Seneca Falls 2 Convention Issues a Demand for an Apology from Complementarians for the Harm Fostered by their Sub-Christian Doctrine
On July 24, 2010 at the conclusion of the Seneca Falls 2 Evangelical Christian Women’s Convention, the newly established Freedom for Christian Women Coalition issued a list of concerns and demands to Drs. Randy Stinson and J. Ligon Duncan, III of the Council on Biblical Manhood and BIBLICALWomanhood (CBMW), demanding that they repent of their aberrant and sub-Christian doctrines. (These individuals will receive original copies of the document on Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 10 AM, CST, according to the projection of Fed Ex tracking information.)
Shirley Taylor, founder of bWe Baptist Women for Equality, wrote in her self-authored Demand for an Apology from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood (the document signed by the founding members of the Freedom for Christian Women Coalition):
“We demand that the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood acknowledge the harm that has been done to the church body by The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood, confess it as sin, and denounce it . . .”
One might also add that they should acknowledge that their screed which scapegoats, objectifies, and demonizes all women has had a detrimental effect on society at large. Presumably and in accordance with their own divinely inspired objectives, Christians claim to serve as THE moral signpost for secular society, but CBMW has facilitated more harm to women than many of the secular groups that they so acerbically decry.
In fact, many liberal secular feminist organizations provide far more functional and tangible support to women of all faiths. Christian women have been abandoned by their own Christian ministries who have been influenced by this ideology, forcing them to turn to secular agencies for support and care where they are received without discrimination. Many liberal, secular, and civil organizations demonstrate a better example of the concepts of “Love your neighbor as yourself,” “Love your enemy,” “Bless those who curse you,” and “Do good to those who despitefully use you,” than do those who follow CBMW’s ideology.
The Freedom for Christian Women Coalition grieves deeply that their fellow beloved Christians and that the Christian Church has failed women of all faiths, particularly those within their own belief system. They hope that their efforts and call to justice will foster unity and mercy in the Body of Christ, bringing healing to the Church, the of working unity and a spirit of mutual respect, Christian love, and reconciliation among the supporters of the Coaltion, CBMW, and those women and children who have been regretfully and unintentionally harmed by the misguided ideology.
The Seneca Falls 2 Conference addressed what many Christians identify as the root cause of the many sins against women fostered within Evangelical Christianity. The Conference addressed many aspects of the regretful outcome and end effects of the poisonous pedagogy promoted by the Danvers Statement ideology. Though the discussion was not limited to the following topics, the conference speakers confronted these primary issues:
- Jocelyn Andersen addressed the connections between the subjugation of women and the practice of slavery, a subject noted at length in her new book, Woman this is War: Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System.
- Cynthia Kunsman exposed the deceptive techniques of manipulation, Spiritual Abuse, and Undue Influence utilized by complementarianism and CBMW. Read more HERE about how the Danvers Statement has fostered physical abuse of women and children.
- Shirley Taylor revealed the deceptive and disingenuous nature of the Danvers Statement and related ideology in her Dethroning of Male Headship, specifically pointing out how CBMW promotes priestcraft by establishing men as the spiritual mediators for women.
- Waneta Dawn taught the nature and harmful effects of psychological and domestic abuse within marriage and the family, explaining the ways in which the Bible has been distorted to promote abuse of all varieties.
- Janice Levinson of the Protective Mothers Alliance International exposed the world wide trend of discrimination against mothers fostered by the Court System and many Evangelical churches.
- Kate Johnson of the Christian Coalition Against Domestic Abuse discussed the ignorance about domestic abuse demonstrated by far too many Christian churches and the tremendous resistance within sectors of the Evangelical community to address the needs of women and families.
- Doug Phillips of the Oleander Church of God exposed the ignorance of the use of Gender Biased English Translation Theology which distorts the redemptive message to women and men alike found in Biblical Texts.
For more information, the anticipated release of video coverage of the proceedings, and for information about the Freedom for Christian Women Coaltion, please visit www.SenecaFalls2.com and the Seneca Falls 2 Blogspot.
The participants of the Seneca Falls 2 Convention and the Freedom for Christian Women Coalition would like to express their deepest thanks and heartfelt gratitude to Vyckie Garrison, No Longer Quivering, and the NLQ website readers for their much needed support of their efforts.
Cynthia Mullen Kunsman, RN, BSN, MMin , ND
(Discussing the phenomenon of Spiritual Abuse in Evangelical Churches)
Discuss this post on the NLQ forum. Comments are also open below.
