The letter demands an apology from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood “for the misuse of Holy Scripture as it relates to women.”

A group called the Freedom For Christian Women Foundation, which developed from a conference called Seneca Falls 2, has written a letter to the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood demanding an apology for denigrating women.

First, what is Seneca Falls 2 about? According to their own website (http://bit.ly/bpRlfj) SF2 is about change:

It is about removing gender-role restrictions that currently **immobilize approximately one half of the evangelical Church.

About the Name: Seneca Falls 2 is being held during the 162nd anniversary week of the first American “Woman’s Rights” conference which was held on July 19-20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York.

Four of the five organizers of the conference were Christians and the conference was hosted at a Methodist Church. It was a predominantly Christian led event.

Today, many Christian women are still being subordinated within their homes and churches. The freedom to live as autonomous human beings and to serve their Creator and Savior equally alongside Christian men is still being withheld from them.

We carry on the work began by our Christian Sisters and Brothers at Seneca Falls 1 in 1948; hence the name, Seneca Falls 2.

About the Conference: Seneca Falls 2 is a non-denominational event. If we belong to Jesus, we are brethren. It is not a “Women’s” Conference. There have been too many gender-segregated conferences. It is time to come together equally—as followers of Christ.

The Purpose of the Conference: We are coming together to offer solutions and present a united front in favor of gender-equality for Christian women. We believe that by doing so, we can encourage those who presently remain silent to add their voices to ours. We believe we can see change

Now, what happened at the conference? Well, certainly the main thing that happened was the drafting of a letter demanding an apology from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood “for the misuse of Holy Scripture as it relates to women.”

The request was in the form of a letter to the Council leadership. It is a short letter (with lots of attachments). Here is the entire letter:

July 24, 2010

Dr. Randy Stinson, President
Council on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood
2825 Lexington Road, Box 926
Louisville, KY 40280

And

Dr. J Ligon Duncan III
Chairman of the Board of the CBMBW
First Presbyterian Church
1390 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39202

The Freedom for Christian Women Coalition met on July 24, 2010, in Orlando, Florida, and agreed and affirmed this Demand for an Apology from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood because of the concerns as listed in the following pages.

For the sake of all Christians, men and women, we demand that the Council on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood, make a public apology for the misuse of Holy Scripture as it relates to women, and cease to publish or promote The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood.

Sincerely,
Freedom for Christian Women Coalition

Among the women’s concerns spelled out in the attachments were:
· the mental and emotional development of girls and boys who attend churches that teach males have superiority over females
· we are concerned that men who are taught that they have Male Headship over a home and church do not feel that they are accountable for abusive attitudes and actions towards women
· we are concerned that the issue of wifely submission, promoted so heavily by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, is more about power and control than about love or obeying the Word of God

To read attachments to the letter, go here: http://bit.ly/bTDagD