Complementarity: Dignity, Difference, and Interdependence

In Complementarity, theologian Gregg Allison presents a fresh vision for understanding God’s design for men and women as image bearers in the home, the church, and society. As a framework broader than either complementarianism and egalitarianism – and underlying both of them – complementarity affirms the equal dignity, significant difference, and flourishing interdependence of men and women.

Allison grounds his exploration of complementarity in the complex history of the relationship between women and men throughout church history, as well as the contemporary contexts of feminism, complementarianism, patriarchalism, and egalitarianism. He examines relevant passages from the Old and New Testaments before offering theological considerations of gender and how all Christians fulfill the offices of prophet, priest, and king. Allison concludes by explaining how a robust understanding of complementarity fosters mutual flourishing for male and female image bearers.

Allison offers a path forward for Christians who want to foster mutual support for male and female image-bearers within their churches and communities.