Cindy Kunsman has been an outspoken critic of the patriarchy movement, although she considers herself to be a complimentarian. According to a post on Wade Burleson's blog entitled "What Is It About Patriarchy That Scares Us",
http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/2008/04/and-what-is-it-about-patriarchy-that.html
Cindy used to attend the church where Doug Phillips is an elder. This is likely the reason why she's so terribly concerned about the growing influence of the "patriarchs". She's see them up close and personal…
In the Spring of 2008, Cindy gave a lecture at the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in which she discussed her great concerns about patriarchy. As a result, she encountered a firestorm of criticism from patriarchal leaders, particularly those within the Southern Baptist Convention. Here's an excerpt from an Ethics Daily article describing what happened. We hope you'll take the time to read the entire article.
http://ethicsdaily.com/news.php?viewStory=12555
Speaker Chastised Over Criticism of 'Biblical Patriarchy' at SBC Seminary
“A speaker at an apologetics conference at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been rebuked for comments critical of prominent Southern Baptists who believe God ordains for wives to be subordinate to their husbands. Cynthia Kunsman, a registered nurse who runs a Web site and blog focusing on spiritual abuse, was invited to lead a workshop critiquing "biblical patriarchy" at a March 6-8 conference sponsored by Evangelical Ministries to New Religions. In her lecture, Kunsman defined patriarchy as an "intolerant ideology" that has arisen within circles of the Christian homeschool movement during the last decade and a half. The movement is not monolithic, she said, but "encompasses many different denominations within Christianity." "I believe that patriarchy is a disproportionate Christian response to cultural decline, and it sees family as central to the restoration of our culture," she said. "In that sense it could be called a homeschooling special-purpose religion or an affinity group." Among troubling aspects of so-called biblical patriarchy, Kunsman identified a doctrine of "subordinationism" that argues Jesus Christ is of lesser essence and authority in the Trinity than God the Father. "We see a lot of this in the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and Federal Vision and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary," Kunsman commented.”
In Pastor Wade Burleson's post on patriarchy linked above, he reported that Cindy Kunsman is deeply concerned that anyone would associate 'the gospel' with specific roles that women should play in society and the church. Her contention is that Doug Phillips and fellow patriarchs claim God has revealed specific 'roles' women must take in order for the gospel to revealed.
Here's the list of God's mandated behaviors for Christian womenwhich are included in Wade Burleson's post :
-Women are called by God to serve their patriarchs (fathers) until married when they will then serve their husbands.
-Women are not to speak in a church setting, but are to ask their husbands any questions they may have and remain silent in the presence of men.
-Women are not to work outside the home for any income, but are to be housewives and homemakers within the home.
-Women are never to teach a man anything, but are to learn from men in a quiet and submissive spirit
. -Women cannot have communion unless given to them by their husband or, in the case of an absent husband, an elder from a 'normative' family or, in rare cases, a mother can be served be her son if he (the son) is old enough to walk and carry the host and is present in worship with her
. -Women are to cover their heads as a sign of their 'submission' to their husbands and to God
. -Women are not to attend a university or any institution of higher learning for the purpose of pursuing a career
. -Women are not to vote, but are to let their husbands speak for them. -Women are never, for any reason, to use birth control.
-Women are to respond to abuse in a quiet, gentle and submissive spirit.
We can't find these biblical mandates in the NASB, NIV, NKJV, or KJV. Are they only in the "Patriarch Version" of the Bible? If you're not that familiar with trends among the patriarchs, here's another great article we highly recommend:
http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/2008/09/patriarchy-and-family-integrated-church.html
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We believe the best response to such WACKO ideas is humor. If the patriarchs have their way, here's what could happen in the not too distant future… Remember, this is SATIRE!
A WARTBURG WATCH NEWS ALERT BREAKING NEWS: Louisville, KY.
The Wartburg Watch has just learned of breaking news in the business sector. In a history making alliance, the SBC, the Calvinistas, and Quiverfull, Inc., via a hostile takeover, have just jointly acquired Sanofi-Aventis, the makers of Clomid. Clomid is the widely used infertility drug, which stimulates ovulation in about 80% of users. This drug routinely causes multiple ovulations in a month, resulting in multiple births (such as triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, etc.).
When asked about the reasoning behind the takeover, Jim Bob Duggar, the newly installed CEO and father of 31(and still counting) children, had the following prepared statement: “In recent years, 'manly' Christian leaders, such as Al Mohler and Doug Philips, have been teaching that birth control is an agent of the Devil and that Muslims are taking over the world! Therefore, it's imperative that all Christians marry by the time they reach 18 years of age. They could and should easily have 20+ children in the course of their fertile years. Take that, Mormons!
However, a large number of complaints have been received by church leaders from women claiming they will stop cooking, cleaning, and homeschooling and will join monastic orders before they will spend most of their adult lives barefoot and pregnant. It's unfortunate that most women aren't as strong as my wife, Michelle, who is currently experimenting with ways to continue producing babies after menopause. Her philosophy is, “If Sarah and Abraham could do it, so can we!” An insider, on condition of anonymity, reported on the background of this decision.
There was purportedly a large demonstration outside of SBC headquarters in which women were burning their maternity clothes, cloth diapers, pregnancy tests, and Pampers. Church leaders met in Louisville to discuss possible solutions to this rebellion, which is "definitely unbiblical.” After discussing various options, they realized that slavery and/or the taking of multiple wives would result in further rebellion. Mrs. Dr. Paige Patterson (dressed in her ubiquitous red suit and hat), the only woman allowed to listen to the men, passed a note to her husband which he boldly passed on to Doug Philips who boldly read this suggestion from the "gullible and easily deceived" Mrs. Patterson. The note read (in part), “If women were to begin taking Clomid, they may be able to produce 20 children in approximately 4 pregnancies.”
After a heated discussion about whether or not they could listen to a woman, Russell Moore found a loophole. “Since Paige passed the note and he's her covering', it's acceptable so long as we credit him for this suggestion.” Paige Patterson beamed at the adulation he received and offered to show his slides from his latest safari in which he bagged an elephant. Mrs. Patterson had “a spell” and was treated on scene with IV Versed, which causes medical amnesia.
Al Mohler is looking into the possibility of treating SBC congregations with this drug due to his penchant for odd utterances. Jim Bob assuringly stated that Clomid would be made available at no charge to all women if they sign an affidavit of intent to raise the children either as Baptists or Calvinistas. The press conference ended with Michelle Duggar showing clips of their 31 children and 15 grandchildren demonstrating their dedication to the environment by instructing how to bathe 46 children using only one tub full of water, soon to air on television — the show's title — 31 Kids Plus 15 Grandkids and Counting . . .
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Now, here's a headline that's for real…
“Alice in Wonderland” is coming to a theater near you!
We just learned (cross our hearts!) that on March 5, 2010, an unforgettable version of "Alice in Wonderland" hits the big screen! With characters like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp starring in this 'fairy tale', it's no telling what will happen! Hmmmm… That’s NINE months from now… Does anyone else know what has taken nine months to produce? We're not talking pregnancy here… Does God have a sense of humor or what?!!!! Please read our series on Wonderland. What a sovereign God we serve! To read more about the movie and to watch the trailer, click on this link:
Addendum 8/5/11 Comment by Cynthia Kunsman
I looked over at that old link when TWW talked about me getting into trouble with the SBC and ending up in Ethics Daily articles.
I never attended any church where Doug Phillips was an elder.
We moved to San Antonio about a year or so before Doug did (when he started Vision Forum), and attended Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church for part of the time we lived there. Doug came up in conversation because of the discussion of his cultic homeschooling weirdness, and he recruited some of the people who also went to the church. That’s the only reason I knew that he was a member there.
Doug and family attended services there, claiming that he was out of town most of the time. He was most definitely not an elder there.
Sometime roughly around 2000, he left and founded his own church, Boerne Christian Assembly, recruiting some of the families from the OPC. I went to one affiliated function/bible study for women that was not at the church, and but for the woman who invited me whose name I can no longer remember, no one there knew me. I would not ever go to another one.
I moved away from that part of the country several years ago.
So let it be known that I never recognized Doug Phillips as an elder and I have never attended what is known now as a Family Integrated Church service. (I’d argue though that my own Assemblies of God growing up was very family integrated, however.)
I was seen as enough of a pariah/anantema as a physically ill and childless young woman in the Presby and Gothard oriented churches I’d attended — plenty enough cruelty to deal with there without seeking more of it. The likes of me are not welcome at an FIC!