Mere Complementarianism: Male and Female in the Image of God

by Denny Burk

Genres: Theology

Hardcover

Published July 14, 2026

About the author

Denny Burk (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of biblical studies at Boyce College, the undergraduate arm of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as associate pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Burk edits The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood and speaks and writes extensively about gender and sexuality. He keeps a popular blog at DennyBurk.com.

Reviews

[Carson Griffin]

Terrific and competent treatment of the issue of men and women in the Bible. This would be a tremendous resource to local churches who wish to disciple their people in biblical anthropology.

[Conrad Mills]

Mere Complementarianism is an excellent introduction to the Bible’s teaching on men and women. Denny Burk carefully distinguishes genuine complementarianism from the sinful distortions and widespread misunderstandings that often surround it.

Grounding his case in Scripture and using the Danvers Statement as a framework, Burk presents the complementarian position with clarity, conviction, and charity. He engages egalitarian arguments fairly while demonstrating their serious theological and exegetical shortcomings. This will be the first book I recommend to anyone seeking a clear understanding of biblical gender roles.

[William McElyea]

In depth yet easy to read, Dr. Burk goes beyond the few controversial passages and shows how natural law and the narrative arc of Scripture point to a complementary anthropology. This, combined with the helpful excerpts on things like EFS and head coverings, makes this book a much needed update to this conversation.

[Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms]

Christian Focus Publications sent me a copy of “Mere Complementarianism: Male and Female in the Image of God” by Denny Burk in exchange for an honest review.

What does the Bible teach about manhood? What does the Bible teach about womanhood? And what does the Bible say about how men and women are to relate to one another? This is an area in which American evangelicalism has demonstrably gone off the rails. This catastrophic problem demands that we seek to recover the biblical view of men and women. This book is one such attempt.

Burk’s mission with this book is a noble one. Complementarianism is a popular position, but one that has endured its fair share of controversy. Burk begins by giving a concise definition of complementarianism and distinguishing what is and is not essential to the position. He then seeks to biblically defend complementarianism as laid out in The Danvers Statement. The result is a good step in the right direction for modern discourse. It is not my go-to work on the subject. That honor goes to William Gouge’s “Domestical Duties” (I recommend the recent Berith Press republication). On a side note, everyone should read Gouge. Nevertheless, this book is a step in the right direction and worth grappling with.

[Lyn]

Rigorous exegesis and hermeneutical treatment of the seminal verses on this. Cohered cognitively but left me wondering - would our Lord have been displeased with all the women missionaries who left home and hearth to teach and preach and lead churches and populations who turned to God because for some reason men did not?

Appreciated the distinction between first order (what has also been called bullet theology- what i would take a bullet for) issues and this as a second order (but which links to first order biblical inerrancy). Still mulling over how much liberty there may be in this for the community of Christ followers. The author would probably posit that this is an essential for which there needs to be unity. May the Lord and His Holy Spirit convict us daily of truth and application that glorifies His Name.

[Joshua]

A hard book to read for me, as I come from a church in Asia that permits females to be pastors and elders.

Given this, I do feel that Burk sets out his case quite convincingly. I do wish however that more can be said about how in some Asian cultures in yesterday years, women had to step up as elders and pastors, as the men did not do so. How do we understand such circumstances?

[Zak Mellgren]

The new definitive defense of complementarianism for the church. Burk's arguments, his scholarship, and his clarity are exceptional. Possibly my book of the year. We'll see. I would like to see this in the hands of as many Christians and elder boards as possible.