The Biblical Mennonite Alliance (BMA) is a conservative Mennonite affiliation that presents a unique case study of the effects of “complementarian” theology on gender roles and purity culture on responses to and beliefs about sexual abuse. In February 2011, the Biblical Mennonite Alliance adopted a conservative Evangelical policy on gender roles in the church and the home, the “Danvers Statement”, published by the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (1987). This theological statement then became the foundation for two further BMA publications, a short pamphlet titled, “God’s Plan for Gender Roles in the Church” (Meyers, 2012) and a book titled “Feminine Beauty” by Evelyn Miller (2016). This presentation thus begins by examining the relationship between complementarian beliefs and purity culture. In other words, how do these theologies of ideal masculinity and femininity form the foundation for beliefs about male and female sexuality? “Complementarian” beliefs about male authority and female submission form the foundation of “purity culture”, where adolescents are given a polarized understanding of gender sexuality, such as that female modesty is necessary for male sexual purity and immodesty leads to assault. According to Owens, Hall, and Anderson (2020), purity culture has a measurable effect on victim-blaming, discrediting reports of sexual assault, belief in rape myths, and on victims' experiences of shame, guilt, and self-loathing. I will interrogate these texts published by the BMA (Meyers, 2012; Miller, 2016) using existing literature on purity culture and rape culture, particularly views such as female culpability for sexual violence. For example, Miller (2016, p.111) claims that incarceration of male perpetrators of rape is “unfair” and that the ”high number of men behind bars for sexual misconduct is undoubtedly connected to the immodesty of women today”.
Secondly, I will explore the effects of purity culture on complementarian churches’ responses to abuse through one third-party investigation report (GRACE, 2024) on leadership responses to sexual abuse allegations in a Biblical Mennonite Alliance church. This church enlisted GRACE to investigate leadership responses after the criminal convictions of two of its members for sexual abuse of minors. The GRACE investigation uncovered eight additional perpetrators of sexual violence and a strong culture of unhealthy gendered dynamics including the silencing and intimidation of survivors and advocates, harmful beliefs about women linked to views about modesty, sexual purity, and submissive femininity, and the failure to speak and listen to female survivors of sexual violence, especially in comparison to a preferred response to allegations: approaching and listening to male alleged perpetrators. I will thus examine the GRACE (2024) report along with recent research into complementarian and gendered and sexual abuse.
The case study and literature examined in this paper help provide insight into the relationship between complementarian theology and women's freedom to speak, I will examine themes such as the influence of “traditional femininity ideology”, particularly with regards to self-censorship, enforced “inauthenticity of self”, deference to men, self-effacement, beliefs about female emotional instability, and body objectification of women (Sanchez, Kiefer, and Ybarra, 2006). For example, female members of the youth group felt unable to express concerns that a convicted perpetrator of rape was allowed to attend youth gatherings and associate with minors. In response to rape allegations discussed in men-only meetings, men were reportedly advised by leaders to withhold information from their wives because “women just don’t tend to understand.” Leaders were also reported to suggest that “women talking about problems within the church like abuse exacerbate or even cause the problems themselves” (p.107). This points to beliefs that women are less capable of participating in ecclesial decision-making and helping form ecclesial responses to abuse allegations, ultimately constraining the freedom of participation. The report details dynamics in which underage women were vulnerable to abusers with positions of authority. As sexual compliance is a gendered expectation that leads up to 50% of women to comply with demands for unwanted sexual behavior (O’Sullivan and Allgeier, 1998), complementarian ideals of “female submission” and even self-effacement (Elliot, 1991) provide an account for female marginalization and the denial of agency. If silence and censorship are complicit in violence, then what does freedom look like?
References:
Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (1987) The Danvers Statement. [online] Available at: https://cbmw.org/about/danvers-statement/r [Accessed 1 March 2025].
GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) (2024) Independent investigation of United Bethel Mennonite Church: final report & recommendations. 14 August. [online] Available at: https://mennoniteabuseprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GRACE-report-2024-United-Bethel-Mennonite-Church.pdf [Accessed 1 March 2025].
Elliot, E., 1991. The essence of femininity: A personal perspective. In: J. Piper and W. Grudem, eds. Recovering biblical manhood and womanhood: A response to Evangelical feminism. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
Meyers, E.N. (2012) God’s plan for gender roles in the church: biblical perspectives on present day issues, #4. Biblical Mennonite Alliance.
Miller, E. (2016) Feminine beauty. Biblical Mennonite Alliance.
Owens, B.C., Hall, M.E.L. and Anderson, T.L. (2021) ‘The relationship between purity culture and rape myth acceptance’, Journal of Psychology and Theology, 49(4), pp. 405-418.
O'Sullivan, L.F. and Allgeier, E.R. (1998) ‘Feigning sexual desire: Consenting to unwanted sexual activity in heterosexual dating relationships’, Journal of Sex Research, 35(3), pp. 234-243.
Kiefer, A.K., Sanchez, D.T., Kalinka, C.J. and Ybarra, O., 2006. How women’s nonconscious association of sex with submission relates to their subjective sexual arousability and ability to reach orgasm. Sex Roles, 55, pp. 83-94.
This presentation examines the relationship between complementarian theology, purity culture, and responses to sexual abuse within the Biblical Mennonite Alliance (BMA). I first analyze two BMA publications influenced by the conservative Evangelical Danvers Statement, exploring how gender roles shape views on sexuality, modesty, and culpability in sexual violence. I then examine how this framework informs church responses to abuse, drawing on a 2024 GRACE investigation of a BMA church that uncovered multiple perpetrators and leadership failures. The report highlights how gendered power dynamics silence victims and prioritize male authority. Ultimately, I argue that purity culture constrains freedom, fosters silence, and perpetuates violence, while exposing its abuses can help ecclesial bodies counter marginalization and empower women and abuse survivors with the freedom to speak.