[For some reason they put the whole letter in italics on line. I don't know what the print version will look like. This is a response to an article on Driscoll in the January 11 issue.]
Mark Driscoll’s emphasis on gender hierarchy in the church is not a logical implication of his Calvinist beliefs, as your article states. Calvinism argues that women and men are equally depraved and unable to save themselves from God’s wrath. While many Calvinists teach that women are restricted in their opportunities to serve through leadership in the church (because of a bogus interpretation of biblical texts), there is nothing intrinsic to Calvinism that leads to female subordination. Women are no more alienated from God than men, no less redeemable by God’s grace through faith and no less able to lead wisely in the church.
DOUGLAS GROOTHUIS
Professor of Philosophy
Denver Seminary
Littleton, Colo.
