26.8.09

Oh heck, Polarisation

What it probably all boils down to this ESS, male/female debate is polarisation. The charges that 'the other' is Arian is quite painful and unnecessay, afterall, the other is a sister or brother.

Perhaps egalitarianism without the necessary caveats misleads. Perhaps complementarianism does the same. Egalitarians rightly emphasize the self-giving, perichoretic relations of the Godhead but sometimes complementarians think that they minimize the biblical pattern of internal distinctions among the persons.

"Subordinationist" trinitarians perceive the economic relations of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit but sometimes underplay the biblical witness regarding the benevolent mutuality.

When subordinationists use a hierarchical model of the Trinity to justify independent masculine rulership in familial and ecclesial settings, could it be that they are not grasping the self-sacrificing nature of the Father as well as of the Son and the Spirit? Surely true complentarity is shared leadership without hierarchy in worldly terms. This should be based on giftings not lists of rules to implement.

3 comments:

David Ould said...

The charges that 'the other' is Arian is quite painful and unnecessay, afterall, the other is a sister or brother.

Who has made such a charge? Certainly not me. I have, rather, charged that the egalitarian position makes the same mistake as the Arian position. And, I have also pointed out what that mistake is.

So, once again, accusations have been made on the basis of not reading carefully enough what one's opponents are actually saying. A sadly all-too-often recurring theme methinks.

David Ould said...

"Subordinationist" trinitarians perceive the economic relations of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit but sometimes underplay the biblical witness regarding the benevolent mutuality.
Example please?

to justify independent masculine rulership

Example, please?

Rev R Marszalek said...

The charge of Arianism is rife in some of the academic work on this ESS debate. It occurs both ways. The other blogs I read which explore this issue are quite quick to make these charges about one another. It is those I had in mind.

Re your second point, I will find some examples and get back to you.

Re 1 Cor 11 (you mention this at another thread)- I cover thus in my post for Thur 27th. I understand there are other ways of looking at it. I have by no means covered all the ways of looking at it.

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A little background reading so we might mutually flourish when there are different opinions