Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth: An Analysis of More Than 100 Disputed Questions [Paperback]

This large but very readable book is a well-researched, interesting and helpful treatment of the Bible's teaching concerning women's roles in marriage and in the local church. Grudem is pro-woman, pro-church and pro-Scripture.

The book's logic is compelling, though some will naturally be offended because certain conclusions go against our culture's grain--particularly the pervasive assumption that equality of person demands sameness in role. If readers give it a chance, and for some that will be a BIG "if," I think they will find Grudem to be fair and accurate in conveying what the Bible itself actually says, what evangelical feminists say and what gaps do and do not exist between those two.

Among other things, in his treatment of the difference between prophecy and teaching, Grudem offers an understanding of 1 Cor. 11:6 and gives a compelling contextual interpretation of 1 Cor. 14:33-35, resolving its apparent (but not real) contradiction with the previous passage (women free to prophesy and pray in church, yet not free to "speak"). His treatment of the often maligned and misinterpreted 1 Timothy 2 is also excellent, as is his handling of Galatians 3:28.

This book is an example of and a reminder of the importance of careful scholarship in building a case. Grudem cites jaw-dropping instances of evangelicals misquoting church fathers and other ancient authorities, and sometimes even citing them to defend exactly the opposite point the original authors were actually making. Of course, the average reader will not go to the library and look these up, and even if they were willing to resort to Google, some can't be located on the internet. (Indeed, as Grudem points out, some "quotations" do not even exist and therefore can't be found anywhere!)

Readers who think they can trust an author's accuracy will therefore end up believing what is untrue, and if they teach from these books, as many do, they will perpetuate inaccurate and even nonexistent citations. Those who assume evangelical authors and editors always carefully check citations to confirm their accuracy are sadly mistaken.

The book also demonstrates the contradiction between claiming belief in biblical inspiration, on the one hand, but subtly or not-so-subtly affirming Paul and the apostles were wrong, misguided or at best impoverished in their understanding of issues on which we moderns presume we have a superior viewpoint. (Hence our tendency, though rarely stated and often disguised, to consider ourselves and our culture-not Scripture--our TRUE authority.)

Grudem puts forth the best arguments made by evangelical feminists, and weighs them in light of Scripture, sound interpretation and logical consistency. It would be interesting to take Grudem's chapter 2, "A Biblical View of Manhood and Womanhood in the Church" to any pastor, scholar or teacher and ask, "What specifically would you take issue with in this chapter?" It's easy to dismiss any work in general when we don't agree with its conclusions, but the real test is whether we can cite specific errors in scholarship, interpretation or logic. I think most objective and open-minded readers would have to say the book makes a careful and compelling case.

BTW, this is nothing remotely close to the viewpoint that "women can't do anything but wash dishes and cook for potlucks." In fact, Grudem lays out a continuum of possible roles women might have in the church and encourages readers to evaluate the extent to which they believe the biblical passages apply to them, and concludes that only a very small number of them are biblically restricted. He gives wide latitude (wider than some readers will), in his personal opinions, to what women can do in the church, and he believes these would include baptizing, serving communion, teaching male and female high-schoolers, co-leading with husbands mixed Bible studies, etc. (Priscilla, named first, and Aquilla taking aside Apollos and correcting him from the Scriptures is biblical warrant for this.)

Grudem also is in favor of female Bible scholars and teachers in the parachurch and society at large, and the Bible's high role of women teaching other women and children (a role often dismissed as secondary, ironically implying the inferiority of women and children). Yet when it comes to pastoral roles, teaching and having authority over men in the church Grudem remains firm and clear, as he believes Scripture does, that God has appointed these roles to men. That is, needless to say, an unpopular belief, but the real question is whether or not it is correct. If it is not correct, it appears that Scripture itself is not correct, at least not in 1 Cor. 14 and 1 Timothy 2 and similar passages.

Those who do not believe in the Bible's authority will naturally dismiss Grudem's conclusions. IMO, most readers who are willing to place themselves under biblical authority, and seek to understand what Scripture actually says, will find Grudem's book engaging, enlightening and ultimately persuasive. In any case, this is a definitive and well-documented resource, one that should be carefully studied by seminary students, church leaders and all Christians serious about exploring this important question.

For those who have read "Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood," this is a fabulous and highly recommended upgrade. For those who are new to the gender issues storming through the church, this is essential material.

Grudem's treatment of key passages is careful and precise, but the layout and content of the book makes it a fabulous resource for those who want to wade slowly through the whole tome or use it as a reference to quickly find answers to more than 100 major questions and arguments that are now at the forefront of the manhood-womanhood controversy.

Speaking as someone who has read about this issue extensively, I can still say that Grudem's new book had questions and answers I either had no answers to before, or didn't even realize were major points of controversy.

In addition to this meaty section of questions and answers, Grudem spends many pages giving a practical, easy to follow explanation of the whole Biblical manhood-womanhood debate as well as a foundational explanation of the complementarian and egalitarian perspective. Further, this is all done on the backbone of scripture with solid exegesis and integrity.

One final note: while this will be a pleasing and meaty read for the scholarly, this is extremely accessible to the layman.

When it comes to argumentation, this moniker was the first thing that came to mind. (Sorry to all the less playful theologians out there). Dr Grudem has handled a tremendously controversial issue with argumentative thunder. Coming away from this very thorough treatment, it is difficult to understand how anyone can persist in his or her egalitarian beliefs. As Dr Grudem helps us to understand, perhaps the only way people can persist in them is that they have decided beforehand to be loyal to an egalitarian agenda, regardless of logical and Scriptural argumentation.

When a book of this kind claims to touch "over 100" topics or argument points, it's usually either an exaggeration or a "double counting." If one were to count singly the points of argumentation which are so similar as not to merit separation, Dr Grudem still has well over 100 distinct critiques of the various egalitarian arguments. It might be added here too that the "disputed questions" he treats are hailed as hundreds of reasons for egalitarianism by the egalitarians; he is only being respectful of his opponents to treat each argument separately. He is respectful, but that does not mean he pulls punches. He calls heresy heresy, and in his passion fails not to point out that much of the egalitarian agenda rests firmly on the foundational denial of Biblical inerrancy. (Granted in 2006, rejection of inerrancy is not usually thought of as heterodox, but it should be, because ANYTHING short of inerrancy is heresy).

The jewel of this long book is not the extensive collection of material in the appendices; neither is it the gloriously meticulous and always honest and honorable critique of egalitarian arguments in the bulk of the text, but the first two chapters in which the "positive case" for complementarianism is so passionately presented.

I grew up in Fundamentalist circles, and later reacted strongly against that tradition (though never even doubting for one moment the strong faith commitment to inerrancy and infallibility that I inherited from it). I came (in my early theological training) to identify strongly with the "moderate" positions on most issues, even becoming a thorough-going egalitarian myself. Having received my Baccalaureate education in a "state" university rather than in a "Christian" college, I was strongly influenced by feminism and Feminism. I have, in the past 3 years, come back to a strictly conservative (not Fundamentalist) stance. However, there is still some dark part of my heart (not my mind, mind you) that WANTS egalitarianism to be true. I WANT it to be true because it would make conservative Christianity more culturally palatable (though perhaps in the process rendering it spiritually dead). I WANT it to be true because I have sensitivities, based in experiences of friendship with female pastors and my intellectual foundations laid in an atmosphere permeated by secular Feminism.

However, I have a greater desire. I want to know, believe, and live the truth. This book has helped to quell those banshee wails of egalitarian feminism that still sometimes haunt the dark corners of my mind - no, wait, those are only echoes from some dark place in my heart. My mind knows better, and thanks to this book, I am yet more fully convinced. Thank you Dr Grudem.

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