Biblical patriarchy

Biblical patriarchy, also known as Christian patriarchy, is a set of beliefs in Reformed Evangelical Protestant Christianity concerning gender relations and their manifestations in institutions, including marriage, the family, and the home. It sees the father as the head of the home, responsible for the conduct of his family. Notable people associated with biblical patriarchy include Douglas Wilson, R. C. Sproul, Jr., Voddie Baucham (who prefers the phrase "gospel patriarchy"), the Duggar family, and Douglas Phillips. The "Tenets of Biblical Patriarchy" published by Vision Forum before their demise advocates such beliefs as: God reveals Himself as masculine, not feminine. God ordained distinct gender roles for man and woman as part of the created order. A husband and father is the head of his household, a family leader, provider, and protector. Male leadership in the home carries over into the church: only men are permitted to hold ruling positions in the church. A God-honoring society will likewise prefer male leadership in civil and other spheres. Since the woman was created as a helper to her husband, as the bearer of children, and as a “keeper at home”, the God-ordained and proper sphere of dominion for a wife is the household and that which is connected with the home. God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply” still applies to married couples. Christian parents must provide their children with a thoroughly Christian education, one that teaches the Bible and the biblical view of God and the world. Both sons and daughters are under the command of their father as long as they are under his roof or as long as they are the recipients of his provision and protection. Michael Farris notes three examples of patriarchal teaching: that women should not vote, that higher education is not important for women, and that "unmarried adult women are subject to their fathers’ authority." According to Rachel Held Evans, the biblical patriarchy movement is "committed to preserving as much of the patriarchal structure of Old Testament law as possible.