Gender Roles and the People of God: Rethinking What We Were Taught about Men and Women in the Church by Alice Mathews

Gender Roles and the People of God: Rethinking What We Were Taught about Men and Women in the Church Reviews

• 
  Rachel B

  2.5 stars
  
  I'm very torn on this book. Some parts were excellent, other parts not so much. I think for a discerning reader who already has some information on both sides of the issue, this could be a good read. I don't know that I would recommend it as an introduction to gender roles, however.
  
  Firstly, Mathews advocates not taking Bible verses/passages out of context (great advice!) but then she ignores her own advice a few times and omits key verses in certain passages in order to put a spin on them. For example, when she relates the story of Barak and Deborah (recorded in the book of Judges), she comes to the conclusion, "Here was a man who wasn't afraid to follow a woman leader when he believed that she spoke the very words of God." (p. 62) But she omits the verse where Deborah tells Barak: "...because of the course you are taking [in asking Deborah to go with him], the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman." (Judges 4:8) This is what makes the passage so controversial, and she just overlooks the controversy completely.
  
  She states on p. 156 that "Scripture has controlled the first two-thirds" of this book. Not so. She did an awful lot of quoting other writers and theologians, and then referencing their opinions as biblical fact.
  
  She also makes a lot of assumptions where the Bible remains silent or vague. She would literally say things like, "Because the Bible doesn't go into detail here, we can assume XYZ" even when she presented zero actual evidence to support her assumption - an assumption she then bases the rest of the book on. Personally, I believe where the Bible is silent or vague, we should be very hesitant in coming to stark conclusions.
  
  Unlike other reviewers, I didn't always find her to be "positive" instead of critical. She especially seemed to have it out for Wayne Grudem, constantly quoting him and mentioning him by name. I have no problem with writers being critical, generally, I just find it strange other reviewers (thus far) seemed to miss that.
  
  As I said, there is some good here, too. Her history on the dark ages was very interesting, the information on how "head" should be translated in the Bible was very accurate, and the information on "head coverings" was also good. I think these are the points that will be most helpful to those who are struggling with some of the go-to "tricky" passages regarding a woman's actions and roles within the Church.
  
  A few quotes I did appreciate:
  
  "....the Victorian gender system had constructed a society that was thought to be both moral and commercial. Pious women would keep men moral; productive men would provide for wives and children. Together they would form godly homes, the epitome of Christian progress." (p. 217)
  
  This is thinking I definitely still encounter today that I believe is very wrong, and thought she summed it up very succinctly.
  
  I also thought she very correctly addressed the power/authority issue by stating that Jesus has been given all authority - not men, not women. We are to work together for a common goal. But I feel some of this was overshadowed by the constant raging against patriarchy.
  
  I do feel that this book was lacking in a practical conclusion, also - as in, what would the Church look like if men and women really were working together without any sort of hierarchy?
• 
  Ruthie

  A few good points, but too vague and tepid when it comes to dealing with misinformation and misinterpretations of scripture! We were created in His image- women are not inferior or less than in any way! God made us and said it was Very Good not just ok or less than! God did not create half the population to serve and bow down to the other half! The propagation of these lies destroy women and men! Robbing both of their full God ordained potential! May His truth be impossible to hide any longer! His light destroys the darkness!
• 
  Kirsten

  I’ve read this book multiple times and have gifted it over and over again. Matthews’ thorough look at this subject as it has played out in history both in and outside of the church is a gift!
• 
  L.L. Martin

  This review originally appeared on my blog:
  https://lightenough.wordpress.com/
  
  As an advocate for women in the church and home, I am sometimes asked for a book recommendation, and this is always tough. I’ve read a multitude of exceptional books, but many are “too something” for the typical reader…too academic, too comprehensive, or too focused on one narrow aspect of the issue. Well, I finally have a book to recommend! This is it.
  
  This book strikes an ideal balance. It is introductory and concise, yet not basic. It actually is a comprehensive book, but manages to be so without being encyclopedic. Matthews introduces the reader to key players and assertions in the debate over gender roles, and carefully interacts with the Scripture.
  
  Gender roles are a hot-button issue among evangelicals, but Matthews avoids strident tones. The book’s tone is positive, not cynical or critical. She is respectful even when pointing out the problems with certain viewpoints. She has a spirit of concern, not divisiveness, as she helps the reader rethink what they have typically been taught about men and women in the church.
  
  For those who are concerned that this means moving away from the authority of the Bible, Matthews emphasizes in the introduction that “God’s Word was and remains the first and last word beyond which I could not step” – and this is clear throughout the book.
  
  The book is divided into 3 parts: Stand-out Women in their Patriarchal World, Assessing the Theology behind Gender-based Hierarchy, and Historical Realities that Still Challenge Women. As someone who has already read extensively on this issue, I did not really learn anything new, as I often do with such books – but that is not meant as a critique.
  
  Matthews is not presenting groundbreaking research or new insight. In the introduction, she admits this fact, and expresses the debt she owes to the exegetical work and theological insight of those before her. However, what makes this book so valuable is how Matthews so skillfully pulls together the information. Gender Roles and the People of God cogently summarizes much of the material that is out there, in a way that should make it accessible to a broader reading audience. The end of each chapter has questions for thought and reflection – unusual for a book of this topic – further helping it be accessible.
  
  Despite its brevity of 235 pages, I have a hard time thinking of anything not addressed. It is all in there: An overview of women in the Old and New Testaments and how we can fail to truly see the influential and authoritative roles they played in a patriarchal culture. The critical opening chapters of Genesis, the battleground texts of 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14, and the meaning of “head” in the NT are considered. There is even a chapter on the ESS debate (Eternal Subordination of the Son). Don’t worry, if you have no idea about ESS, this chapter explains it and its relevance.
  
  Two things that make this book stand apart: #1 The last section of the book reviews Christian and secular history in regards to women. This is important and often overlooked in other such books. We are all a product of history and culture, and we need to consider how we have been influenced by cultural shifts and trends – And possibly mistaken such things as Christian or biblical, when they actually are not! #2 It has an intro to general hermeneutics and Bible interpretation. This is important, especially for readers who are not academic, to understand basic interpretive issues.
  
  A final note for those who worry that an egalitarian approach obliterates the differences between men and women. Matthews makes it clear that egalitarians also believe in the complementary nature of men and women! (Yes, we do!) The word complementarian got hijacked. It is precisely because men and women are different that their gifts need to be fully utilized in the church and home, and not be restricted to separate spheres.
  
  I recommend this book. It has the potential to do just what the subtitle says – to help evangelical Christians rethink what they were taught about men and women in the church. Read it. Get a copy to give away. By the way, Dr. Alice Matthews wrote this book at the age of 86, after a life of service to God as a seminary professor and beloved by her students.
• 
  Lee

  I liked this one a lot more than I liked *The Making of Biblical Womanhood*. This author is a theologian and a Bible scholar, so her focus was much more on scripture and its interpretation, rather than just on the historical church. Since she's not a historian, some of her historical chapters may have been a bit broad and sweeping, but since those were a more minor part of her book, it's easily forgivable. And even though she is very learned, and frequently pulls Greek or Hebrew into the discussion, I found her writing style very easily readable overall.
  She also sort of includes a takedown of our modern church leadership structure as well, even though that's not her focus. Maybe I especially noticed because that's something I'm biased toward noticing, but in discussing the assumptions of leadership within male/female relationships she also attacked it on a church level as well, maybe without even meaning to.
  It's definitely a lot more convincing to me than Allison Barr's book, even though I was kind of already at her conclusions in a lot of ways. Personally I see a lot more value in it than the other mentioned book, just because of what it chooses to focus on and examine, but I do think that if read together, they can be complimentary. (forgive me.)
• 
  Amanda

  Written in three parts - examples of stand-out women, the theology behind gender-based hierarchy, the historical realities that still exists for women - this book is an outstanding look at what the Bible says about women, what the church says about women, and the differences between the two.
• 
  Rachel Mohler

  Another must read for anyone looking to explore/debunk gender hierarchy in the church
• 
  Joel Ken

  An excellent introduction and overview to what some call "egalitarianism" (the author prefers to call it "complementarity-without-heirarchy"). Only some minor quibbles with the book, nothing too major. The author was able to poke holes in many of the so-called "obvious" passages for complementarianism. A highlight was the material on 1 Corinthians 11 and the material on understanding headship as "source" rather than "authority."
  
  One thing that left me unsatisfied was the author's dealing with male eldership in Ephesus and Crete (1 Timothy and Titus). The reasons given did not land as convincingly as the rest of the book. The author basically (1) downplayed the notion and importance of leadership in general and (2) referred to the scenarios of 1 Timothy/Titus as moments of crisis which (a) caused the church to revert back to the old ways of Jewish (male) leadership and (b) caused Paul to send in a recognised authority who could reform the church back. The question is: did Timothy or Titus do this by installing male elders? Again, the author did not answer that question, and because that is one of the most important questions (for me, anyway) I wish there were more pages on it.
  
  Again, this quibble aside, the book is successful in what it sets out to do. The question of male eldership in Ephesus and Crete is still unanswered but, apart from that, she successfully poked holes in many of the arguments for complementarianism. A must-read for anyone thinking through this issue.
• 
  Zachary Garris

  Apart from this being easy to read, this is a lousy book. It is sad that major publishers continue to churn out works of such low quality and that scholars like Walter Kaiser and Roy Ciampa endorse it. This book promotes feminism/egalitarianism, yet it does so by making bad arguments and then ignoring or dismissing good arguments on the other side. Let me give two examples.
  
  First, Mathews say, "Whatever Paul and his other coworkers were about, Phoebe must also have been doing, or else Paul would not have introduced her to the Roman Christians as a diakonos" (p. 86). This is utter nonsense. Paul was an Apostle of Christ. Calling someone a diakonos or even a co-worker does not mean they did the same things (or "virtually everything," p. 90) that Paul did (e.g. preaching, teaching, planting churches).
  
  Second, in her extremely brief treatment of 1 Timothy 2, Mathews misrepresents the complementarian position as prohibiting all women's teaching (rather than women teaching men). She says we must ask how, if such a prohibition "were universally applied, fits with Paul's commendation of women teaching elsewhere. In his letter to Titus, Paul commands him to encourage older women 'to teach what is good' (Titus 2:3)." Mathews acts as if the complementarian position cannot account for Paul's command for older women to teach younger women in Titus 2. This is such a blatant mischaracterization that one wonders how the editors at Zondervan let this pass.
• 
  Devon Steele

  I greatly enjoyed this book. I was not only surprised at how recently it was written, but that it was written by an 86-year-old woman, not a "young upstart" in the church. ;) She provided a succinct history of women's roles in the cultures the church grew up in, as well as the cultures within the churches through history and the impacts both had on society and church evolution. It was well-researched and annotated, and not only championed men and women working side-by-side within the church, using the gifts God gave them (and not the gifts they are told they must adhere to as a man or woman), but packed a big punch at the end that I had not considered in all the time I've been researching this topic. I will not ruin it for you -- but trust me, it's a marvelous insight.
  
  If you have an interest in women's roles in the church, read this book! Add it to your collection. Her references are worth looking up, as well.
  
  EDIT: I have to add that I was leery at first by the mention of patriarchy, but I believe she handled the topic with honesty and historical accuracy (as opposed to the current usage of the term, which belittles and vilifies men to support an agenda of what the author would have called the "Cult of True Womanhood").
• 
  Rob Steinbach

  This is a good book to read for anyone on a journey trying to understand the complex issue of gender roles in the Bible and church . While many books focus primarily on exegeting the debated “gender texts,” Dr. Matthew’s book does that, but with two other sections important for this conversation. She includes an overview of various women in the Bible as well as an overview of western culture and a history of the churches view of women. This is helpful because it is easy to assume our ideas on this jump from the Bible to today when we are influenced by our culture and a specific history of interpretation depending on our church tradition. A final unique feature of this book is that she writes when she’s 86. In other words, she has lived through a huge spectrum of thought surrounding this topic. I’m grateful for her voice!
• 
  Benjamin Varner

  One of the most important books I've ever read. I wish I could have read this 20 years ago. Dr. Matthews themes and arguments are poignant, powerful, and clearly defined. Most importantly this book reflects two distinctly seperate issues. The first being the historically documented cultural influence upon Christian thinking that is the basis for patriarchal thinking. The second is the blatant & intentional abuse by Christian thought leaders who recognize the inaccuracies of their interpretations and yet continue to push forward an agenda of male dominance.
  It is time not for a new agenda but rather a return to the original mandate of creation. Let's get culture out and bring ours co-image bearers in. Thank you God for reflecting your image in women.
  
• 
  Dorothy Greco

  I am not sure which makes me happier: that Matthews wrote a thorough, thoughtful, grounded in Scripture book on gender roles or that she was in her 80's when she wrote it. It's rich in history, insight, and wisdom. Having read I Suffer Not a Woman just before, I now no longer feel so troubled by some of the troubling passages in the NT on women and leadership. I think these two books, coupled with any of Carolyn Custis James' work, should be mandatory reading for all seminarians and pastors—esp. the ones who believe the women were created to serve men.
• 
  Karie Schulenburg

  I fully expected to be angered by this book and to incessantly roll my eyes in disgust. On the contrary, Alice Mathews writes a scholarly and beautiful argument for why men and women are equal, and should be treated that way within the context of Christianity and the Church. For a shockingly simple idea, Christians are depressingly bad at egalitarianism and loving women for all we're worth. Mathews writes simple and sound ideas that empowers women in the Church, and disempowers the voices that seek hierarchy and power.
• 
  Barb

  A thorough analysis of gender roles from both a biblical and historical perspective. Insightful and encouraging, the author’s aim of “egalitarian complementarity” is refreshing: that men & women would partner to use all their gifts in the church together - for the glory of God.
• 
  Angie

  A fascinating and invaluable read for humanity, Christian or otherwise. I am so grateful for Alice Mathews dedication and compassion to these issues and for this book. I pray many will read and be changed by it’s insights.
• 
  Christina

  Good basic primer for evangelical women! As someone who has studied this topic from a biblical standpoint, the historical section was the most interesting to me.
• 
  Sarah Hubbard

  Thorough and comprehensive description of what biblical gender roles actually look like.
• 
  Amy Morgan

  Wow, Alice. Alice is an 86-year-old lady professor woman of God. Here, she sets forth the idea that a gendered hierarchy of roles is part of the consequences of the fall in Genesis 3. She proposes that God’s vision in Genesis 1-2 was for male and female working together to fill the earth and subdue it.
  
  She is first and foremost concerned with what Scripture teaches and carefully exegetes the passages used to identify gendered roles in the church and the family. Her hermeneutic is careful and consistent, lining up Pauline texts with the whole narrative of Scripture.
  
  Her history of women and their treatment by church fathers shows how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. Coming from a denomination of complementarians, I really enjoyed reading this careful approach from a different perspective.
• 
  Bellyn

  Truly one of the better books on men and women working together towards one goal.
• 
  David Bennett

  I so much appreciate the excellent overview and work that Dr. Matthews puts into this very divisive topic. Today's conservative church struggles with understanding the Biblical role of men and women both in the family, church and the world. Dr. Matthews does her homework and research in looking at all of the texts that refer to both OT women NT women that were used by the Lord in key settings. This is a must read that will challenge most to honestly look at Scripture and all rethink their pat answers or views on this key topic in the church of today.
• 
  Радостин Марчев

  Сносно общо въведение в темата. Не особено ��адълбочено, но и целта на автора е да е повече широк отколкото дълбок. В това отношение се е справил.