POSITION PAPERS
Theological Distinctives
God’s church is a place of wild diversity and local churches also have distinct personalities, so we wanted to outline a few theological distinctives that make WestGate Church unique. We don’t expect every church or every Christian to adhere to these distinctives. But they’re how we see things.
Position Papers
Our staff and elders worked together to write WestGate Church's official position papers on the following topics. Although no single paper can exhaust all that needs to be said about topics this complex, we think these papers are good starting points for conversation about these important topics.
WESTGATE POSITION PAPERs ON SEXUALITY and Gender
Helpful Resources
Women and Ministry
Politics and Faith
Sanctity of Life
Helpful Resources
Women’s Role in Ministry
Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy by Ronald W. Pierce, Gordon Fee and Rebecca Groothuis
Discussions surrounding the roles of men and women--whether in the church, the home or society at large--never seem to end, often generating more heat than light. Such debate is still important, though, because this issue directly affects every member of Christ's body. What we believe the Bible teaches on these matters shapes nearly all we do in the church. In addition, these questions deserve further thought and reflection because neither side has won the day. In an effort to further discussion, Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis (general editors), with the aid of Gordon D. Fee (contributing editor), have assembled a distinguished array of twenty-six evangelical scholars firmly committed to the authority of Scripture to explore the whole range of issues--historical, biblical, theological, hermeneutical and practical. While dispelling many of the myths surrounding biblical equality, they offer a sound, reasoned case that affirms the complementarity of the sexes without requiring a hierarchy of roles. Here is a fresh, positive defense of biblical equality that is at once scholarly and practical, irenic and yet spirited, up-to-date and cognizant of opposing positions.
Note: Taken from "Discovering Biblical Equality" edited by Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis. ©2004 by Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis. Distributed and used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove IL 60515-1426. www.ivpress.com
Is Christianity Unfair to Women
Featured Scriptures:
Genesis 2:18; Psalm 33:20; Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 3:12, 16; Exodus 15:20; 2 Kings 22:14-15; Judges 4:4; John 4:27; Luke 8:1-3; Luke 10:39; Acts 22:3; Acts 1:14; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 21:9; 1 Corinthians 14:31; Acts 18:18; Romans 16:1-2, 7; I Corinthians 11:2-12; Ephesians 6:5; 1 Corinthians 11:10; Galatians 3:28.
Is there a Biblical basis for women being invited to full participation in the Church?
by NT Wright
NT Wright, a leading New Testament scholar, the former Bishop of Durham in the Anglican Church, and the lead Research Professor for New Testament Studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland - explains how he thinks the full counsel of the New Testament makes the case for full inclusion of women into the life of the Church.
You can read his whole essay here, or watch a brief snippet from an interview.