s glory.

In a time when women’s testimony meant nothing, Jesus appeared first to women after his resurrection, sending them as the first witnesses of the resurrected Messiah. IT IS A GOSPEL ISSUE First, gender reconciliation is ultimately a gospel issue. God’s redemptive work on the cross not only reconciled humanity to God but also reconciles men and women with each other. As God’s people, we have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20), to be God’s hands and feet as God reconciles all things.

As men who describe themselves as evangelical, as men of the gospel, we should care not only about the gospel but also the inextricably intertwined implications the gospel has on our personal lives and social institutions. When we are able to see that Christ not only suffered on the cross for our redemption but also for the restoration of relational shalom between men and women, we see the priority that gender reconciliation should have in the church today.

When the gospel is the center and the reason for gender reconciliation, we see that gender reconciliation is not primarily a social and/or political issue. It is not liberal Christians who care about gender reconciliation while conservative Christians care about the gospel and sound doctrine. Instead, it should be the evangelical, godly Christian who cares about sound gospelcentered theology and gender reconciliation ultimately because the two are tied inseparably to one another.

Gospel-centered gender reconciliation is best seen in the life of Christ. During his earthly ministry, Christ was counter-cultural in the way he engaged in gender reconciliation. In a time when women’s testimony meant nothing, Jesus appeared first to women after his resurrection, sending them as the first witnesses of the resurrected Messiah. He had women disciples and followers. He taught women. He used women as the primary characters in his parables. He allowed women to minister to him and even to touch him. He intentionally spent his time on earth talking and ministering to women in a context where this was viewed as odd (John 4:27). Let us all follow our Saviour in his example of gender reconciliation.

IT IS LOVE FOR THE CHURCH

Second, gender reconciliation should be a priority for evangelical men because it is also a church issue. In John 17, Jesus prayed that the church would be one as he and the Father are one in order for God’s glory to be known and so the world may know that Christ is God. Unlike other dividing lines within the church (ethnic/racial, generational, socio-economic, etc.), which are real and important to address, the gender line is more subtle because we don’t often come across all-male churches or all-female churches (although for some women, it may feel like churches are “men churches”).

Today, when the majority of the congregants in a local church context are women and feel at many times as second-class citizens, we know the church is not “one”. Women in the church have felt excluded, scapegoated, and neglected. Christian men have either not known how to relate to women or have done so in a poor way, resulting in awkwardness, confusion, and hurt. One example in which these feelings have found a formal expression today is in what has been popularly labeled as the hashtag: “#ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear”.

Unfortunately, this has also made its way into the academy. In seminaries or divinity schools around the United States, one can find women passionate to learn how to serve and understand the Lord better. Many times, however, these women feel neglected and casted aside by their male peers and, at times, even by their male professors. Whether they are egalitarian or complementarian, these Christian women feel unwanted and a sense of hostility at some of our best theological institutions.

Whether you describe yourself as complementarian or egalitarian, or perhaps neither, there are theologically and unequivocally foundational truths about our sisters in Christ. They are co-heirs with Christ. They are part of the priestly nation and ministers of the gospel. They are gifted in diverse ways (evangelists, teachers, leaders, etc.). They are by definition daughters of the living God and heirs of eternal life. They are talented, Spirit-filled theologians. To treat or allow our sisters to be treated as anything less than this is unacceptable. As such, in the local church or the classroom, evangelical men are called to humbly encourage and support our sisters in their journey to know and serve our Lord with the fullness of who they are. Whether you describe yourself as complementarian or egalitarian, or perhaps neither, there are theologically and unequivocally foundational truths about our sisters in Christ.

IT SHOWS THE FULLNESS OF GOD’S GLORY Third and final, gender reconciliation must be a priority for evangelical men because it shows the fullness of God’s glory. In Genesis 1, God tells us that he created humanity in his image, both male and female. It is, therefore, through both male and female image-bearers that the glory and image of God are fully reflected. The image of God is not fully reflected in men alone, nor in women alone. However, when half the church is not able to reflect the King of glory fully through their gifts, unique theological viewpoints, and insight into the motherly heart of God (Isaiah 66:13), we all miss out on the fullness of who God is. We are all lesser for it.

If the goal is the glory of God and the fullness of the gospel and its implications to cover the earth, then it is essential to seek gender reconciliation. God’s design of creating man and woman in his image is good and wise. In a time where gender relationships are strained, let the Bride of Christ be the light that leads by example in gender relational shalom.

CONCLUSION

If you are an evangelical man, don’t be intimidated by your evangelical sisters. Don’t be afraid to be able to learn something from them. Don’t let your own insecurities be the reason you hinder what God has intended for your evangelical sisters. This may look different depending on your context and convictions.

For some, seeking to see your evangelical sisters become students of theology may be encouraging them to pursue degrees in the academy. For others, this may be creating a space for women in your church to learn sound and deep theology. Create a culture where your evangelical sisters know that their theological insight and input is not only welcomed but wanted in both the church and the classroom.

For some, seeing your evangelical sisters use their teaching and leading gifts, may mean giving them opportunities to preach or teach. For others, it may be looking for and encouraging qualified women to be deacons or small group leaders. The goal is to help encourage and equip all the saints to use all their gifts for the work of ministry.

As evangelical men, this is a task that we cannot just idly stand by, cheering on our sisters to do the job of gender reconciliation alone. Instead, we are called to actively partner with them. We begin in our own local church contexts, but we can’t stop there. We must seek gender reconciliation for all women who are created in the image of God.

Though there is much work yet to be done in the area of gender reconciliation, men and women today are partnering and leading in both the local church and in the academy for gender reconciliation and for the ultimate goal of displaying more fully the glory of God to all of creation.