We recently told you about Beth Allison Barr, a prominent “conservative” egalitarian that refuses to affirm that the scriptures are inerrant. She also recently alleged that the line breaks in Ephesians 5 change the whole narrative of the bible, calling out the ESV as the nasty little improperly formatted translation that it is- a claim which was quickly debunked.
Now, Barr, author of the best-selling book The Making of Biblical Womanhood,” has dished out some harsh words for complementarians who believe that men and women are equal but have been given different roles, accusing them of all being a bunch of racists.
In a recent talk given to Baylor University students, she first explains that there is no difference between complementarianism and the patriarchy, being one and the same, and then that racism and patriarchy can’t be separated. They go hand in hand, she asserts, warning that all those advocating for complementarianism/the patriarchy are doing so out of racist motives, and that racism will always be with us so long as proponents of the patriarchy flourish:
“For too long, conservative evangelicals have taught a narrative about women which they believe is rooted in the Gospel, and they believe is supported by the facts of history; a narrative that places women permanently under male authority. (Complementariansim) Now, I can guess what some of you might be thinking. ‘Most men don’t treat women this way’. ‘The problem isn’t God’s plan for marriage, but rather the sin of people within those marriages’, right? ‘It’s bad people, not the system.’
I don’t think so. I contend that no matter how much we want to separate the evangelical vision of male headship and female submission from the general patriarchy of our world, we simply can’t because they aren’t any different.
As I explain, in the first chapter of my book, both systems place power in the hands of men, and take power away from women. Both systems teach men, that women rank lower than they do….”
After she is asked by she didn’t include more on issues of race, she explains:
“I wanted to talk a whole lot more about race, because I think racism and patriarchy cannot be separated. They are part of the interlocking structures of oppression. And I mean, they make sense together. Because when you teach people that there is something about the way they are born that makes them have the right to rule over other people, that’s racism. It’s patriarchy.
I mean, they’re the same thing. Which is why I also think that racism is so- one of the reasons we can’t get rid of racism, is because we’re not letting go of patriarchy either.
