What Paul Really Said About Women: The Apostle's Liberating Views on Equality in Marriage, Leadership, and Love

Rating:
Summary: A Good Start
Review: This is not a long book, but a refreshing view on something that has been held to be the truth for a long time. I like how he is not "stuck" on being right, and isnt full of himself insisting it to be so. He has one view of the word "kephale" that is an interesting read. One thing that needs to be done though, is not to get stuck on those verses that we all get stuck on. like the "have authority over a man" verse. There are other verses in the Bible that are not often discussed or pointed out that also wieghs on the side of equality for women. Like Junia being an Apostle. Does that not by default mean that she taught men? The Bible has been mostly translated until recently by those that assume that women are inferior to men, you can't exactly take those lenses off when doing your work. No matter what lenses you wear. I think that this book is a good starting point to those that want to study this issue extensively. Its a basic read and an easy one. If you want to get into it more, then try a new one called "Discovering Biblical Equality". And to be fair, the other side of the coin is "Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood." The truth is our experiences are subjective and both sides are convinced we are in the right. You must live with what you know. If you can live with and truly believe that women are not to teach men and are not equals and you are happy with that in your marriage and church... well more power to you. If you are not happy with the status quo, and its never felt right with your spirit, then exploring with an open mind is always a good thing.

Rating:
Summary: Affirmation of Christian Women's roles
Review: This is one of the best books that one can read who values the truth in scripture. It presents clear evidence that the Apostle Paul affirmed the Christian woman's role in pastoral leadership and family leadership. He shows how many distort the true message of the gospel by making women take a different role from men in the kingdom of God. It is strongly biblically based and is refreshing reading for one who want to learn in this area. This stands in strong contrast to teachings of modern day "male authority and headship" proponents.

Rating:
Summary: Take It With a Grain of Salt, If You Like
Review: To some extent, yes, this man is looking for what he wants to see. However, he makes some excellent points about the Bible. First, Bristow points out that we must remember that the Bible has been translated and re-translated over the course of centuries. Second, while some may disagree, he points out that we must look at the time in which the text was written, the audience, and the problem that the letter was addressing. Even if Bristow isn't a specialist in ancient Greek, and you don't believe that some of the words mean what he thinks they mean, you can take some excellent ideas away from this book. I would recommend it to anyone who has an open mind, enjoys thoughtful theological discourse, or who is looking to see how the Bible could possibly pertain to her (or him, for that matter).