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Fire In Her Bones: A Biblical Defense of Women as Preachers and Pastors
Fire in Her A Biblical Defense of Women as Preachers and Pastors is an attempt to help conservative Christians embark on an honest and critical examination of the traditional restrictions placed on women in the life of the church.
To that end, the author uses a conservative/traditional hermeneutical approach to the Scriptures to make a case for an egalitarian model of ministry. (See Appendix I in the book for a more detailed description of the hermeneutical approach).
The book follows a straightforward and typical thought process concerning the debate. The author begins by addressing the male-female relationship portrayed in the creation accounts. A critical point of divergence in the debate is whether one believes an inherent hierarchy is present in the pre-fall creation narrative. In other words, is inequality between the male and female baked into the creation story from the beginning, or is it a result of the fall of humankind? The answer to that question is monumental to the debate. Therefore, a detailed analysis of Genesis 1-3 is essential.
The book then briefly reviews the role of women in the Old Testament, focusing on roles they were and were not allowed to assume. The author also reviews the role of women in the New Testament, and specifically in the teaching and ministry of Jesus. Finally, the author addresses the role of women in the ministry of Paul, including a detailed examination of the four most important Pauline passages concerning this issue – 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; 14:34-37; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; and Galatians 3:28.
The first three of these passages are the New Testament Scriptures most hierarchists use as prooftexts to assert that the contribution of women in the church and society should be limited to specific roles. The last is used by egalitarians to argue the opposite.
Fire in Her Bones shows that the entire debate comes down to how one answers two (1) Were differentiated roles between men and women an original part of God’s design before the Fall of Humankind? (2) What did Paul mean in 1 Timothy 2:11-15 (the only passage in Scripture that seems to explicitly limit the role of women)?
The book thesis is clear with the following conclusions (quotes from Chapter 12):
“The three Pauline passages used by hierarchists to limit the role of women in the Christian church are rather benign toward the roles women played. The thematic goal of these passages from Paul’s letters is not to establish separate roles for women but to establish orderly, unified, and edifying worship in the household churches.
Paul had little patience for those who would make this issue central to “doctrine” and “order.” Paul had other, more important matters on his mind. Jesus could return at any moment. The time was short. People were dying every day without Jesus. Paul had a calling. Paul had new horizons to conquer. The feet that carried the gospel to new lands were beautiful – whether those feet were male or female was of little concern to the Apostle to the Gentiles.”
To that end, the author uses a conservative/traditional hermeneutical approach to the Scriptures to make a case for an egalitarian model of ministry. (See Appendix I in the book for a more detailed description of the hermeneutical approach).
The book follows a straightforward and typical thought process concerning the debate. The author begins by addressing the male-female relationship portrayed in the creation accounts. A critical point of divergence in the debate is whether one believes an inherent hierarchy is present in the pre-fall creation narrative. In other words, is inequality between the male and female baked into the creation story from the beginning, or is it a result of the fall of humankind? The answer to that question is monumental to the debate. Therefore, a detailed analysis of Genesis 1-3 is essential.
The book then briefly reviews the role of women in the Old Testament, focusing on roles they were and were not allowed to assume. The author also reviews the role of women in the New Testament, and specifically in the teaching and ministry of Jesus. Finally, the author addresses the role of women in the ministry of Paul, including a detailed examination of the four most important Pauline passages concerning this issue – 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; 14:34-37; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; and Galatians 3:28.
The first three of these passages are the New Testament Scriptures most hierarchists use as prooftexts to assert that the contribution of women in the church and society should be limited to specific roles. The last is used by egalitarians to argue the opposite.
Fire in Her Bones shows that the entire debate comes down to how one answers two (1) Were differentiated roles between men and women an original part of God’s design before the Fall of Humankind? (2) What did Paul mean in 1 Timothy 2:11-15 (the only passage in Scripture that seems to explicitly limit the role of women)?
The book thesis is clear with the following conclusions (quotes from Chapter 12):
“The three Pauline passages used by hierarchists to limit the role of women in the Christian church are rather benign toward the roles women played. The thematic goal of these passages from Paul’s letters is not to establish separate roles for women but to establish orderly, unified, and edifying worship in the household churches.
Paul had little patience for those who would make this issue central to “doctrine” and “order.” Paul had other, more important matters on his mind. Jesus could return at any moment. The time was short. People were dying every day without Jesus. Paul had a calling. Paul had new horizons to conquer. The feet that carried the gospel to new lands were beautiful – whether those feet were male or female was of little concern to the Apostle to the Gentiles.”
316 pages, Paperback
Published February 13, 2024
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 27, 2024
Dr. Orozco is my former pastor and is uniquely gifted in holding space for many perspectives. He is doing the hard and holy work of challenging the status quo with integrity, thoughtfulness, and grace as he presents a thorough, scripture-based argument in favor of women as preachers and pastors.
This is the book I needed a decade ago. The first time I remember hearing a woman preach on a Sunday morning was at our church where Dr. Orozco was the senior pastor at the time, and I was shocked at how much it meant to me as a woman and a mother of two girls to see that kind of representation. His scholarship is outstanding, and his reasoning is precise. His conclusions are based on his personal experiences, relationships, and most especially, study of scripture. His love and reverence for scripture shine throughout the book. This is an excellent book for conservative Christians who are open and curious about this topic.
Dr. Orozco painstakingly refutes each of the most common/popular arguments conservative Christians make in prohibiting women from preaching and serving as pastors. Dr. Orozco’s work is thoughtful, thorough, intelligent, and well-researched. It pains me that we need such a resource, but it is an excellent one to have on hand in a world that would hinder marginalized people from fulfilling their God-given callings. He builds his credibility through his phenomenal scholarship and attention to nuance and complexity, approaching the text with the humility that paves the way for new, life-changing discoveries.
This is the book I needed a decade ago. The first time I remember hearing a woman preach on a Sunday morning was at our church where Dr. Orozco was the senior pastor at the time, and I was shocked at how much it meant to me as a woman and a mother of two girls to see that kind of representation. His scholarship is outstanding, and his reasoning is precise. His conclusions are based on his personal experiences, relationships, and most especially, study of scripture. His love and reverence for scripture shine throughout the book. This is an excellent book for conservative Christians who are open and curious about this topic.
Dr. Orozco painstakingly refutes each of the most common/popular arguments conservative Christians make in prohibiting women from preaching and serving as pastors. Dr. Orozco’s work is thoughtful, thorough, intelligent, and well-researched. It pains me that we need such a resource, but it is an excellent one to have on hand in a world that would hinder marginalized people from fulfilling their God-given callings. He builds his credibility through his phenomenal scholarship and attention to nuance and complexity, approaching the text with the humility that paves the way for new, life-changing discoveries.
January 2, 2025
Yes, it took a while to read this book because there is so much to ponder about women as pastors. This is an important topic particularly in today's world. Dr Orozco is a Bible scholar and researcher. Every point is backed with scripture. Full disclosure is that Dr, Orozco was my pastor while he served at First Baptist Church Richardson. Every sermon was researched and Spirit filled. I fully support the fact that God calls women into service to Him in many capacities including as pastors. Thank you Pastor Ellis for this important book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews