To Condemn Heresy of Feminism as Rejection of Created Order and of Distinction God Has Established Between the Sexes

WHEREAS, God has created mankind in His own image as two sexes, male and female, in order to fill the earth and have dominion over it. To wit: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female Hecreated them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Gen. 1:26– and

WHEREAS, The Lord God made the woman out of the man, establishing an order and distinction between the sexes in both filling the earth and having dominion over it, that is, in the procreation, rearing of children, and all help to each other in managing the household and the world consisting of many households. To wit: “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:21–24 NKJV); and

WHEREAS, Becauseof this order of creation,God’s Word teaches that a divinely established ordering of authority exists still today in every estate on earth and in heaven. To wit: “For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor wasman created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels” (1 Cor. 11:8–10 NKJV) and “And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve” (1 Tim. 2:12–13 NKJV); “the head of woman is man” (1 Cor. 11:3 NKJV); and “the husband is head of the wife, asalso Christ is the head of the Church”(Eph. 5:23 NKJV) (see also Eph. 5:24–33; 6:1–4; Col. 3:18–21; Titus 2:4–5; 1 Peter 3:1–7; Lev. 6:18, 29; Num. 13:2; Judges 5:2–31 [The Song of Deborah]; Isaiah 3:11–12); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention reject and condemn every denial, rebellion or rejection of the divinely established ordering and distinction between males and females, husbands and wives; and be it further

Resolved, That all the Synod schools, universities, seminaries, auxiliaries, recognized service organizations, corporate entities, roster ed workers, and congregations boldly teach husbands and wives, and men and women to submit to the almighty hand of God and to humbly respect and order their own lives within the divinely established orders and distinctions in home, civil government, and church; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod condemn feminism and every related philosophical, religious, or political movement that seeks to deny, rebel, or reject the created order and distinction that God has established between the sexes.