Stop saying sorry for complementarianism, EMA told

Evangelicals should stop apologising for being complementarian, the keynote speaker at the Evangelical Ministry Assembly (EMA) told the gathering.

Dr Jim Hamilton, Professor of Biblical Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, was being interviewed by Gwilym Davies of The Proclamation Trust, which arranges the three-day event in London.

Asked by Davies, ‘How may we best live the Christian life?’, Hamilton responded: ‘I think the pull of the world is weakened the stronger we are rooted in the Bible. We need to remember that giving in to temptation means siding with the serpent. Conversely, the more we stay true to Scripture, the more we grow in holiness.

‘Having said that, there are still several doctrines we still need to straighten out. Chief among those are the Trinity, the Incarnation and justification by faith alone.’

And he declared: ‘It saddens me, when we turn to do with male and female, complementarian and egalitarian, that evangelicals have started to apologise for being complementarian, almost as if they would prefer some form of egalitarian structure but are compelled, against their will, to complementarianism as the Bible insists upon it. I reject that. Our attitude should instead be – whatever God says is good for us, IS good for us! And as far as marriage is concerned, we must also believe that Biblical marriage leads to real flourishing. I was also disappointed to read a recent commentary on Genesis that described Adam as human – not male – before the creation of Eve. We must remember he was fully male even before he had a female counterpart.’

Hamilton was also asked about the ‘key ingredients of evangelical ministry’.

He said: ‘Three things are essential. Firstly a circumcised heart, one that is born again. If you do not have that, call on the Lord for mercy, then develop a real sense for the Bible and how it can speak to you. Secondly, believe completely that the Bible is the word of God – and it is God’s tool for changing lives. And only then, thirdly, get the theology and doctrines right.’

And responding to a question about how we might be tempted to lose confidence in Scripture, Hamilton stated: ‘One way is sin and moral failure. I mean a tendency to downplay repentance as we try to make sense of life. That may be compounded by emotional appeals that draw us away from the Bible. For example, when we meet those who reject the Bible, or Biblical lifestyles, we may have a difficult choice. Do we side with God, as He calls us to call them to repentance? Or do we love them more than we love God, so we fail to do that? It is clear to me that we must always side with the Lord, for His word is always the pathway to health.’

Speaking of his own testimony, he said: ‘I accepted Christ aged seven or eight and was baptized after proper preparation. I had a few difficulties at High School, but the Lord kept me safe. I have to say that my life is a tale of God’s mercy.’

Jim Hamilton also spoke at an event at London Seminary - see report here