March (Web-only) 2002

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Little solid research exists on evangelicals' varying attitudes, behavior, and theological beliefs when it comes to gender roles. As a partial answer to that need, Christianity Today conducted a major survey o f 1,250 subscribers. Close to 750 subscribers and/or their spouses, divided almost evenly among the sexes, responded o the mailed, random-selection questionnaires, giving a fascinating picture of reader's views on male and female roles in home, church, and society. This article originally appeared in the July 16, 1990 issue.

If the Christianity Today gender roles survey demonstrates anything, it is that CT readers have not insulated themselves from the contemporary debate on what it means to be male or female. In the face of challenges to traditional role definitions, CT's predominantly evangelical readers have coped with the changes in ways both predictable and surprising.

The challenges, of course, have come from several quarters. The social sciences have demonstrated that many of the characteristics of masculinity and femininity are the result of cultural conditioning. The explosion of electronic and computer technology has rendered men and women equally qualified for most of the work that needs to be done in modern society. And new contraceptives have allowed women the freedom not to give birth to a large number of children, making it possible for them to pursue employment more easily outside the home.

Not only has the church not escaped the influence of such changes, it has also often been at the center of controversy itself. The publicity surrounding organizations such as the Evangelical Women's Caucus, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (formulators of the Danvers Statement), and Christians for Biblical ...