The
The Tenets of Biblical Patriarchy
Vision Forum Ministries Editorial Note:
From time to time, God in His
providence, allows not only for the testing of his saints, but for divisions,
schisms and heresies to arise, that from such, His Church will grow in maturity
and purity of faith, doctrine and practice. It is in the context of such
“testing times” that God’s people are often reminded to “open the lost book of
the law,” and return to the ancient paths — the eternal, unchanging truths
found within the pages of Holy Scripture.
Central to the crisis of this
era is the systematic attack on the timeless truths of biblical patriarchy.
This attack includes the movement to subvert the biblical model of the family,
and redefine the very meaning of fatherhood and motherhood, masculinity,
femininity, and the parent and child relationship. We emphasize the importance
of biblical patriarchy, not because it is greater than other doctrines, but
because it is being actively attacked by unbelievers and professing Christians
alike. Egalitarian feminism is a false ideology that has bred false doctrine in
the church and seduced many believers. In conscious opposition to feminism,
egalitarianism, and the humanistic philosophies of the present time, the church
should proclaim the Gospel centered doctrine of biblical patriarchy as an
essential element of God’s ordained pattern for human relationships and
institutions.
There have been public
statements recently against “legalistic patriarchy” and “hegemonic patriarchy”
which have convinced us of the need for this kind of summary statement. We are
anxious that what we actually teach be understood.
By way of background, we want
to emphasize that we affirm the historic creeds and confessions of the
Christian church (e.g., Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed,
Biblical patriarchy is just
one theme in the Bible’s grand sweep of revelation, but it is a scriptural
doctrine, and faithfulness to Christ requires that it be believed, taught, and
lived. The following are a list of affirmations which describe the perspective
of Doug Phillips of Vision Forum Ministries, Phil Lancaster of Patriarch
magazine and R.C. Sproul, Jr., of the Highlands Study Center. This document,
drafted by Phil Lancaster, with the advice and counsel of others, is offered in
an attempt to clarify what we mean by “biblical patriarchy.” We view this as an
accurate working document, and invite feedback from anyone as we attempt to
improve this statement over time.
In what follows, the number of
words devoted to a tenet does not necessarily indicate the relative importance
of that topic, but may rather indicate our sense of how much explanation is
necessary given how unfamiliar or disputable the topic may be. Here, then, are
the Tenets of Biblical Patriarchy:
God as masculine
1. God reveals Himself as masculine, not
feminine. God is the eternal Father and the eternal Son, the Holy Spirit is
also addressed as “He,” and Jesus Christ is a male. (Matt. 1:25; 28:19; Jn.
5:19; 16:13)
The image of God and gender roles
2. Both man and woman are made in God’s image
(their human characteristics enable them to reflect His character) and they are
both called to exercise dominion over the earth. They share an equal worth as
persons before God in creation and redemption. The man is also the image and
glory of God in terms of authority, while the woman is the glory of man. (Gen.
1:27-28; 1 Cor. 11:3,7; Eph. 5:28; 1 Pet. 3:7)
3. God ordained distinct gender roles for man
and woman as part of the created order. Adam’s headship over Eve was
established at the beginning, before sin entered the world. (Gen. 2:18ff.; 3:9;
1 Cor. 11:3,7; 1 Tim. 2:12-13)
4. Although sin has distorted their
relationship, God’s order of authority for husbands and wives has not changed,
and redemption enables them to make substantial progress in achieving God’s
ideal for their relationship. (Gen. 3:16; Eph. 5:22ff.)
The authority of fathers
5. A husband and father is the head of his
household, a family leader, provider, and protector, with the authority and
mandate to direct his household in paths of obedience to God. (Gen. 18:19; Eph.
6:4)
6. A man’s authority in the home should be
exercised with gentleness, grace, and love as a servant-leader, following the
example of Jesus Christ. Leadership is a stewardship from God. (Ps. 103:13;
Mal. 3:17; Matt. 11:29-30; Col. 3:21; 1 Pet. 3:7)
7. The authority of fathers is limited by the
law of God and the lawful authority of church and state. Christian fathers
cannot escape the jurisdiction of church and state and must be subject to both.
(
Family, church, and state
8. Family, church, and state are parallel
institutions, each with real but limited authority in its ordained sphere. As
the keeper of the keys of Christ’s kingdom, the church is the central and
defining institution of history. As the primary social group, the family is the
foundational institution of society. (Matt. 16:19; 18:18; Acts 4:19; 5:29;
25:11; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13ff.; Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Tim. 3:15)
9. Every Christian father and family ought to
be a submitted and committed part of a local church, subject to the authority
and discipline of the church through its elders. (Heb. 10:24-25; 13:17)
10. The church is defined by its orthodox
confession and faithful teaching of God’s word; by the presence of the Holy
Spirit; by the rule of qualified elders; by the biblical administration of the
sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper; by regular meetings for worship, instruction,
breaking bread, and fellowship; and by the exercise of discipleship and
discipline. (Gal. 1:8; 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Tim. 3:1ff.; Matt. 28:19; 1
Cor. 11:20ff.; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 5)
11. Male leadership in the home carries over
into the church: only men are permitted to hold the ruling office in the
church. A God-honoring society will likewise prefer male leadership in civil
and other spheres as an application of and support for God’s order in the
formative institutions of family and church.(1 Tim. 3:5)
Men & women: spheres of dominion
12. While men are called to public spheres of
dominion beyond the home, their dominion begins within the home, and a man’s
qualification to lead and ability to lead well in the public square is based
upon his prior success in ruling his household. (Mal. 4:6; Eph. 6:4; 1 Tim.
3:5)
13. Since the woman was created as a helper to
her husband, the bearer of children, and a “keeper at home,” the God-ordained
and proper sphere of dominion for a wife is the household and that which is
connected with the home, although her domestic calling, as a representative of
and helper to her husband, may well involve activity in the marketplace and
larger community. (Gen. 2:18ff.; Prov. 31:10-31; Tit. 2:4-5)
14. While unmarried women may have more
flexibility in applying the principle that women were created for a domestic
calling, it is not the ordinary and fitting role of women to work alongside men
as their functional equals in public spheres of dominion (industry, commerce,
civil government, the military, etc.). The exceptional circumstance
(singleness) ought not redefine the ordinary, God-ordained social roles of men
and women as created. (Gen. 2:18ff.; Josh. 1:14; Jdg. 4; Acts 16:14)
Procreation
15. God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply”
still applies to married couples, and He “seeks godly offspring.” He is
sovereign over the opening and closing of the womb. Children are a gift of God
and it is a blessing to have many of them, if He so ordains. Christian parents
are bound to look to Scripture as their authoritative guide concerning issues
of procreation. They should welcome with thanksgiving the children God gives
them. The failure of believers to reject the anti-life mindset of the age has
resulted in the murder of possibly millions of unborn babies through the use of
abortifacient birth control. (Gen. 1:28; 9:1; 29:31; 30:22; Ex. 20:13:
21:22-25; Ps. 127:3; 128:3-4; Is. 8:18; Mal. 2:15)
Education & training of children
16. Education is not a neutral enterprise.
Christian parents must provide their children with a thoroughly Christian
education, one that teaches the Bible and a biblical view of God and the world.
Christians should not send their children to public schools since education is
not a God-ordained function of civil government and since these schools are
sub-Christian at best and anti-Christian at worst. (Deut. 4:9; 6:6-9; Rom.
13:3-5; Eph. 6:4; 2 Tim. 3:15)
17. Fathers are sovereign over the training of
their children and, with their wives, are the children’s chief teachers.
Christian parents are bound to obey the command personally to walk beside and
train their children. Any approach to Christian education ought to recognize
and facilitate the role of fathers and mothers as the primary teachers of their
children. (Deut. 4:9; 6:6ff.; Ps. 78:3-8; Prov. 1:8; Eph. 6:4; )
18. Educational methodology is not neutral. The
Christian should build his educational methodology from the word of God and
reject methodologies derived from humanism, evolutionism, and other unbiblical
systems of thought. Biblical education is discipleship, a process designed to
reach the heart. The aim is a transformed person who exhibits godly character
and a trained mind, both of which arise from faith. The parents are crucial and
ordinarily irreplaceable in this heart-level, relational process. (Deut. 6:5-7;
Lk. 6:40; 1 Thess. 2:7-12; 2 Tim. 1:5; 2 Pet. 1:5-8)
19. Since the educational mandate belongs to
parents and they are commanded personally to walk beside and train their
children, they ought not to transfer responsibility for the educational process
to others. However, they have the liberty to delegate components of that
process. While they should exercise great caution and reserve in doing this,
and the more so the less mature the child, it is prudent to take advantage of
the diversity of gifts within the body of Christ and enjoy the help and support
that comes with being part of a larger community with a common purpose. (1 Cor.
12:14ff.; Gal. 4:1,2; 6:2; Eph. 4:16)
20. The age-integrated communities of family
and church are the God-ordained institutions for training and socialization and
as such provide the preferred pattern for social life and educational
endeavors. The modern preference for grouping children exclusively with their
age mates for educational and social purposes is contrary to scriptural wisdom
and example. (Deut. 29:10-11; 2 Chron. 20:13; Prov. 22:15 with 13:20; Joel
2:16; 1 Cor. 15:33)
21. The Bible presents a long-term,
multi-generational vision of the progress of God’s kingdom in the world.
Christians parents need to adopt this perspective and be motivated by the
generational promises of Scripture, and church shepherds need to promote this
outlook within their flocks. By the grace of God, as fathers faithfully turn
their hearts toward their sons and daughters and the youths respond in kind,
the next generation will build upon the faith and improve upon the faithfulness
of their parents. (Ps. 78:1-8; Is. 59:21; Mal. 4:6; Lk. 1:17; Gal. 6:9)
A father and his older children
22. Both sons and daughters are under the
command of their fathers as long as they are under his roof or otherwise the
recipients of his provision and protection. Fathers release sons from their
jurisdiction to undertake a vocation, prepare a home, and take a wife. Until
she is given in marriage, a daughter continues under her father’s authority and
protection. Even after leaving their father’s house, children should honor
their parents by seeking their counsel and blessing throughout their lives.
(Gen. 28:1-2; Num. 30:3ff.; Deut. 22:21; Gal. 4:1,2; Eph. 6:2-3)
23. Fathers should oversee the process of a son
or daughter seeking a spouse. While a father may find a wife for his son, sons
are free to take initiative to seek and “take a wife.” A wise son will desire
his parents’ involvement, counsel, and blessing in that process. Since
daughters are “given in marriage” by their fathers, an obedient daughter will
desire her father to guide the process of finding a husband, although the final
approval of a husband belongs to her. (Gen. 24:1ff.; 25:20; 28:2; Ex. 2:21;
Josh. 15:17; Jdg. 12:9; 1 Sam. 18:27; Jer. 29:6; 1 Cor. 7:38; Gen. 24:58)
The sufficiency & application of Scripture
24. Scripture is the believer’s sufficient
guide for all of faith and practice, and Christians must believe and obey
whatever it teaches and commands. The Bible provides the Christian — through
precept, pattern and principle — all that is necessary to make wise decisions
concerning the many ethically complex issues of life. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet.
1:3)
25. Fathers need to exercise discernment in the
choices they make for their families and not simply drift with the cultural
tide. Egalitarian feminism is an enemy of God and of biblical truth, but the
need for care goes beyond this threat. The values of modern society are often
at odds with those that accompany a biblical worldview. For example, fathers
need self-consciously to resist the values of individualism at the expense of
community, efficiency at the expense of relationships, and material well-being
at the expense of spiritual progress. The world and the worldly church will
cheer many choices that are detrimental to family sanctification. (Rom. 12:2; 1
Jn. 2:15)
26. While God’s truth is unchanging, the
specific application of that truth may vary depending on facts and
circumstances unique to each believer. Also, those who are further along in
sanctification will see some issues more clearly than those who are less
mature. For these reasons great charity must be maintained between believers
who have differences of application, and liberty of application must be
respected. However, an appeal to the doctrine of Christian liberty must never
be used in an effort simply to avoid submitting to what Scripture plainly
teaches. Believers should also bear in mind that things which are lawful may
not be expedient if the goal is personal and family holiness. The biblical rule
in judging behavior is charity toward others, strictness toward oneself. (Gal.
5:2-3 with Acts 16:3; Phil. 3:15; Rom. 12:10; 1 Cor. 1:10; 6:12; 9:27; 10:23;
Gal. 5:13)
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© 2006 Vision Forum Ministries
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