Certainly Cru has the right to set their own policies. Daniel was demoted because of theological conviction, not because of an arcane dispute about Cru’s bureaucracy. Cru’s policy represents an egalitarian view of ministry roles, and that stance is irreducibly theological. He didn’t do that, and I am grateful for the stand he has taken.Ī Cru spokesman told World that this incident amounted to a disagreement over policy not over theology. I’m sure it would have been easier simply to let it go and revise his personal beliefs in order protect his position. This is not the kind of disruption that a man with a young family needs. This conflict threatens not just his ministry but his livelihood. I commend Daniel for standing upon the truth of God even at great personal cost. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man rather, she is to remain quiet.” But Harman contends that Scripture prohibits women teaching the Bible to adult men (including those of college age), based on passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11-12, in which Paul says, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. Harman decided that he would not change the practice, and Cru demoted him.Īs campus director at Louisville, Harman has permitted female staff to speak in front of mixed-gender audiences on a number of ministry-related topics, and to assume numerous leadership roles relative to both female and male students. The exchange came to the attention of regional Cru officials, who met with Harman and reiterated Cru’s policy of “men and women leading together.” They gave Harman three weeks to reconsider his position, and said that if he remained “dogmatic” about the issue, he could no longer serve as Missional Team Leader. This fall, however, one of Louisville’s female Cru staff members asked Harman for clarification about whether women could teach the Bible in mixed-gender Cru meetings, and Harman said they could not. It all came to a head recently when the leadership of Cru learned that he was not allowing female leaders to teach men in Cru weekly meetings. His complementarian views were no problem overseas, but they became more of an issue since he returned to America. Since 2009, he’s been directing the ministry on UofL’s campus. He has been with Cru for 11 years, 8 of which were on the mission field in Eastern Europe. Cru recently relieved Daniel of his duties because of his complementarian approach to campus ministry. World magazine has a report about Daniel Harman, the leader of the University of Louisville chapter of Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade).
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