From Kim Winters:
On May 31, a group of us gathered in the Blue Room to once again discuss the topic of Biblical manhood and womanhood. Cindy Agoncillo and I partnered up to lead the event, and although we were few in number (four men and ten women) we were very encouraged at the level of interest and participation by everyone who turned out.
First, we talked about why this topic is as important to singles as it is to married people. Next we reoriented our perspectives on singleness with the Bible, placing a high value on the “call” of singleness (both the temporary and the permanent call) and finally we discussed the importance of not condescending to those of differing marital status.
Next the three main views on the issue of manhood and womanhood within the church were briefly outlined (hierarchism, egalitarianism and complementarianism), including an explanation of how people within all three views use the Bible to defend their position. A call was made for everyone to determine which view best “fits” them, and in particular, the importance of “landing” on a perspective that is not only biblically sound, but also beautiful in practice. A discussion of the importance of “gospel culture” was shared (in light of giving people room to “land” on a view and then live it out), and then a deeper look at complementarianism was taken, as that is the view I (Kim) have “landed” on after years of study and debate. Even so, we sought to keep the dialogue open, especially in consideration of the egalitarian position. Cindy shared openly that while she agreed that the complementarian view was beautiful, she had not yet firmly landed there for a multitude of undertstandable reasons. Cindy’s insights helped to remind us that truly “landing” on a perspective on this incredibly important topic should not in any way be two-dimensional. We also took some time to remind everyone that while SixTen tends to lean complementarian (owing to the conviction of most of our current leaders), both egalitarianism and complementarianism are found within SixTen and within West Shore Free church, and there is certainly room for both. As always, our desire in SixTen is to continue to cultivate gospel culture where people are truly able to be open and transparent about their journey toward God’s best for their lives.
At this meeting, Cindy and I chose to outline the “definitions” of biblical manhood and womanhood and then look more closely at the biblical basis for the call on men to carry the “benevolent” responsibility to lead, provide for and protect women in ways appropriate to their differing relationships. Based on work Mary Kassian has done on this topic, the group looked at Genesis chapter 2 and the unique ways the first man (and therefore, all subsequent males) were created and called by God to be people who represent Jesus Christ, people who have a special call of authority; people who have a unique relationship to work; people who are called to primarily provide, and people who are expected to offer protection to others.
The inspiring things we discovered in Genesis helped us to see how important this call on men actually is. Kassian tells us that God has such important things He wants to communicate about Himself that He did not write it on paper, but rather on human bodies.
If you missed this first gathering, you can still catch up. Much of what we shared can be downloaded from Kindle or found on the internet. First, the book “Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood” is around $11 on Kindle. Read the first three chapters of that book, and you will be caught up to where we are. Additionally, you can hear the message by Mary Kassian called “The Genesis of Gender” and be as inspired as we were by the awesome things that message contains!
Everyone in attendance shared a desire to meet again soon, and so we are looking at some future dates in July and August. We would especially love to see more men in attendance this next time! Stay tuned for the date and time, and thank you for praying for our group as we seek to honor God in all of our male/female relationships!
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