"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." 

"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."

"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."

"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!"

"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."

"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."

Shane Claiborne: Author; Activist; Community Member, The Simple Way

“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)

Rev. Canon Dr. David Claydon: Former International Chair, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization; Senior Advisor, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization

“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.”

View a short message from David - 11 MB

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

"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."

"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."

"I applaud the good work of CBE and its commitment to a biblical equality under God for all men and women."

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

"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."

"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. Kevin Giles: Author; Lecturer; Vicar, St. Michael's Church

"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."

Dr. Debbie Gill: Former National Director, Division of Christian Education and the Commission on Discipleship, Assemblies of God; Professor, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

"[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."

J. Lee Grady: Author; Editor, Charisma; Journalist

"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."

"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."

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

"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 in 1975, 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."

"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."

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

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

"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."

View a short message from Richard - 4 MB

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

"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."

Glenn Kaiser: Musician; Staff, Jesus People USA

"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 his own gifts of service to the church in gender-specified terms, how can we maintain in good conscience, a gender-discriminatory view?"

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

"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!"

Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.: Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; Former President, Evangelical Theological Society; Lecturer; President Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

"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. Craig Keener: Author; Lecturer; Associate Minister, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church; Professor, Palmer Theological Seminary

"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."

John Kohlenberger III: Author; Lecturer

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

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

"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."

Jo Anne Lyon: Executive Director, World Hope International

"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."

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

"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."

Brian McLaren: Author; Board Chair, Sojourners/Call to Renewal; Founding Member, Red Letter Christians; International Steering Team, Emergent; Lecturer

"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."

Alvera Mickelsen: Founding Member, Christians for Biblical Equality

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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 E. Olson: Author; Lecturer; Professor, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University

"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."

"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.'"

"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."

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

"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. John E. Phelan, Jr.: Former Dean, North Park Theological Seminary; President, North Park Theological Seminary; Professor, North Park Theological Seminary

"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." 

Richard V. Pierard: Professor Emeritus, Indiana State University; Stephen Phillips Professor of History, Gordon College; Former President, Evangelical Theological Society

Dr. Ronald W. Pierce: Editor, Discovering Biblical Equality; Professor, Talbot School of Theology

"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. Paul A. and Kay F. Rader: Former International Leaders, The Salvation Army; Former President, Asbury College

"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. David M. Scholer: Former Associate Dean, Center for Advanced Theological Studies; Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary

"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. Glen G. Scorgie: Author; Lecturer; Professor, Bethel Seminary San Diego

"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 world wide. May God continue to bless this cutting-edge ministry!"

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

"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. Samuel Y.C. Tang: Professor, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary

"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."

"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."

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

Rev. Jim Wallis: Activist; Author; Editor-in-Chief, Sojourners; Lecturer; President and Executive Director, Sojourners/Call to Renewal

"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."

Dr. Beulah Wood: Author; Dean of Women, South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies; Lecturer

"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."

Cecilia Yau: Ministry Ambassador, Chinese Christian Mission USA

"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."

"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."