Building Strong Families

loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide

for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself gra-

ciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church

willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image

of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given

responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in

managing the household and nurturing the next generation.^11

By contrast, egalitarians do not affirm such created differences. In
fact, the “Statement on Men, Women and Biblical Equality,” pub-
lished by Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) says:

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)....
   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....
   10. The Bible defines the function of leadership as the empow-
   erment 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; 1 Peter 5:2-3)....
   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 (1 Cor 7:3-
   5; Eph 5:21; 1 Peter 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; 1 Peter 3:7).^12

So which position is right? Does the Bible really teach that men
and woman had different roles from the beginning of creation?
When we look carefully at Scripture, I think we can see at least ten
indications that God gave men and women distinct roles before the
Fall, and particularly, that there was male headship in marriage before
the Fall.

The Key Issues in the Manhood-Womanhood Controversy 33