Complementary Relationships & Roles
In Sunday’s sermon, Jimbo led us through a Biblical understanding of God’s beautiful design of men and women complementing one another for the flourishing of His Church. Jimbo reminded us that God has made men and women as equals, yet distinct, and both essential to the ministry of the local church. In his sermon, Jimbo encouraged us to not just take his word for it but to ‘be like the Bereans in Acts’ and weigh it by the Word of God.
After we’ve gone directly to Scripture, with Bibles still open, here are a few resources you may like to check out and talk through with others. We aren’t saying any or all of them have ‘everything right’, but rather we believe they have sought to let the Bible be the primary voice and source of their convictions, and so can be helpful to read and reflect on as we seek to do likewise.
A straight line from the sermon: “Embracing Complementarianism” by Beynon and Tooher
This book has a particular focus on men and women serving side by side in ministry settings and may be a great starting point straight out of the Sunday sermon.
A short-ish read: “Men and Women in the Church: A Short, Biblical, Practical Introduction” by Kevin De Young
This book expands the conversation about men and women beyond the church and ministry and into the home. It , “… readable, accessible and despite its brevity covers all the main texts and common questions. It is an excellent introduction to the goodness of the Bible’s teaching about men and women, and about how to live faithfully today.”
A solid read: “God’s Good Design: What the Bible Really Says About Men and Women” by Claire Smith
“Few authors have provided such a careful, accurate and convincing treatment of the biblical texts involved.” Claire Smith is an Aussie, with a PhD in New Testament and is worth a read if you’re looking for a Biblical unpacking of complementarianism that relies upon the Word as the ultimate authority.
For more
The Gospel Coalition has a list of other recommended reads on the topic you can access through the blog post: The Complementarian Publishing Conundrum
These books are written by those who hold to a complementarian understanding of the roles and responsibilities of men and women. If you would like to read more widely to hear biblically grounded perspectives from those holding to an egalitarian perspective, check out the bibliographies and appendices at the end of the above books as they have all engaged with many of them.