Two Views on Women in Ministry (Paperback)

I think this discussion boils down to your hermeneutic principle. If you tend to read the Bible as a God-inspired, infallible story that is written within the culture of its day and as such needs to be interpreted along such culturally specific guidelines, you will probably be egalitarian in your perspective. If you are a fundamentalist (also called a foundationalist) the position of complimentarian will no doubt make you more comfortable.

For me, I can not look at the God ordained institution of marriage and see anything less than complete equality. Yes, man is called out to be the "head" of the household. But let us be consistent in our understanding of the metaphor Paul is using - he uses the same metaphor when talking about the body of Christ. The head is not superior to the foot, it is different (here logically the complimentarian position has won the battle of terminology as they more closely associate their position with what position the egalitarians actually espouse).

God reaches man through three means of revelation: specific (the Bible), natural (the physical world around us), and general (the spark of knowledge of Him we each have). I find the egalitarian position most consistent across each of these three means of revelation: specific (I believe the Bible clearly supports the egalitarian position), natural (my wife is not inferior to me, she is different; only when men have denied the suffrage movement have we seen how badly men will pervert the supposedly natural order of men's strength and women's weakness in order to suppress women's freedom), and last general (I honestly can not see how having a woman's viewpoint does anything but make decisions better for families and men!). I do not believe this is an issue you deal with by logic, it is a position that has to do with your hermeneutic and world-view.

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I only give this book 3 stars, though, for 3 main reasons:
(1) The 4th essay, by Ann Bowman, really doesn't fit with the format of the book. She writes very compellingly on how women are equal to men before God, how women are equally called to serve in ministry, and how women are equally gifted with the same spiritual gifts. What she does NOT cover, though, is the specific roles that the Bible deems appropriate for women (which is what I thought the book was supposed to be about). In short, she spends all but about 7 pages writing on what everybody else would agree on anyway. She does a good job of establishing the equal value of women in the church, but contributes almost nothing to the discussion of what leadership roles they should occupy.

(2) The format of the book is different from earlier Counterpoints volumes, in that the authors do not respond to each other's articles. The editors simply ask each of the writers a series of questions after each essay, and then comment on each position. Gone are what I thought were some of the most insightful portions of previous Counterpoints books -- seeing writers POINT OUT THE WEAKNESSES of the other writers' positions. To resolve the controversy on women in ministry leadership, both sides need to interact with each other, rather than just each side stating its case.

(3) The final appendix, by editor Craig Blomberg, was well-intentioned but inappropriately placed. He states that his goal is to point out a 3rd alternative that combines the strengths of the other 2 views. But what ensues is an essay that is largely traditionalist / hierarchicalist in nature, and only in the last few pages briefly describes what may be a mediating view. Since this essay is presented last, and without any subsequent comment or review, it appears to the reader as "the definitive word" on the subject. But Blomberg's ideas are far from definitive. He summarily promotes some heriarchicalist positions, and summarily dismisses other egalitarian positions without always adequately defending why. It is a well-written essay, but I think it belongs more in the center of the book (or as a 3rd alternative of a book titled "Three Views of Women in Ministry"), so that those who might not agree with him could respond and comment. The structure of the book, as it is now, suggests that Blomberg has listened to both sides of the evidence and come up with the "correct" position. But I found myself questioning his conclusions numerous times because he did not adequately defend them.

My recommendation: Buy this book if you're interested in the topic of women in minsitry, but read it through and either take notes on it or underline the significant parts. Then go back later and re-read your notes or underlined parts, in a different order than how they are presented. (i.e., read the appendix first, then ch.3-4, then ch.1-2). This will keep the structure of the book from influencing you as much, enabling you to evaluate your own position on the basis of the biblical evidence alone.

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I doubt if this work will change anyone's mind who already has a firm grasp of where he stands on this issue. It does, however, provide a fair and accurate presentation of both viewpoints so that they can be thoroughly examined. There are actually a total of five essays here; two essays by egalitarians, two essays by complementarians, and one large appendix by Blomberg, which is somewhat of a hybrid between the two positions.

As a complementarian, I have developed an even greater appreciation for the role of women in ministry as a result of reading this work. The spirit of Ann Bowman's remark (as a complementarian) is particularly memorable for me: "Rather than focusing on what women should not be doing, I believe it's important to focus on what they should be doing."

This work is the third title I have read in the Counterpoints series. Although the scholarly tone may be rather heavy for some laymen, pastors and teachers will be greatly benefited and enlightened by the presentations found here. I recommend it highly as a good, concise summary of today's viewpoints on the issue of women in ministry.

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