Egalitarianism and Hyper-patriarchy
Two Sides of the Same Coin
Egalitarianism and hyper-patriarchy are two sides of the same coin. Both aim at breaking down biblical concentrations of authority and redistributing power under a false premise.
Scripture is clear: the only absolute authority is God. All other authority is delegated. God assigns limited authority to institutions (e.g., the family, the church, the civil magistrate, etc) for specific purposes. Because authority is delegated, it is always bounded. And because it is bounded, it is always tied to responsibility.
That means no human being lives under a single, total earthly authority. Every person stands in multiple relationships at once. A man may be a husband in his home, a member under elders in his church, an employee under a supervisor at work, and a citizen under civil rulers. In some relationships he is superior, in others inferior, and in many an equal. This layered, interlocking hierarchy distributes authority across society and creates natural checks and balances. No one office swallows the others.
Egalitarianism claims to be about equality, but in practice it is about abolishing rank altogether. By flattening distinctions, it collapses authority into the autonomous individual. The individual becomes the final arbiter, answerable to no higher structure she did not personally authorize.
Hyper-patriarchy claims to be about order, but it commits the opposite error. It concentrates authority absolutely in the husband and father, effectively subordinating church and state to him. Other institutions may only exercise their God-given authority over his household through his permission and mediation.
Both systems flatten reality. One does it by dissolving authority into the self; the other by consolidating authority into a single man. And both reveal the same refusal: an unwillingness to submit to multiple, limited, God-ordained authorities at the same time.
Painting Source.
Michael, this was very good. Thank you! I’ve actually been digging pretty deep into the debates between egalitarians and complementarians (or whatever labels one might want to use). One thing that I’ve noticed is that the word “patriarchy” carries very negative connotations in today’s society. But the Bible refers to patriarchs and the concept (men leading in the home and church in a Christ-like, sacrificial way) is a God ordained and God honored structure. It doesn’t make men better than women. They just have different God ordained roles. As you noted, everyone is called to submit to authority in various spheres. That is not inherently bad. It is inherently good because God established it.
Really appreciated this, brother especially the emphasis on bounded, delegated authority and the way you push back on the “one‑man total state” version of fatherhood.
Curious how you think about the terminology, though: as an example given that “hyper‑Calvinism” actually denies key elements of Calvinism, do you think “hyper‑masculinity” (or perhaps “atomized patriarchy” / “lawless patriarchy”) better captures the problem you’re describing namely, a defective masculinity that ignores church and magistrate rather than suggesting the issue is too much patriarchy?