Appeal Made Over Andrews Statement on Headship

The appeal emphasizes that God established the headship of man over woman in the Garden of Eden and says He desires to maintain that hierarchy.

Story by Andrew McChesney News editor, Adventist Review

Editor’s note: On Aug. 22, the Adventist Review published an online story about the release of a consensus document by the faculty of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, “The Unique Headship of Christ.” We offer the following story about a recently published response to that earlier story.

A group of 25 Adventist theologians and pastors has appealed to faculty of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University to reconsider a recent statement on Biblical concepts of headship.

The group — which includes a current and a former seminary faculty member, alumni, and students, as well as professors from other North American Adventist universities — has sent an eight-page open appeal to the seminary, the church’s main North American training ground for pastors, in connection with the document approved by consensus in late August.

The appeal, dated Monday, “urges the faculty to reconsider their statement and adjust it so that it considers the full biblical counsel on this subject and be in harmony with the vital Protestant and Adventist principle of ‘the Bible and the Bible only.’”

“Instead of unifying church members, it seems that the document has brought confusion in regard to the Biblical view of Christ’s headship and its implications for leadership under Christ in the church,” the appeal says.

The appeal opens by concurring that Christ’s headship over the church is absolute. But it also says “the arguments in the seminary document to support His headship role are at times problematic.”

“We see the need to recognize that Scripture is clear that Christ has delegated leadership responsibility for His church to ministers and elders as undershepherds in His stead with His authority,” it says.

The appeal lists four “problematic arguments” from the seminary statement, and follows each with a reply.

The appeal makes no mention of women’s ordination, a divisive issue among some church members that may face a vote at the General Conference session next July.

Contradicting the seminary statement, the appeal affirms that God established the headship of man over woman in the Garden of Eden and says that God desires to maintain that hierarchy.

“There are clear indications in both the Bible and the writings of Ellen White that Adam had a leadership role before the entrance of sin, one that continued after the Fall, because both are created in the image of God,” it says.

“This view is in harmony with the plain teaching of the apostle Paul with regard to the equal value of men and women as heirs of salvation (Gal. 3:26-29)."

The signatories said they hoped seminary faculty would use their suggestions.

“We feel strongly about the reputation of the seminary and are concerned that this statement … will not solve the current controversy over gender and leadership roles in the church,” it says. “To the contrary, it may hurt the seminary’s reputation, trust, and credibility among members in North America and worldwide, and may undermine our credibility among thinking scholars in other denominations.”

This story was originally published on Adventist Review Online.