Women, Authority & the Bible

Rating:
Summary: An excellent endorsement of women in ministry.
Review: "How can we speak of a necessary subordination of status without implying a necessary inferiority of person?" This is the challenge raised and addressed in this collection of essays.

Traditional Christianity supports such a view, that though women are fully redeemed by Christ, they are unfit to participate in some teaching and preaching roles.

Women, Authority & the Bible is a collection of essays by several scholars of varying backgrounds. There are articles about the meaning of the Greek word for head ("man is the head of woman"), the meaning of authority under Christ, the culture and mythology of the day, and the relevant passages.

Though the views of a traditionalist are represented in one article, it is mainly a multipronged study on why women should be allowed full participation in ministry. It does so, however, with a respect for the Biblical texts that wouldn't offend a conservative evangelical.

Your interest in the various topics will determine how readable you find each chapter. I found most of them to be very well written. Most of the arguments put forth are also very well thought out and consistent.

By the end, I was in full agreement with one of the contributors who said that (paraphrased) "the burden of proof is now on those who would support the traditionalist position rather than on those who support women's full participation in ministry."

Rating:
Summary: Slanted Presentation of A Controverted Doctrine
Review: Reading some conclusions here is amazing, that it is now incumbent upon the traditionalists to prove their case. The exegetical papers included here do not solve the issues. But to just raise many questions for others to answer does not make the case suddenly shift in the other direction.

What is at the core is one's view of the authority of Scripture. Pinnock, himself no supporter of inerrancy, has to me the best take of this entire colloquium. He took two feminist books and two nonfeminist books and he concluded: "If this is a war of ideas, biblical feminists face not only traditionalist but also radical feminist exegetes on this crucial question. These four authors press the same point: unless the Bible is edited along feminist lines, it cannot be made to support feminism."

Gundry's response to Pinnock is weak and founded upon a typical begging the question of the authority of scripture. Harmonization of the Scriptures cannot be sidestepped with some fancy legwork about presuppositions to exegesis.

Pinnock's determination in my thinking is still pervasive.

Rating:
Summary: Slanted Presentation of A Controverted Doctrine
Review: Reading some conclusions here is amazing, that it is now incumbent upon the traditionalists to prove their case. The exegetical papers included here do not solve the issues. But to just raise many questions for others to answer does not make the case suddenly shift in the other direction.

What is at the core is one's view of the authority of Scripture. Pinnock, himself no supporter of inerrancy, has to me the best take of this entire colloquium. He took two feminist books and two nonfeminist books and he concluded: "If this is a war of ideas, biblical feminists face not only traditionalist but also radical feminist exegetes on this crucial question. These four authors press the same point: unless the Bible is edited along feminist lines, it cannot be made to support feminism."

Gundry's response to Pinnock is weak and founded upon a typical begging the question of the authority of scripture. Harmonization of the Scriptures cannot be sidestepped with some fancy legwork about presuppositions to exegesis.

Pinnock's determination in my thinking is still pervasive.