The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
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Book Overview
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It is time for Christian patriarchy to end.
Biblical womanhood--the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers--pervades North American Christianity. From choices about careers to roles in local churches to relationship dynamics, this belief shapes the everyday lives of evangelical women.
Yet biblical womanhood isn't biblical, says historian Beth Allison Barr. It arose from a series of clearly definable historical moments.
Barr presents historical insights and shares a better way forward for the contemporary church by
● giving context for contemporary teachings about women's roles in the church
● explaining why biblical womanhood is more about human power structures than the message of Christ
● interweaving her story and experiences as a Baptist pastor's wife
● shedding light on the #ChurchToo movement and abuse scandals in Southern Baptist circles and the broader evangelical world
This book moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history--ancient, medieval, and modern--to show that this belief is not divinely ordained but a product of human civilization that continues to creep into the church.
"A powerful work of skillful research and personal insight."--Publishers Weekly
Christianity Today 2022 Book Award Finalist (History & Biography) ● Foreword INDIES 2021 Finalist for Religion
It is time for Christian patriarchy to end.
Biblical womanhood--the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers--pervades North American Christianity. From choices about careers to roles in local churches to relationship dynamics, this belief shapes the everyday lives of evangelical women.
Yet biblical womanhood isn't biblical, says historian Beth Allison Barr. It arose from a series of clearly definable historical moments.
Barr presents historical insights and shares a better way forward for the contemporary church by
● giving context for contemporary teachings about women's roles in the church
● explaining why biblical womanhood is more about human power structures than the message of Christ
● interweaving her story and experiences as a Baptist pastor's wife
● shedding light on the #ChurchToo movement and abuse scandals in Southern Baptist circles and the broader evangelical world
This book moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history--ancient, medieval, and modern--to show that this belief is not divinely ordained but a product of human civilization that continues to creep into the church.
"A powerful work of skillful research and personal insight."--Publishers Weekly
Christianity Today 2022 Book Award Finalist (History & Biography) ● Foreword INDIES 2021 Finalist for Religion
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1587434709
ISBN13:9781587434709
Release Date:April 2021
Publisher:Brazos Press
Length:256 Pages
Weight:0.71 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
This book will change everything you think you know about women's roles
Published by Abbie , 3 years ago
You know how sometimes you learn something as a child but when you look at the evidence for yourself it just doesn't sit right? This is how I viewed submission and the role of women in the family and in the church. I was raised to believe that marriage and children were my calling, regardless of any other talents given to me by God. I was surrounded by complementarian Christians and I saw the fruit of complementarianism but I didn't know where to begin with dismantling what I was taught about the scriptures without losing my faith.
The author of this book presents the whole picture, shows how to read the scriptures in context, and gives a whole "new" but really old, view of the world and women through God's eyes. She destroys the pagan idea of patriarchy and provides evidence for a shift in how we treat women from a biblical perspective.
I especially appreciate that where she KNOWS, she says without apology and where she shares her opinion, she states that it is an opinion and leaves the conclusion up to the reader.
Every Christian should read this book.
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