Making of Biblical Womanhood

by Beth Allison Barr (Preface by)

Overview

"A trusted historian shows that "biblical womanhood" isn't biblical, but was born in a clearly definable historical moment, and presents a better way forward for the contemporary church"—

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781587435348
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/20/2021
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	498,452
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Beth Allison Barr (PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is associate professor of history and associate dean of the Graduate School at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she specializes in medieval history, women's history, and church history. She is the president of the Conference on Faith and History and is a member of Christians for Biblical Equality. Barr has written for Christianity Today, the Washington Post, and Religion News Service, and is a regular contributor to The Anxious Bench, the popular Patheos website on Christian history.

Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction
1. The Beginning of Patriarchy
2. What If Biblical Womanhood Doesn't Come from Paul?
3. Our Selective Medieval Memory
4. The Cost of the Reformation for Evangelical Women
5. Writing Women Out of the English Bible
6. Sanctifying Subordination
7. Making Biblical Womanhood Gospel Truth
8. Isn't It Time to Set Women Free?

Editorial Reviews

01/18/2021

In this trenchant blend of memoir and analysis, historian Barr (Faith and History) challenges the Christian evangelical belief that male dominance and female submission are required of the faithful. In 2016, Barr and her husband were fired from their work in youth ministry because of their rejection of the theological argument that “gender hierarchy divinely ordained.” Barr channeled her anger into examining church history in order to better understand the origins of that belief and the related concept of “biblical womanhood,” or female submission to male authority. What she found was that “textual and historical evidence counters the complementarian model of biblical womanhood and the theology behind it.” Barr centers much of her criticism on late-20th-century evangelical movements, such as pastor Russell Moore’s insistence on the benefits of “Christian partriarchy” and a 1998 statement from Southern Baptist Convention that “a wife is to submit herself graciously to the serrvant leadership of her husband.” Barr argues that, far from being a part of God’s plan, patriarchy is a sin, and the notion of “biblical womanhood” is a 20th-century artifact. “Historically,” Barr observes, “women have flourished as leaders, teachers, and preachers—even in the evangelical world.” This is a powerful work of skillful research and personal insight. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly