Pastor Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church says he rejects both the complementarian and egalitarian stances of women in the church, saying it is “unbiblical weaknesses.”
Warren has shared online, part one of a 4-series-video “SBC at the Crossroads,” before the Southern Baptist Convention.
In the Tuesday video, Warren contends that complementarian, a theological belief that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, and religious leadership, and egalitarianism assertion that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities “have unbiblical weaknesses and ignore important Bible verses.”
He dismissed both beliefs, however, noting that he is “neither one of them.” He wrote:
“There are biblical alternatives to both complementarianism and egalitarianism,” he said. “And while both of those positions have strengths, they both, in my opinion, have unbiblical weaknesses. And they ignore important Bible verses. So actually, I’m neither. I’m neither one of them, I reject them both.”
“Now, if you’re honest, you’ll have to admit that Paul often says things about women in Scripture that appeared to contradict each other. So tell me what you want to believe, and I’ll show you verses you have to ignore or rationalize away.”
Warren further said he came to this realization after a three-year journey. He affirmed that he embraced the truth despite him being raised with “cultural views on women.”
“It was a difficult journey to have my biases and cultural traditions blown away by the Word of God. But when I was confronted with the truth, I had to humbly repent, no matter what my friends would think of me,” said Warren.
The SBC maintains that only men who meet the qualifications outlined in Scripture are eligible for the position of pastor.
Contrary to SBC doctrine, Warren ordained three women as pastors in May 2021, resulting in Saddleback’s expulsion from the denomination. SBC cut ties with Saddleback on the cause of the church’s decision “not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention.”
Warren and Saddleback Church however plan to confront SBC over Saddleback expulsion at the SBC’s Annual Meeting in June.