It is tragic that women have been abused by men maliciously twisting Bible verses and Old Testament laws in order to elevate themselves and assuage their own feelings of inferiority. But just as sexism has infiltrated churches, so have adultery, greed, pride, gluttony, materialism, homosexuality, and murder. Welcome to the Fallen World. This is not surprising nor should it be used as a clarion call to reimagine the God’s exceptional calling on women’s lives. Gender roles do not equate to gender discrimination.

The full picture of what unfolded at the Q Focus “Women and Calling” conference held last Friday is just coming into clear view, and it is disturbing. Over 200 evangelical women sat smiling and nodding in agreement as one very familiar speaker declared that the Bible does not offer women a guideline for Christian living and thus women should not burden themselves with living out a model of Biblical womanhood because “it’s not about roles.” [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]

It is all too familiar.

Taking a page from radical feminism, liberal evangelicals are attempting to “liberate” women from their “oppressed” place in society: the home, and church. Citing the sexism that all too often does infiltrate churches, women are being called to abandon their feminine distinctions entirely.

To usher in a “gender equality” movement that misrepresents a traditional Biblical understanding of human sexuality, liberal elites must first break down the authority of Scripture. A dangerous mission, these efforts threaten to strip women of their dignity, integrity, uniqueness and the special responsibilities entrusted to them by God.

Enter Rachel Held Evans. The author of A Year of Biblical Womanhood, it was Evans at the Q women’s conference who declared:

Here’s the thing. I have searched high and low. I’ve combed through commentary after commentary. I spent a year of my life immersed in this idea of Biblical womanhood and I never found a blueprint for how to be a woman of faith…The Bible doesn’t give us a blueprint. God doesn’t communicate to us in bullet points. Instead God uses poetry, history, letters…and mostly stories to communicate with us. And stories don’t make great blueprints, do they?

Evans could not have looked too hard for help discerning Biblical womanhood or she would have come across the Institute on Religion and Democracy’s “A Christian Women’s Declaration.”

No, this declaration does not prescribe women to church, children and kitchen.

What it does is affirm the strong Christian women who have worked to gain dignity, respect and freedom for the next generation and also outlines God-ordained blueprints for women. Among the Biblical principles defined:

• To Live Holy Lives
• To Develop Strong Families
• To Embrace Our Calling to Authentic Service to Others and the Church
• To Be Good Citizens
• To Fulfill Our Worldwide Obligations
• To Build the Church

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