Endorsers

Select or scroll to read what Christian leaders are saying about CBE.

	To serve women's unique needs and to celebrate women's unique strengths—that is Christians for Biblical Equality. I thank God for this unique network of women and men, a blessing to God's world in the 21st century."
	Dr. Miriam A. Adeney Author; Contributing Editor, Christianity Today; Professor, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA

	The principles of CBE are globally valid and applicable, because those principles are biblical. The worldwide Christian mission will be strengthened as believers demonstrate these principles in their lifestyle. I call upon all missional entities to stand with CBE in teaching and in administrative policy."
	Catherine Allen Former President, Women's Department, Baptist World Alliance; Founder Global Women, Birmingham, AL

Most world religions have been exploited to subject women into subordination. Despite its high claims to divine revelation, Christianity suffered a similar fate at the hands of clerics who restricted to men only the privilege of ministry. While exploding abusive structures of hierarchy, the Reformation reopened access to the truth of Scripture, including the great affirmations of the priesthood of all believers and of oneness in Christian community. Unfortunately, reactionary impulses die hard and many Christian leaders continue to consign women to a status of inferiority in church and family. Christians are firmly forbidden by Scripture to practice discrimination. If they are not on the side of biblical equality, what do they stand for? Unbiblical inequality? Inevitably, the day will come when they will get it right and when all Christians will become Christians for biblical equality."

Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian
Founder/Leader, Willow Creek Community Church; Professor Emeritus, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL

Thanks to many committed Christian activists in the 19th century, the Western church woke up to the truth that the practice of slavery, allowed in the New Testament, was not part of God's plan for all time. Yet many segments of the church today persist in the assumption that the 1st century limitations placed on women are part of God's plan for all time. The effects of this are not much less tragic than the effect of mistaking slavery for God's ideal. I know of no organization that is doing as much as CBE to help the church wake up to God's ideal regarding women in ministry and women in marriage. They are among the 'abolitionists' of the 21st century and I'm proud to be among their passionate supporters!"

Dr. Greg Boyd
Author; Founder, Christus Victor Ministries; Lecturer; Senior Pastor, Woodland Hills Church, Saint Paul, MN

In large sectors of the worldwide Christian community, the so-called 'biblical teaching' in support of patriarchy continues to contribute to the long and tragic history of women's inferior status; of their restricted roles in home, church and society; and of their frequent social oppression, relational subjugation and abuse in hierarchical marriage relationships. I believe that Christians for Biblical Equality is a gift of God to the church, in order to counter the grave injustice of both functional and essential gender inequality. I commend CBE for its courageous, decisive and irenic advocacy of gift-based, rather than gender-based, relationships and ministry. May its work continue to be empowered by the Spirit toward the eventual abolition of the dehumanizing, demeaning, and marginalizing power-over male/female relationship, which is grounded in an abusive reading of both specific biblical texts and the redemptive movement of the whole of Scripture."

Dr. Manfred Brauch
Author; Lecturer; Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology; Past President of Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University, St. Davids, PA.

	Christians for Biblical Equality is evangelical and progressive. It is a scripturally based movement that understands that in Christ women have full rights for using their God-given gifts for service to the church and to the world. I'm grateful that this organization exists. Its work is needed."
	Tony Campolo Associate Pastor, Mount Carmel Baptist Church; Author; Lecturer; Founder, Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education; Professor Emeritus, Eastern University, Saint Davids, PA

CBE provides an amazing witness in the life of our world today with regard to what the Christian faith is all about. It promotes true liberation for all of God's children through a bold proclamation of the good news about God's love in Jesus Christ and embodies a holistic vision for all people. It seeks to empower God's children and build them up in their faith so that they will be ambassadors of love in our broken world. In its mission and vision, CBE is both thoroughly grounded in the biblical witness and sensitive to the contextual dynamics of our world. In CBE you will encounter genuine Christianity; rooted in Christ, loving in spirit, prophetic in vision."

Dr. Paul W. Chilcote
Professor of Historical Theology and Wesleyan Studies Director, Center for Applied Wesleyan Studies, Ashland Theological Seminary

This is beautiful work--simple, genuine, redemptive. It shouldn't seem radical... but it is. It shouldn't even be necessary to say 'men and women are equal...' but it is. Hopefully in another ten years, the saints of CBE will end gender inequality and put themselves out of jobs. Until then, may we all live in discomfort amid a booming choir of white men, while the church is pregnant with women who are ready to lead and write and preach but still get funny looks or cold shoulders.”

Photo courtesy of Erik Stenbakken

Shane Claiborne
Author; Activist; Community Member, The Simple Way, Philadelphia, PA

It is amazing how half of the Christian church is prevented from ministry because there has been a reductionist theology which limits a woman’s role in the light of one or two texts of Scripture rather than taking cognition of the whole of Scripture. [CBE] encourages people to be thoroughly biblical in their reflections and in working out how to minister so that we can indeed enable all people to be involved in the grand task that God has given to every one of us to take the gospel to the whole world.”

Dr. David Claydon
Former International Director, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization; Senior Advisor, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization

	Christians for Biblical Equality's affirmation of women and men in ministry/leadership is making a significant contribution to teaching about biblical equality. The work of the Kingdom will be maximized when all of those committed to taking the gospel to the world, empowered by God's Holy Spirit, are free, encouraged and enabled to do so."
	Robyn Claydon Vice-Chair, Lausanne International Committee on World Evangelization

	Leaders should exercise their God-given giftedness (natural abilities, acquired skills, and spiritual gifts) as they follow through on their God-given call, regardless of whether they are men or women."
	Dr. J. Robert Clinton Professor of Leadership, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA

From my graduate school days in the 1980s, CBE has been a spiritual lifeline giving me solid biblical teachings on God's rich design for the full, functional equality of women and men serving in the church. CBE cares for both the mind and the heart, encouraging men and women to live fully into God's calling. Defending the egalitarian position with cogent arguments and sincere humility, CBE tackles deep theological questions as well as addresses the everyday life of average believers. Their concern for women in the developing world (Majority World) highlights their core convictions that God speaks good news to women everywhere, and that Majority World women should have a voice. CBE is a faithful advocate for the full equality of women in the home and church."

Dr. Lynn H. Cohick
Author; Associate Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL

I love, support, and receive nurturance from the Christians for Biblical Equality organization. The CBE conferences, Pricilla Papers, books, and resources feed me academically and professionally, with partners in ministry and resources for my teaching; spiritually, with great models for spiritual leadership; affectively, with writings and speakers that speak to my heart and keep me attuned to current thought, research, and literature on biblical equality; and personally, with rich and lasting friendships."

Dr. Gwendolyn J. Dewey
Board of Regents, Professor, Bakke Graduate University, Seattle, WA

	CBE is a strong voice for the full and equal participation of women in the church. CBE is a powerful advocate for gender justice, as well as racial and economic justice. No student of reconciliation studies at Bethel University leaves without knowing about CBE."
	Dr. Curtiss Paul DeYoung Professor, Bethel University, St. Paul, MN

	CBE is an organization that, without strident voice, is pursuing a path toward equality among men and women in the Christian church, where the Spirit’s giftedness for ministry is understood to precede matters of gender, and where husbands and wives are encouraged through mutual servanthood to work together to make their marriages as Christian as possible."
	Dr. Gordon Fee Advisory Board, International Institute for Christian Studies; Author; Member, Committee on Bible Translation; Professor Emeritus, Regent College, Vancouver, BC

	I applaud the good work of CBE and its commitment to a biblical equality under God for all men and women."
	Dr. Richard J. Foster Author; Founder, Renovaré; Lecturer

For all of the progress in the area of equality in our time, much work remains to do done in the Christian community across the theological spectrum in order to turn the truth of biblical equality into a lived reality in the life and witness of the church. Over the years, CBE has been at the forefront of this vital work and continues to provide and promote outstanding resources, events, and networks that bear faithful, vibrant, and life changing witness to the full equality that women and men share in both the blessings and the ministry of the gospel."

Dr. John R. Franke
Author; Lecturer; Professor, Biblical Theological Seminary, Hatfield, PA

The work of Christians for Biblical Equality is so important, getting the word out that the gospel is good news for women! I often teach and write about women’s issues and have found CBE a great resource. In their website and publications you can discover hidden histories of “Church Mothers” as well as cutting-edge research that illuminates the New Testament texts. The ministry of CBE is a great encouragement. Their mission is crucial to the future vitality and testimony of the church—we need the gifts of the whole body of Christ, male and female."

Sharon Gallagher
Editor of Radix magazine (Where Christian Faith Meets Contemporary Culture); Associate Director of New College Berkeley

CBE is doing a wonderful job in promoting biblical balance. I grew up in a culture that believed that the Bible taught racial segregation. I came to see that the texts that were used to support this view were being grossly misinterpreted. Similarly, I was nurtured as a new believer in a fellowship that believed that women were excluded from certain ministries and that the husband was the 'boss' in the home. As I continued to study the Bible, I soon came to realize that these opinions were based more on custom than on Scripture. I enthusiastically endorse the work that CBE is doing in the interest of accurate biblical interpretation. God's Word is a liberating word!"

Dr. W. Ward Gasque
Author; Founder, Center for Innovation in Theological Education; Lecturer; President, Pacific Association for Theological Studies, Seattle, WA

I very much value my membership of Christians for Biblical Equality. I read with interest and learn a lot from their publications, especially Priscilla Papers. I have been really encouraged in my faith by attending their international conferences where I have been delighted to find almost as many men present as women, and I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of first-class evangelical scholars who support CBE in general and in their conferences in particular. I am constantly running into Christians who ask me where can I get more information and biblical materials that speaks positively of the leadership of women and men. I say in reply, 'I know just the group. They are called Christians for Biblical Equality. The book service they provide has no equal. Why not start a chapter and get together with others to discuss and advance equal and complementary marriages as well as equal and complementary leadership by women and men in the church?' For me the big problem with the idea that women are permanently subordinated to men is that it is not biblical and it demeans women. No amount of obfuscating language overcomes this fact. Worse still is the idea that all hierarchical-complementarians espouse in support of the permanent subordination of women, namely the eternal subordination of the Son of God. This demeans Christ by undermining his Lordship. No amount of proof-texting or quotations from theologians who may seem to support this idea overcomes the problem that the eternal subordination of the Son is judged by the historical creeds and Reformation confessions as a dangerous heresy."

Rev. Dr. Kevin Giles
Author; Lecturer; Retired Vicar, St. Michael's Church, North Carlton, Australia

	[CBE] is making a difference in our world by its careful research and sober declaration of the truths and implications of the equality of all persons: created in the image of God, redeemed by the work of Christ, and empowered for ministry by the anointing of the Holy Spirit."
	Dr. Debbie Gill Former National Director, Division of Christian Education and the Commission on Discipleship, Assemblies of God; Professor, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO

	I am so thankful for the ministry of Christians for Biblical Equality. Their message is in step with the Holy Spirit's agenda, even though their efforts to bring reformation to the church are sometimes ignored or opposed. I am honored to be a part of this history-changing movement."
	J. Lee Grady Author; Editor, Charisma; Journalist

	Christians for Biblical Equality unabashedly proclaims the Scriptural truth: God calls us all--both men and women--to practice mutuality in all our relationships, whether in the church, in society, or in marriage. [CBE] has assisted countless people in becoming the mutually supportive disciples Christ wants us all to be."
	Rev. Dr. Stanley J. Grenz (Deceased) Author; Lecturer; Professor, Carey Theological College, Regent College, Vancouver, BC

	It is important to maintain that the Bible shows no gender limitations as the exercise of spiritual gifts, including teaching and prophesying (understood in a biblical sense)."
	Dr. Michael Griffiths Former General Director, Overseas Missionary Fellowship (CIM); Former Principal, London Bible College (now London School of Theology); Former Professor, Regent College, Vancouver, BC

It is extraordinary that so many Christians still promote the broken relationship between women and men as God's will. In his lifestyle and teaching, Jesus demonstrated a different way for men and women to relate to each other, and calls us to do the same. Christians for Biblical Equality is one of the few groups today to challenge the sinful assumptions and prejudices inherent still in our gender relationships."

Valerie Griffiths
Overseas Missionary Fellowship, Japan; Teacher; Translator; Writer

	It is an honour and a privilege to be involved in the ministry of CBE which works so hard to share the liberating message of the equality God intended for men and women. In a society that takes this idea for granted, an organisation like CBE is essential in enabling Christians to embrace and share this fundamental and life-giving truth."
	Michele Guinness Broadcaster; Communications Trainer/Consultant; Former Head of Communications, National Health Service, Cumbria/Lancashire, UK; Journalist; Writer

My journey toward biblical egalitarianism was lonely. Only gradually did Pat and I become aware of other individuals addressing the same questions we were. When I finally arrived at settled convictions...it was still lonely because there was no organization that faithfully represented the views I held and in which I felt comfortable. Most of my academic colleagues seemed puzzled by what they considered an unimportant tangent too risky to explore. When Christians for Biblical Equality was formed in 1988, I knew I had found a home, a home where the very name says it all--a commitment to true gender equality based on the authority of the Bible."

Dr. Stan N. Gundry
Author; Editor-in-Chief, Senior Vice-President of the Book Group, Zondervan; Former President, Evangelical Theological Society

	If the body of Christ is going to complete the Great Commission in our generation it will only be possible when both men and women use their God-given gifts to serve the needy and minister his grace. I commend CBE's ministry, championing women and men to be and do all that God has designed for them. Together, by the empowering of the Holy Spirit, we can see God's forever dream made a reality."
	David Joel Hamilton International Associate Provost, University of the Nations; Staff, Youth With a Mission (YWAM)

	My experience with CBE has enabled me to better understand the important role that this organization serves in enabling all of Christ’s church to share in the great ministry to which the Savior has called us. I am pleased to endorse CBE as an organization of the highest integrity, commitment, and vision to serve Christ in the 21st century."
	Dr. Richard S. Hess Professor, Denver Seminary

I am very enthusiastic about the growing and dynamic ministry of CBE both in this country and internationally. Through its publications, networking, and conferences, CBE meets a very real need to encourage and equip both women and men with solid biblical and theological foundations for Christian ministry and life. I am grateful for the strategic role CBE plays in affirming the gifts and callings of women of faith."

Rev. Dr. Roberta Hestenes
Former President, Eastern University; International Minister, World Vision; Pastor, Community Presbyterian Church

I thank God for CBE and the ministry God has given them because I see God using women in India in a mighty way. They are out witnessing for the Lord, planting churches, engaging in prayer walks, and also training up leaders so that other women and men can go out and witness and bring people to the Lord. At the same time it is a sad scenario when some churches, influenced by hierarchical cultures do not allow women to engage in ministry and do not allow them to use the gifts that the Holy Spirit of God has given them. Therefore it is a special joy to be a part of Christians for Biblical Equality."

Dr. Rev. Richard Howell
General Secretary, Evangelical Fellowship of India; Vice-Chairperson, International Council, World Evangelical Alliance, India

I endorse CBE because it advocates dealing with the gender issues based on solid biblical hermeneutics, not on mere debates. CBE is a ministry organization that encourages men and women to minister together side by side based on God-given gifts, and is overcoming the obstacles that the traditions have placed upon the gender differences. CBE provides numerous resources, facilitates networking, helps women become confident in utilizing their God-given gifts for ministry in the church."

Dr. KeumJu Jewel Hyun
Founder, President, Matthew 28 Ministries

	CBE is a relevant and essential voice in the church today. Heeding this voice is a major step towards getting the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world."
	Rev. Cosmas Ilechukwu Founder, President, African Center for Christian Leadership; General Overseer, Charismatic Renewal Ministries; President, International Ministries Fellowship

	CBE is an organization which positively promotes the message of equality in Christ without disparaging those who sincerely read Scripture differently. And so long as this continues, I'm very pleased to help promote its work."
	Rev. Dr. David Instone-Brewer Senior Research Fellow, Tyndale House, Cambridge, UK

I heartily commend the organization, leadership, and work that CBE does. Confessionally, they are orthodox, hold to the absolute authority and total truthfulness of the Bible, practice sincere Christian love in legitimate differences between Christians, and have brought Scriptural hope and affirmation to countless women who have been burdened by an unnecessarily restrictive view of women’s ministries in the church. Furthermore, CBE has contributed significantly to strengthening heterosexual marriages and families, as well as addressing marital abuse and unjust gender and ethnic discrimination. Their leadership and members are effectively involved in orthodox evangelical scholarship at the highest levels and sponsor both publications and conferences that are of exceptional quality."

Dr. Alan F. Johnson
Professor Emeritus, Wheaton College and Graduate School; Former President, Evangelical Theological Society

We realized after 35 years of marriage that we had married under a Genesis 3 model: 'He shall rule over her,' and 'her adoration and dependency shall be to her husband.' Likely we did it that way because we, like everyone else, were under the spell of distortions rooted in human failure and sin. We were seeking God, weighing Scripture, and looking for the 'big picture' across the next twenty years. So, when CBE appeared, we recognized it as a community of positive faith, grounded in Scripture, and committed to the principle of 'Let THEM have dominion,' 'Let them rule,' and 'submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.' We are easy with the spirit and commitments of CBE."

Dr. Donald and Robbie Joy
Authors; Directors, Center for the Study of the Family; Lecturers; Professor, Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, KY

CBE represents accurately much of my own view of gender with regard to Christian leadership and service--which I believe is inclusive rather than exclusive. I keep asking those who disagree to quote any New Testament texts that speak of spiritual gifts linked directly to gender. No one has, because there are none. If the Holy Spirit doesn't pour out...gifts of service to the church in gender-specified terms, how can we maintain in good conscience, a gender-discriminatory view?"

Glenn Kaiser
Musician; Staff, Jesus People USA, Chicago, IL

It is always a joy to dig into the Scriptures in order to bring constructive assistance on some of the questions that concern us in our day. In that light, it has been my privilege to trace parts of the picture God has drawn in his Word on the status, dignity and gifts that he has given women--the same gifts which God has given to men. Please join me in encouraging groups such as Christians for Biblical Equality to remain steadfast in their work to faithfully articulate the message God has given men and women in the Scriptures--that of biblical equality. May God's hand of blessing be on CBE for his honor and glory and for helping all of us to continue to grow into the fullness of Christ."

Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; Former President, Evangelical Theological Society; Lecturer; President Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA

Christians for Biblical Equality has enriched and challenged my life and biblical understanding of human relationships. As already enjoying an egalitarian marriage of thirty-five plus years and having the privilege to serve for over three decades in a church community which practices egalitarianism in its pulpit, businesses, mission outreaches and relationships, I can wholeheartedly encourage others to dive into the rich resources CBE offers the individual, the family and the church. Thank you, CBE!"

Wendi Kaiser
Musician; Lecturer; Staff, Jesus People USA; Staff, Project 12, Chicago, IL

So many of my friends are women whom God has called, but they face hostility in some sectors of the church because of their gender... and sometimes the very sectors of the church where they would have most hoped their call to be biblically affirmed. CBE provides a ministry where they can nurture their call among other believers who affirm Scripture's authority and also support their calling. I am grateful for the many people CBE has encouraged and equipped for ministry, and pray for God's continued blessings on it."

Dr. Craig Keener
Author; Lecturer; Associate Minister, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church; Professor, Palmer Theological Seminary, Wynnewood, PA

	Christians for Biblical Equality has helped greatly to fill gaps in my education. The egalitarian perspective was not represented at all in the exegesis, theology or history classes I took in college and seminary. Now I see biblical equality not simply as an exegetical option, but as a biblical imperative."
	John Kohlenberger III Author; Lecturer

I am happy to endorse CBE. This fine group has gathered the weighty Biblical evidence for gender equality in society, the church, and the home. It has done so without eroding its high commitment to Biblical authority or concession to secular agendas. As such, it is perhaps the single most powerful human voice to proclaim St. Paul's kingdom vision of a community based on equality of race, class, and gender."

Dr. Paul Larsen
Former President, Minister-at-Large, Evangelical Covenant Church

As a missionary I taught young men and older African pastors in a Bible school--but with a sense of guilt. Either the mission (and my husband) were wrong in asking me to take such a leadership role over men, or there was another way to interpret the Bible I loved and accepted as God's Word. What a blessing to discover CBE upon returning to the USA from Africa--I couldn't devour the books by evangelical scholars fast enough; I drank in the egalitarian teachings at conferences and on tape. I could now freely encourage young women, including my granddaughters, that using the gifts of leadership God had given them was a privilege and responsibility that could be exercised with joy."

Lorry Lutz
Author; Consultant, Women of Global Action; Founder, Former Director, AD2000 Women's Track, Colorado Springs, CO

Christians for Biblical Equality is a cutting-edge ministry affirming women and men to exercise their gifts to their God given capacity. CBE continues to encourage, challenge, and inspire me to live a life personally, corporately, and in leadership grounded in biblical teaching. With this foundation both women and men can reach new heights of leadership thereby reflecting the glory of God on this earth."

JoAnne Lyon
General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church

It is amazing how God caused men and women to start the Christians for Biblical Equality movement to impact the nations for the Lord Jesus Christ through its vision and passion. CBE is God's instrument in working towards a global community of followers of Christ who enjoy biblical equality and promote this concept in every nation. Having been involved in Women's Ministries in India and around Asia since 1990, it has been a great joy to see how the Holy Spirit is moving among women in the midst of various challenges, enabling them to empower one another and together build the kingdom of God alongside men. I appreciate your cross-cultural and inter-church approach in your research, and to my mind, this is of eternal value. I am glad to be part of this movement of God in this century."

Elizabeth Leelavathi Manasseh
Honorary Executive Secretary, Women's Commission of Evangelical Fellowship of Asia; National Director, Bible Society of India; Vice-Chairperson, Women's Commission of World Evangelical Alliance, India

	CBE is a ministry in the 'right time and season,' especially for the men and women in Africa, most of whom need to be Christians in Africa, rather than African Christians! This would liberate them from some traditions and culture that hinder Christian growth."
	Rev. Dr. Judy W. Mbugua Broadcaster, Women of Global Action, Pan African Christian Women Alliance, and Ladies Homecare Spiritual Fellowship; Team Leader, The Association of Evangelicals in Africa

What makes CBE so important is its style of engagement. Instead of threatening those with whom we disagree with heresy, we seek to engage peacefully and reasonably on the basis of what the Bible says. Our oft-used word 'mutuality,' far from being a political slogan, is a statement of belief and process and relationship and hope. There is a swelling crowd of young Christians who know the way forward is to listen to what God is doing in this world, often through women, and to join God’s redemptive work in this world through Christ."

Scot McKnight
Author, The Blue Parakeet; Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University

	Increasing numbers of us feel a call to model reconciliation in Christ across old boundaries of discrimination. We believe that the Bible sets us on this journey, and that quoting select verses to maintain those boundaries is a well-intentioned mistake. CBE has been an encouragement to us all, and I am grateful for their important, needed work."
	Brian McLaren Author; Board Chair, Sojourners/Call to Renewal; Founding Member, Red Letter Christians; International Steering Team, Emergent; Lecturer

	CBE has the unique function of informing Christians and misinformed non-Christians of what the Bible actually teaches about relationships of gender and race and modeling those teachings."
	Alvera Mickelsen Founding Member, Christians for Biblical Equality; Author; Editor

The time for women to lead is now--not five years from now, not ten, but now. Women 'get' new millennial culture because they're wired for it. They're wired for the chaotic, the connective, and the collaborative. It's what they do, and what they have done for centuries. When the old ways of organizing and influencing aren't working anymore, it is nothing less than kingdom sabotage to keep women on the bench. Squandering women's gifts is also counter-Scriptural. The reality is, God wired women with such amazing abilities because they were meant to be used. That is Bible 101. Now, thanks to the women and men at Christians for Biblical Equality, we can finally peel back centuries of misinterpretation and see it. CBE's loving and arduous work--opening the full counsel of Scripture regarding women within the informed context of faith and history--has built a new foundation of hope and possibility for the Church. For any organism to function optimally, its whole body must be engaged. If there were ever a time the Church needed to function--and function at its best--that time is now. Thanks, CBE, for freeing women to impact a waiting world."

Sally Morgenthaler
Author; Founder, Conversations: Open-Dialogue Retreats for Women of Substance; Lecturer

CBE is a gift to evangelical women and men world-wide who wonder about or already have an egalitarian vision of leading and serving as the Body of Christ. Nowhere else can you find such a treasure of resources that provide elegantly clear, grace-filled and scholarly understandings of the inclusion of both genders in the full range of kingdom responsibilities. From the biblical to the practical, with conferences and books/media, CBE helps us re-imagine a different world where we are free indeed."

Dr. MaryKate Morse
Author; Professor, George Fox Evangelical Seminary; Director of Strategic Planning, George Fox University, Portland, Oregon.

Everywhere I go, I find thinking Christians who are wrestling with the issues of gender equality in ministry and in the home. Many are uncertain and are not able to verbalize their thoughts just as we were. CBE helped my wife and I put our legitimate questions on the table, examine them in light of Scripture, and gave us confidence to articulate them better. Through the resources CBE offers, we discovered we were not the only teachers of the Bible looking for answers with integrity. Our journey through the gender question has not been easy, yet it has improved our marriage and ministry as well as our intimacy with Christ. CBE has played a significant role in our journey and we support this work wholeheartedly, having been privileged to help both men and women discover more of their gifting as they work together in the Kingdom."

Dr. Edward Murray
International Representative, Campus Crusade for Christ, Int., Eastern Europe and Russia, leadership development consultant, Adjunct Professor, Akadamie für Weltmission, Korntal, Germany

Having shared with six others the responsibility of drafting the original manifesto for the Christians for Biblical Equality, I stand firmly committed to the same. I believe that most, if not all of the restrictions on women in society have no basis in Scripture; and that those maintained in the church are based on an inadequate interpretation of a few restrictive passages which put them in contradiction with the manifest special concern and love of God for women articulated from Genesis to Revelation. I do believe that in the eschaton all the redeemed will endorse biblical equality, since all of them will together constitute the bride of Christ."

Dr. Roger Nicole
Former President/Founding Member, Evangelical Theological Society; Founding Member, International Council on Biblical Inerrancy; Professor, Reformed Theological Seminary; Professor Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA

As someone who has experienced the wonderful pastoral leadership of two women in two successive evangelical churches I know experientially what I have always found in Scripture—that women and men are equally called and gifted by God for Christian ministry. I heartily appreciate and endorse the ministry of Christians for Biblical Equality and hope that its ministry will help to free both women and men from the bondage of cultural accommodation to hierarchical male domination in churches and families."

Dr. Roger E. Olson
Author; Lecturer; Professor, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, Waco, TX

Before there was CBE I, by the grace of God, was given the privilege to be brought up in a home with parents who daily lived out biblical equality. Before CBE, when Carol and I were married, we based our marriage on what we believed to be the principles of biblical equality. When, for a time, I was a member of the CBE board, I was convinced that CBE was called to a mission for teaching and promoting biblical equality for 'such a time as this.'"

Dr. Virgil A. Olson
Professor Emeritus, Bethel University, Saint Paul, MN

	CBE is the single most valuable resource for study and teaching materials on the subject of the biblical equality of all persons. I encourage every Christian--women and men--to discover the liberating and redemption-based truths of who they are in Christ. The CBE resources open the Scripture's revelation of God's loving and eternal plan for his human creation."
	Rev. LaDonna Osborn President, International Gospel Fellowship; CEO, Vice-President, Osborn International, Tulsa, OK

Grounded in the Word of God, Christians for Biblical Equality is spreading the good news about equality in Christ for all believers, and stands tall for our liberty in the gospel. Sexism and racism in the church dishonors our Lord, and hinders the spread of his kingdom. CBE exists to fight these evils in our very midst, and bring light and truth to this ongoing struggle. They deserve the prayerful support of every Christian."

Dr. Alan G. Padgett
Author; Editor, Journal for Christian Theological Research; Lecturer; Professor, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, MN

	Thank you for the fine ministry CBE is offering to the whole church. Your biblically faithful encouragement of God's people to discover their ministries individually and then to encourage all others who love Christ to thrive in their call as well is balanced and wise."
	Rev. Earl F. Palmer Senior Pastor, University Presbyterian Church, Seattle, WA

I am delighted to endorse the irenic, insightful, and biblically sound message of Christians for Biblical Equality. It encourages a wide constituency with academically solid and spiritually uplifting messages through its outstanding publications and conferences. ...Arise is consistently fresh and practical. Priscilla Papers addresses challenging issues with original research and exegetical insight. Its leadership from its beginning has exemplified Christ-likeness, humility and a zeal for the truth. Christians for Biblical Equality is a movement full of joy, delight in the freeing message of the Bible, and love for Christ and the church."

Dr. Philip B. Payne
University of Cambridge Supervisor, New Testament Studies; Visiting Professor, Author, President, Linguist's Software, Inc., Edmonds, WA

	With the challenges of the gospel before it, the church needs to deploy all of its resources, male and female, to proclaim and live out the good news. CBE challenges the church to include its gifted and godly women of the church in all aspects of the gospel ministry."
	Dr. John E. Phelan, Jr. Former Dean, President, Professor, North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL

	Over the years of friendship with CBE, I am convinced that CBE is more than an organization. It is a community of vibrant and biblically committed people pursuing a path of equality among men and women in the Church and thus equipping and empowering the Church of Jesus Christ across the world."
	Dr. Finny Philip Principal, Filadelfia Bible College, Udaipur; Mission Director, Filadelfia Fellowship Church, India; Chief Editor, Cross & Crown; Theological Editor (NT), South Asia Bible Commentary

	CBE performs an important function in demonstrating the full equality of women and men in the body of Christ. There is no place in the church for authoritarianism, male domination, or denying women the power to exercise their God-given gifts. We are truly one in Christ."
	Richard V. Pierard Professor Emeritus, Indiana State University; Professor, Gordon College; Former President, Evangelical Theological Society

	Throughout church history, small but dedicated groups of evangelicals have sought to recover Paul's gospel of grace regarding race, class, and gender, which had been lost in a world driven by hierarchy. CBE is the clear, courageous, yet compassionate voice in our generation of that thoroughly biblical movement."
	Dr. Ronald W. Pierce Editor, Discovering Biblical Equality; Professor, Talbot School of Theology, La Mirada, CA

	CBE is an invaluable resource to both women and men in gaining a clear understanding of the biblical basis for equality in relationships and opportunity in church as well as in the home."
	Dr. Paul A. and Kay F. Rader Former International Leaders, The Salvation Army; Former President, Asbury College, Wilmore, KY

I am proud to be a long-time member of Christians for Biblical Equality. This wonderful organization has my full support, and I encourage individuals and churches to join with CBE to promote a holistic and powerful biblical commitment to equality for women and men in Christ Jesus, relevant to life in the home, in society and in the Church. Such a witness is needed in our broken world and within the Church where there are still strongholds which argue against biblical equality. CBE provides a faithful and winsome biblical witness and needs the support of Christians who share this aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Dr. David M. Scholer (Deceased)
Former Associate Dean, Center for Advanced Theological Studies; Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA

CBE is exceptional as a robust evangelical organization proclaiming just how good the Good News really is. It has earned our hearty personal support for its witness to gender equality, freedom, and mutuality--truths toward which the inspired text of Scripture actually points. There is an irrepressible enthusiasm about CBE that is rooted in its discovery of these life-changing and liberating truths. It advocates these with biblical fidelity, intellectual rigor and unusual grace. And CBE is anything but parochial; it is growing a globe-sized vision to extend the principle of freedom in Christ to challenge various forms of injustice and oppression worldwide. May God continue to bless this cutting-edge ministry!"

Dr. Glen G. Scorgie
Author; Lecturer; Professor, Bethel Seminary, San Diego, CA

Through Christians for Biblical Equality, I am able to join with the worldwide body of Christ, in a partnership where all believers, without regard to gender, ethnicity or class can stand together in unity and proclaim Jesus as Lord. Christ’s call to kingdom ministry compels me to share in the mission of CBE to work for equality and justice, envisioning a future in which all believers can use their gifts for God’s glory and for the fulfillment of God’s purposes."

Arbutus Lichti Sider
Educator; Lecturer; Marriage and Family Therapist

CBE is solidly biblical and urgently needed. One of the major failures of evangelicalism is the widespread neglect or opposition to full dignity and equality for women. CBE offers a thoroughly evangelical, desperately needed corrective. My wife, Arbutus, and I have been members of CBE for years because we believe that Jesus was an 'evangelical feminist' and everybody should follow in his footsteps. CBE is doing a great job articulating a solidly biblical understanding of the full dignity and equality of women."

Dr. Ronald J. Sider
Author; Director, The Sider Center on Ministry and Public Policy; Founder, President, Evangelicals for Social Action; Founding Member, National Religious Partnership for the Environment; Lecturer; Professor, Palmer Theological Seminary, Wynnewood, PA

As a teacher of undergraduates at a Christian university, I have found CBE's programs, conferences, and resources to be of vital help to evangelical students of all ages. CBE's brochure and its statement on biblical equality are always available on our gender studies bulletin board, and I am constantly replenishing the supply! This testifies to the continuing need for such an organization, and the interest and hope that it generates among Christian students who are struggling to understand their calling as women and men in the work of God's kingdom."

Dr. Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen
Author; Former Senior Editor, Christianity Today; Professor, Eastern University; Resident Scholar, The Hestenes Center for Christian Women in Leadership, Saint Davids, PA

CBE is active in heralding and proclaiming Christ’s redemptive message of gender equality. Their work is based on deep theological reflection and scholarship which have significantly shaped and influenced my own thoughts about ministry. Thankfully, much has been accomplished to bring about gender equality in the church. Regrettably, CBE’s voice is still largely unheard of in many parts of Christendom. Much work needs to be done in order to free God’s beloved from prejudices against women in leadership and empower the next generation of women for the kingdom."

Dr. Sharon Tam
Pastor

Thank you for letting me express my hearty congratulations for CBE's ministry. Your great task is very much needed in today's situation. Any serious student who studies the creation account could hardly be mistaken of gender theology. God created man and woman in his own image, and their nobility and equality is so explicitly signified that we should never disregard [them]. Paul, the apostle, makes clear explanations not only in Galatians 3:28 but also in I Corinthians 12 that the divine sovereignty in distribution of spiritual gifts [is] without distinction of gender, race and culture. Some conservative Christians are still very slow to accept; therefore CBE has a great ministry to help. I am sincerely declaring that you have my full support without any reservation or hesitation whatsoever."

Dr. Samuel Y.C. Tang
Professor, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, San Francisco, CA

CBE offers this white western male both conviction and healing. Despite having been discipled by various women as a part of Jesus People USA, I still battle my own deep-rooted gender bias. I sorely need the biblical acumen, spiritual discernment, and loving correction my sisters and brothers at CBE represent. CBE's ministry has meant much to me in both my marriage and my ministry, offering valuable resources online, in their Priscilla Papers journal, and in various books, conferences, and papers. I firmly believe CBE's biblical and revolutionary message can only become more central in this 21st century."

Jon Trott
Author; Editor, Cornerstone; Lecturer; Staff, Jesus People USA, Chicago, IL

As a young pastor and new faculty member at a Baptist seminary, I felt I held a biblical position on the role of women in church and society, but I lacked knowledge on the subject. About that time I discovered CBE at a table during an ETS meeting on our campus—Voila!—there before me was an abundance of literature, numerous resources, and the keen mind of Catherine Kroeger. From that day CBE has been a vital part of my life and ministry through its many and varied resources. I will always be grateful."

Dr. Joe E. Trull
Author; Editor, Christian Ethics Today; Former Professor of Christian Ethics, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

	Christians for Biblical Equality is an organization committed to a biblical understanding of equality that recognizes the freedom and worth of both men and women. This message, one ultimately concerned with peace and justice, is relevant to the home, the church, and society, and carries my hearty endorsement."
	Rev. Jim Wallis Activist; Author; Editor-in-Chief, Sojourners; Lecturer; President and Executive Director, Sojourners/Call to Renewal

Disparities in health are rooted in the absence of equity within a community. CBE’s effort to clearly and consistently communicate the Biblical mandate of wise and just stewardship of our God-given gifts is foundational to the Christian community’s response to health disparities and human suffering. CBE brings clarity to our understanding of what the Scriptures teach regarding how people of different genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic classes are to relate to each other. I am honored to support CBE’s efforts in creating a more just and fair future for all members of the communities in which we serve."

Dr. James Walton
Vice President, Chief Health Equity Officer, Baylor Healthcare System, Dallas, TX; Medical Director, Project Access Dallas

	The ministry of CBE is absolutely crucial to the body of Christ since it champions the cause of biblical equality around the world. This is no small task; it attempts to carry forward the supreme redemptive act of Jesus into the social fabric of our broken and hurting world."
	Dr. Bill Webb Professor, Heritage Seminary; Speaker; Author; Former Pastor, Chaplain

	One of the pressing challenges for the church of today is to liberate both women and men into the fullest use of their callings and ministry. The Christians for Biblical Equality stand at the forefront of this need and have a unique track record in standing firmly on Scripture and releasing a wealth of ministries."
	Rev. Dr. David Wilkinson Principal, St. John's College, Durham University, Durham, UK

	Through their encouragement and conference assistance, CBE has significantly lifted the profile among evangelical Christians in India of the need for justice for women. We remain indebted to CBE and encouraged by the contact and the books promoted. The work of CBE is much needed in south Asia and in many other countries."
	Dr. Beulah Wood Author; Dean of Women, South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies; Lecturer

	CBE’s mission is critical to encouraging the church to recognize and support both women and men to be leaders in all walks of life. I’m excited about the work they are doing and the call to action it gives to Christians everywhere."
	Bonnie Wurzbacher Senior Vice President, Global Accounts, The Coca-Cola Company

	Christians for Biblical Equality offers Christians a tremendous opportunity to learn to live together more faithfully as God's people. From its inception, CBE has worked effectively and tirelessly to articulate God's passion in restoring the fullness of the biblical witness regarding gender relations within the body of Christ."
	Cecilia Yau Ministry Ambassador, Chinese Christian Mission USA

	CBE has a unique, strategic role to play in the evangelical church community today. By providing resources for careful theological reflection as well as offering networks for friendship and fellowship, men and women discover their gifts and place in the body of Christ."
	Jeanette Yep Former Divisional Director, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

CBE - Christians For Biblical Equality

Search

What's New

Endorsers