The self-designation of the position that the Bible, properly read, teaches the full equality of the sexes in church office, marital authority, and household leadership — with no permanent role-based hierarchy grounded in creation order. The position is essentially identical with evangelical feminism but self-designated as biblical to emphasize its claim to be a faithful biblical reading rather than a feminist accommodation. Principal exegetical arguments: (1) Galatians 3:28 (there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus) is read as the egalitarian center of NT teaching, with the household-code passages (Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7) and the office-restriction passages (1 Timothy 2:11-15; Titus 1:5-9) treated as either misread or culturally bound. (2) Junia (Romans 16:7) is identified as a female apostle. (3) Phoebe (Romans 16:1) is identified as a female deacon and possibly a female elder. (4) Priscilla teaching Apollos (Acts 18:26) is treated as evidence of women teaching male leaders. The Reformed-confessional and historic-orthodox response is comprehensive rejection on the grounds that Galatians 3:28 addresses the equal access of all races, classes, and sexes to salvation in Christ, not the elimination of role-based distinctions in marriage and church (Paul who wrote Galatians 3:28 also wrote 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and Ephesians 5:22-33); that Junia is a contested identification and even if a woman is not necessarily named as an apostle in the strict sense; that Phoebe's diakonos is properly translated servant in context (Romans 16:1) and her role does not include eldership; and that Priscilla and Aquila's private correction of Apollos (Acts 18:26) is consistent with the apostolic teaching against women teaching publicly in the church (1 Timothy 2:11-15).
Self-designation of position teaching full equality of sexes with no role-based hierarchy; essentially identical to evangelical feminism; CBE the principal organization; rejected by Reformed-confessional tradition.
BIBLICAL EGALITARIANISM, n. (contemporary theological position) Self-designation of the position that the Bible teaches full equality of the sexes in church office, marital authority, and household leadership; no permanent role-based hierarchy grounded in creation order. Essentially identical with evangelical feminism; self-designated biblical to emphasize claim to faithful biblical reading. Principal exegetical arguments: Galatians 3:28 as egalitarian center; Junia as female apostle (Romans 16:7); Phoebe as female deacon/elder (Romans 16:1); Priscilla teaching Apollos (Acts 18:26). Reformed-confessional rejection: Galatians 3:28 addresses equal access to salvation, not elimination of role-distinctions; Paul who wrote Galatians 3:28 also wrote 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and Ephesians 5:22-33; the egalitarian readings of Junia, Phoebe, Priscilla each fail under careful exegesis.
Galatians 3:28 — "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
1 Timothy 2:11-13 — "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve."
1 Corinthians 11:3 — "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
Ephesians 5:22-23 — "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church."
Biblical egalitarianism claims to be the faithful biblical position while contradicting Paul's explicit creation-order grounding of male leadership; the Galatians 3:28 reading proves too much.
Biblical egalitarianism's central exegetical move is the use of Galatians 3:28 as the egalitarian center of NT teaching, with the household-code and office-restriction passages treated as either misread or culturally bound. The move fails because the same Paul who wrote Galatians 3:28 also wrote 1 Timothy 2:11-15, Ephesians 5:22-33, 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Titus 2:4-5, and 1 Peter 3:1-7. Paul cannot be made to contradict himself. The historic-orthodox reading harmonizes: Galatians 3:28 addresses equal access of all races, classes, and sexes to salvation in Christ (the context is justification by faith for all believers), not the elimination of role-based distinctions in marriage and church; the household codes and office restrictions establish the enduring role-distinctions Paul grounds in creation order (1 Timothy 2:13).
The biblical-egalitarian appeals to Junia (Romans 16:7), Phoebe (Romans 16:1), and Priscilla (Acts 18:26) each fail under careful exegesis. Junia's identification as a female apostle assumes both that the name is female (contested) and that the phrase of note among the apostles means noted as apostles rather than noted by the apostles (the latter is the better reading). Phoebe's diakonos is properly translated servant in Romans 16:1 (the same word is used of non-officeholder servants throughout the NT) and does not include eldership. Priscilla and Aquila's private correction of Apollos in their home (Acts 18:26) is consistent with the apostolic teaching against women teaching publicly in the church (1 Timothy 2:11-15) — private correction in the husband's-and-wife's home is not public teaching. The patriarchal-Reformed reader holds the historic-orthodox reading firmly.
Self-designation of evangelical feminism; CBE; Galatians 3:28 as egalitarian center; refuted by careful exegesis under historic-orthodox reading.
['English', '—', 'biblical egalitarianism', 'self-designation']
['French', '—', 'égalité', 'equality']
['English', '—', 'Galatians 3:28', 'the central proof-text appealed to']
"Biblical egalitarianism: self-designation of evangelical-feminist position."
"Central proof-text: Galatians 3:28; refuted by integrated Pauline corpus."
"Refuted by Reformed-confessional complementarianism."