Headship, Submission and the Bible: Gender Roles in the Home

by Jack Cottrell

Publisher:

College Press

, 2008

Overview

Headship, Submission and the Bible examines the concepts of headship and submission as the main biblical descriptions of the respective roles of men and women. Focusing on three New Testament passages (1 Corinthians 11:3–16, Ephesians 5:21–33, 1 Peter 3:1–7), author Jack Cottrell illustrates how egalitarianism is not supported by sound biblical exegesis. He examines both the feminist and complementarian views of headship and submission and provides a new approach to interpreting these hotly debated gender roles.

In the Logos Bible Software edition, all Scripture passages are tagged to the original language texts or your preferred English translation. You can perform powerful searches by topic and find what other authors, scholars, and theologians have to say, making this collection ideal for discovering what Scripture says about submission and headship.

Key Features

• Examines complementarianism and egalitarianism
• Illustrates how traditional views of gender roles are supported by Scripture

Contents

• Submission
  • A Survey of Submission in the New Testament
  • Miscellaneous Egalitarian Responses
  • The Egalitarian Concept of Mutual Submission
  • The Egalitarian Redefinition of Submission
  • Does “To One Another” Require Reciprocity?
  • Is Hupotasso Compatible with the Idea of Mutuality?
  • Mutual Submission between Christ and the Church? No!
  • Is Love a Form of Submission? No!
  • The Proper Structure of Ephesians 5:21–6:9
  • The Meaning of Submission
• Headship
  • The Egalitarian Attempt to Redefine “Head” (1)
  • The Egalitarian Attempt to Redefine “Head” (2)
  • “Kephale Wars”: The Meaning of “Head” (1)
  • “Kephale Wars”: The Meaning of “Head” (2)
  • “Kephale Wars”: The Meaning of “Head” (3)
  • Christ’s Headship Is Authority: Ephesians 1:22
  • Christ’s Headship Is Authority: Colossians 1:18; 2:10
  • The Purpose of Christ’s Headship Salvation
  • The Manner of Christ’s Headship: Love
  • Headship in 1 Corinthians 11:3: The Context
  • Headship in 1 Corinthians 11:3: Christology
  • Headship in 1 Corinthians 11:3: The Trinity
  • Husbands and Headship
  • Practicing Headship in the Home

Top Highlights

“Basically egalitarianism is the belief that men and women should be equal in every way, to the point that all role distinctions based on gender should be abolished. A feminist is simply someone who believes and promotes the egalitarian philosophy.” (Page 10)

“The implication then is that Paul’s exhortations are not to be taken as commands but merely as advice” (Page 21)

“The last element in a wife’s submission to her husband is the affirmation of his leadership” (Page 111)

“submission is not mere external compliance with the decisions of authorities” (Page 107)

“The conclusion will be that the concept of mutual submission as understood by egalitarians has absolutely no basis in biblical teaching. In fact, Grudem concludes that ‘the egalitarian view of ‘mutual submission’ is a novelty in the history of the church.’ He says, ‘I know of no author before 1968 who thought that ‘submitting to one another’ makes the passage mean what egalitarians understand’ (Evangelical Feminism, 190).” (Page 57)

Praise for the Print Edition

No theologian or exegete has done a more thorough study of the difficult relationship between submission and headship—a hotly debated topic in evangelical circles and one in which there has often been more heat than light and more fighting for rights than finding biblical solutions. I want the women in my programs to be familiar with the works of this able scholar. The reading of his volumes is necessary for any serious student in women’s studies.

—Dorothy Kelley Patterson, professor of theology in women’s studies, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

With clear and compelling argumentation, and careful attention to the broad teachings of Scripture, Jack Cottrell has provided an outstanding discussion of the biblical and theological meaning of submission. He is very much aware of debates on the pertinent issues over the past several years, and he responds fairly and responsibly to egalitarian positions while he makes his case for the complementarian view as truly reflecting the teaching of Scripture.

—Bruce A. Ware, professor of Christian theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

I am deeply concerned over the willingness of egalitarians to embrace hermeneutical oddities and redefine biblical words in order to arrive at their view of manhood an womanhood, particularly as it relates to Ephesians 5. Jack Cottrell has brought his typical theological precision to bear on this important issue and has produced a work that everyone concerned about the authority of Scripture and the health of the home and church, should read. I completely recommend it!

—Randy Stinson, dean, School of Church Ministries, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Headship, Submission and the Bible: Gender Roles in the Home
• Author: Jack Cottrell
• Publisher: College Press
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 334

About Jack Cottrell

Dr. Jack W. Cottrell has been a professor of theology at Cincinnati Christian University since 1967. Dr. Cottrell has earned a BA, ThB from Cincinnati Christian University; a BA from the University of Cincinnati; an MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary; and a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary.

He’s been married to his beautiful wife, Barbara, for over 50 years, and he ministers at the Bright Christian Church in Bright, Indiana. Dr. Cottrell has been teaching theology at the Cincinnati Christian University for over 40 years, and he’s been writing for over 30 years. He and Barbara have three children and four grandchildren.

Those who know Dr. Cottrell know he’s a huge fan of University of Kentucky basketball and bluegrass music. He likes to read mystery novels and watch Wheel of Fortune and Texas Hold’em tournaments.