Biblical Manhood, Biblical Womanhood

One of the most significant changes in Western society over the century or two has been the shifting roles of men and women. Today, many more women are doing tasks once restricted to men and vice-versa. Reaching this point has required overturning many traditional religious assumptions about gender, something that many are still trying to fight against.

One of those would be Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Writing for Crosswalk, Mohler says:

At stake in this debate is something more important than the question of gender, for this controversy reaches the deepest questions of Christian identity and biblical authority. For too long, those who hold to traditional understandings of manhood and womanhood, deeply rooted in both Scripture and tradition, have allowed themselves to be pushed into a defensive posture. ... The most basic question in this controversy comes down to this: Has God created human beings as male and female with a revealed intention for how we are to relate to each other? ... For too long, those who hold to the biblical pattern of gender distinctions have allowed themselves to be silenced, marginalized, and embarrassed when confronted by new gender theorists.

Although filled with invective and dramatic assertions, there is two notable things absent from Mohler's column: an explanation of what those "revealed" roles are and where, exactly, that revelation occurs. Or to put it another way, Mohler spend a lot of time not explaining just what sorts of roles men and women should be fulfilling and why they should be doing it that way.

We might speculate that he has in mind things like women staying home rather than taking jobs that put them in positions of authority, men taking command in the household, etc. Such roles would be consistent with the current teachings of the Southern Baptist Convention, so they aren't unreasonable. They would explain why Mohler says that people are "embarrassed" - they should be embarrassed if they try to argue such things. Maybe that's why Mohler avoided any specifics?

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