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.
It’s interesting that an “apologetics” ministry would have such a problem with someone presenting their viewpoint. Isn’t that the whole point of apologetics?