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Countering the Claims of Evangelical Feminism: Biblical Responses to the Key Questions
“This is the most thorough, balanced, and biblically accurate treatment of feminism and the Bible I have seen.” —Stu Weber Evangelical feminists boldly assert that male and female roles in the church are interchangeable. Society reflects the argument. But what does the Bible have to say? Wayne Grudem offers more than forty biblical responses to the most crucial questions on this topic, showing God’s equal value in men and women and why their roles in the church are complementary, not interchangeable. This to-the-point handbook is a valuable resource enabling every Christian to grasp the issues, • What the Bible says about the roles of men and women in marriage • Women in the church and in church leadership • Theology and the concepts of equality, fairness, and justice • Claims that a complementarian view is harmful “No one will be able to deny the cumulative strength of the case this author makes.” —J. I. Packer “After the Bible, I cannot imagine a more useful book for finding reliable help in understanding God’s will for manhood and womanhood in the church and the home.” —John Piper
389 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
41 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Wayne Grudem
123 books332 followersWayne Grudem (PhD, University of Cambridge; DD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is research professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary, having previously taught for 20 years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Grudem earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard University, as well as an MDiv from Westminster Seminary. He is the former president of the Evangelical Theological Society, a cofounder and past president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible, the general editor of the ESV Study Bible, and has published over 20 books, including Systematic Theology, Evangelical Feminism, Politics—According to the Bible, and Business for the Glory of God.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 22, 2022
Thankful to have stumbled across this book, as it gave timely answers to questions I had (as well as ones I hadn’t considered before). The question/answer format is super accessible and his arguments are easy to follow.
After reading, I feel that I can rest and rejoice in the boundaries and unique role God has given women in the church and the home.
After reading, I feel that I can rest and rejoice in the boundaries and unique role God has given women in the church and the home.
December 27, 2015
Grudem is a pretty brainy guy so when I read this book I was quite shocked at his embarrassingly superficial treatment of the important topic of "evangelical feminism". The question and answer format at first seems accessible, however it really encourages what I think is an unhelpful adversarial and defensive mindset. Regardless of the book's format, the content was so bad it made me feel physically ill. The so-called "key questions" presented to represent the "argument" fall short of what could truly be considered the key questions at stake... Questions like "What is meant by the infallibility of scripture?" "Can people speak for God?" "Can humans limit God's revelation?" "What is sin?" continue to be the essential - albeit often unarticulated - features of the "argument" (if you want to call it that). This book is essentially military training for a peace rally.
March 31, 2020
I changed my mind. This book is the best I’ve read on this issue. Every lay person ought to read it. Every Christian woman ought to read it!
This book is a condensation of the comprehensive book Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth: An Analysis of More than 100 Disputed Questions. Wisely, Grudem understands that the lay person would not have always have the time or desire to trudge through the minute details, so this condensed work (309 pages) is just right. He does give the references back to the big hefty book in case someone wants more than what she finds here.
The book is structured by first giving the egalitarian claim, along with references and quotes so there is no misunderstanding of what they mean. Then Grudem gives his answers, usually multiple answers, that counter the egalitarian claim. Hence the title of the book. This makes for easy reading and a good reference work after the fact.
He gives enough references to feminist works to show that their pseudo-scholarly works actually have no basis. Especially in the meaning of specific words like “head” or “authority”, egalitarians like to change the meanings, but Grudem very clearly points out that many of those meanings are simply incorrect or even just made up. This is where the lay person should highly praise biblical scholars and their attention to detail! What a blessing it is to me to watch this debate from afar.
Grudem adeptly lays out the serious errors of the Egalitarian position. He shows that it upends the doctrines of the Trinity, the concept of Sola Scriptura, and the nature of Male and Female. Egalitarianism is in grave error! These are heavy charges, and are not met with flippancy.
The basic question underlying this controversy is obedience to the Bible. That is a major doctrine and it is a core issue. Throughout this book and throughout Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth, I have pointed out various ways in which egalitarian claims result in a rejection of the authority of the Bible over our lives. This happens through saying that certain passages no longer apply to us today, or saying that certain verses are not really part of the Bible, or saying Paul’s reasoning from the Old Testament was wrong or saying that the reason for Paul’s command was something other than what he gave as the reason, or saying that the New Testament epistles are descriptive rather than prescriptive (and show us what was happening in the first century, not what we should do today), or saying that people can disobey what the Bible says if the elders or pastor give them permission, or saying that what we should obey is not what the New Testament says but our best guess as to where its “trajectory” was leading, and so forth.
But this repeated theme in the egalitarian position shows what is really at stake in this controversy is the authority of the Bible. I am convinced that if the egalitarian position prevails, the principles it has used to interpret and apply Scripture will soon be broadened to many other areas of life, and no moral command of Scripture will be safe from its destructive procedures. Then the church will mimic the popular views of its culture in one issue after another, and Christians will no longer be subject to the authority of God speaking through His Word. I believe this is the direction egalitarianism is pushing the church (page 222).
I agree with him.
Read the rest of this review at a href="http://mostlysensible.com/book-review....
This book is a condensation of the comprehensive book Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth: An Analysis of More than 100 Disputed Questions. Wisely, Grudem understands that the lay person would not have always have the time or desire to trudge through the minute details, so this condensed work (309 pages) is just right. He does give the references back to the big hefty book in case someone wants more than what she finds here.
The book is structured by first giving the egalitarian claim, along with references and quotes so there is no misunderstanding of what they mean. Then Grudem gives his answers, usually multiple answers, that counter the egalitarian claim. Hence the title of the book. This makes for easy reading and a good reference work after the fact.
He gives enough references to feminist works to show that their pseudo-scholarly works actually have no basis. Especially in the meaning of specific words like “head” or “authority”, egalitarians like to change the meanings, but Grudem very clearly points out that many of those meanings are simply incorrect or even just made up. This is where the lay person should highly praise biblical scholars and their attention to detail! What a blessing it is to me to watch this debate from afar.
Grudem adeptly lays out the serious errors of the Egalitarian position. He shows that it upends the doctrines of the Trinity, the concept of Sola Scriptura, and the nature of Male and Female. Egalitarianism is in grave error! These are heavy charges, and are not met with flippancy.
The basic question underlying this controversy is obedience to the Bible. That is a major doctrine and it is a core issue. Throughout this book and throughout Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth, I have pointed out various ways in which egalitarian claims result in a rejection of the authority of the Bible over our lives. This happens through saying that certain passages no longer apply to us today, or saying that certain verses are not really part of the Bible, or saying Paul’s reasoning from the Old Testament was wrong or saying that the reason for Paul’s command was something other than what he gave as the reason, or saying that the New Testament epistles are descriptive rather than prescriptive (and show us what was happening in the first century, not what we should do today), or saying that people can disobey what the Bible says if the elders or pastor give them permission, or saying that what we should obey is not what the New Testament says but our best guess as to where its “trajectory” was leading, and so forth.
But this repeated theme in the egalitarian position shows what is really at stake in this controversy is the authority of the Bible. I am convinced that if the egalitarian position prevails, the principles it has used to interpret and apply Scripture will soon be broadened to many other areas of life, and no moral command of Scripture will be safe from its destructive procedures. Then the church will mimic the popular views of its culture in one issue after another, and Christians will no longer be subject to the authority of God speaking through His Word. I believe this is the direction egalitarianism is pushing the church (page 222).
I agree with him.
Read the rest of this review at a href="http://mostlysensible.com/book-review....
January 21, 2021
Great read, very thorough question answer format. Certainly covered questions I have experienced myself, as well as ones I had never thought of before. Lots and lots of biblical reference, with in text quote which I enjoy. Obviously, if you are of the egalitarian mindset, this book would put you completely on edge, but that is the whole point of the book. It also very much so affirms my view of my role as wife, helper, and homemaker. It gave me great further insight into the relationship of headship of Christ to headship in marriage, kindling increased love for my own husband and for Jesus.
March 27, 2024
A CONDENSATION AND UPDATING OF HIS EARLIER, 856-PAGE BOOK
Wayne A. Grudem is a New Testament theologian who has taught Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, and (previously)Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He co-founded the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and served as the general editor of the ESV Study Bible.
He wrote in the Preface to this 2006 book, “This is a book for anyone who wants a quick overview of the main issues in the controversy over the Bible’s teachings about men’s and women’s roles in the home and the church. It is a condensation of my 856-page comprehensive study, ‘Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth’… Its intended audience is evangelical Christians who do not want to wade through that larger book but want an accurate, Bible-based analysis of the major biblical teachings about manhood and womanhood, together with answers to the major evangelical feminist claims from a ‘complementarian’ position. But I have added to this book some material that is not in the 2004 book, particularly some specific interaction with the recent egalitarian book ‘Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy’…” (Pg. 9)
In the first chapter, he states, “Opposite the errors of aggression are errors of passivity. They are equally as wrong. When a husband abdicates his leadership responsibilities buy not disciplining his children, not caring for the family’s physical or spiritual needs, or not defending his wife and children when verbally attacked by a friend or relative (these are just a few of many examples),then his acting as a wimp does not fit the role God designed for him in marriage. Or when a wife chooses not to participate in family decisions, does not express her preferences or opinions, does not speak up when her children or husband are doing wrong, or does not object to her husband’s physical or verbal abuse, then she is not being submissive, but instead is acting as a doormat, and out of line with the role God designed for her in the marriage relationship.” (Pg. 25)
He suggests, “nothing in Scripture prohibits women from chairing various committees within the church, as long as that does not involve functioning as an elder with authority over the whole church. Similarly, I see no persuasive reason why only church officers should serve Communion, though the pastor or some other elder should officiate. There is also nothing in Scripture that prohibits a woman from being a paid full-time staff member in a church, such as director of educational ministries, or a women’s ministry director, or in a youth ministry position, or in a role as a part-time or full-time counselor.” (Pg. 32) He adds, “Paul did not allow women to teach THE BIBLE or have governing authority over the assembled church. But this text would not prevent women from teaching SKILLS (such as Greek or Hebrew or counseling) or teaching INFORMATION (such as reporting on missionary activity or giving a personal testimony) to the church.” (Pg. 34-35) Later, he adds, “I think it is inappropriate for a woman to be the Bible teacher in an adult Sunday School class.” (Pg. 60)
He explains about 1 Cor 14:33-35, “Paul cannot mean that women are to be completely silent at all times in church, for he had just finished saying in 1 Cor 11:5 that they should not pray or prophesy unless they had a head covering… So what kind of silence does Paul mean?... Paul means… with respect to the topic under discussion in this context… Paul says that when people are weighing and evaluating a prophetic message, the women should be silent and not speak up to judge the prophecies.” (Pg. 42) Later, he adds, “what kind of ‘silence’ does Paul mean in 1 Cor 14:34?... speech that involves judging prophecies fits this description.” (Pg. 143)
He summarizes, “the Bible is simply not an egalitarian book… Where is one example in the entire Bible of a woman publicly teaching an assembled group of God’s people? There is none. Sometimes people mention Deborah in Judges 4, but she did not teach the people publicly, for people came to her privately to hear her wise decisions in disputed cases… Therefore… Men teach and lead God’s people.” (Pg. 51) Later, he states, “The story of Deborah should motivate women in such situations to do what Deborah did: encourage and exhort a man to take the leadership role in which God has called him, as Deborah encouraged and exhorted Barak…” (Pg. 83)
He points out, “Jesus treated women as equals in a way that was surprising for first-century culture. We should be thankful that Jesus honored women and treated them as persons just as He treated men. He talked openly with women, to the amazement of his disciples (Jn 4:1-27), taught women (Lk 10:38-42), assumed that women as well as men could talk and reason about theological truths (Lk 10:38-42; Jn 4:7-26, 11:21-27), had women among the band of disciples who traveled with Him (Lk 8:1-3), accepted monetary support and ministry from them (Mk 15:40-41) and used women as teaching examples (Mk 12:41-44; Lk 15:8-10, 18:1-8). Jesus thus set a pattern that should forever challenge all cultures that treat women as second-class citizens, as it is no doubt challenged and rebuked the culture of Jesus’ day.” (Pg. 92)
Of Gal 3:28, he asserts, “we need to realize that this is not the only text in the Bible on men and women. It is a true text, it is a wonderful text, but it is not the only text, and we should not make it say more than it does. To determine the ways men and women should relate to each other in marriage and the church… we need the teaching of other texts… Paul’s statement … does not abolish all differences in roles between men and women.” (Pg. 112)
About the suggestion that ‘Junia’ in Romans 16:7 was an apostle, he argues, “The name… could be either a man’s name or a woman’s name simply according to the spelling… In light of recent research in Greek grammar, the verse means, ‘Greet Andronicus and Junia…well-known TO the apostles… A further uncertainty … is the word translated ‘apostles.’ This same term … is used elsewhere in the New Testament to mean ‘messengers, one who is sent’ … the sense ‘well known among the messengers’ would be more appropriate.” (Pg. 135)
As to whether Rom 16:1-2 and 1 Tim 3:11 speak of women ‘deacons,’ he comments, “how are we to decide if Phoebe should be called ‘deacon’ or ‘servant’ in Rom 16:1? The question is whether Paul has a church office in view… or is simply honoring Phoebe for her servicer… It does not matter very much to the argument of this book whether Phoebe is called a faithful ‘servant’ or a ‘deacon’… In neither case does this passage show that she had any teaching or governing authority in the church.” (Pg. 154-155)
Of 1 Tim 2:9, he says, “This passage does not prohibit jewelry or braided hair; it prohibits ostentation or excessive emphasis on jewelry or braided hair as a woman’s source of beauty.” (Pg. 200) Of 1 Cor 11:4-6, he suggests, “The most likely meaning of a woman wearing a head covering in first-century Corinth was to indicate that she was married. But no such meaning would be understood from a woman’s head covering today… In modern American society, a married woman wears a wedding ring to give public evidence that she is married.” (Pg. 204-205)
Of slavery, he notes, “the Bible was used by more Christians to OPPOSE slavery than to defend it, and eventually their arguments won and slavery was abolished… The people who tried to use the Bible to defend slavery lost the argument! Shall we now reverse history and say their losing argument was correct?” (Pg. 210)
He summarizes, “I have concluded that evangelical feminism is becoming a new path to theological liberalism for evangelicals in our generation… ‘theological liberalism’ … denies the complete truthfulness of the Bible as the Word of God and denies the unique and absolute authority of the Bible in our lives.” (Pg. 282) He adds, “egalitarians … have two significant allies. The first is the secular culture, which … is strongly opposed to the authority of the Word of God… The second ally … is a large group of Christian leaders who believe that the Bible teaches a complementarian position but who lack courage to teach about it or take a stand in favor of it.” (Pg. 298-299)
This book will be of great interest to Evangelicals and other Christians who are studying such issues.
Wayne A. Grudem is a New Testament theologian who has taught Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, and (previously)Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He co-founded the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and served as the general editor of the ESV Study Bible.
He wrote in the Preface to this 2006 book, “This is a book for anyone who wants a quick overview of the main issues in the controversy over the Bible’s teachings about men’s and women’s roles in the home and the church. It is a condensation of my 856-page comprehensive study, ‘Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth’… Its intended audience is evangelical Christians who do not want to wade through that larger book but want an accurate, Bible-based analysis of the major biblical teachings about manhood and womanhood, together with answers to the major evangelical feminist claims from a ‘complementarian’ position. But I have added to this book some material that is not in the 2004 book, particularly some specific interaction with the recent egalitarian book ‘Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy’…” (Pg. 9)
In the first chapter, he states, “Opposite the errors of aggression are errors of passivity. They are equally as wrong. When a husband abdicates his leadership responsibilities buy not disciplining his children, not caring for the family’s physical or spiritual needs, or not defending his wife and children when verbally attacked by a friend or relative (these are just a few of many examples),then his acting as a wimp does not fit the role God designed for him in marriage. Or when a wife chooses not to participate in family decisions, does not express her preferences or opinions, does not speak up when her children or husband are doing wrong, or does not object to her husband’s physical or verbal abuse, then she is not being submissive, but instead is acting as a doormat, and out of line with the role God designed for her in the marriage relationship.” (Pg. 25)
He suggests, “nothing in Scripture prohibits women from chairing various committees within the church, as long as that does not involve functioning as an elder with authority over the whole church. Similarly, I see no persuasive reason why only church officers should serve Communion, though the pastor or some other elder should officiate. There is also nothing in Scripture that prohibits a woman from being a paid full-time staff member in a church, such as director of educational ministries, or a women’s ministry director, or in a youth ministry position, or in a role as a part-time or full-time counselor.” (Pg. 32) He adds, “Paul did not allow women to teach THE BIBLE or have governing authority over the assembled church. But this text would not prevent women from teaching SKILLS (such as Greek or Hebrew or counseling) or teaching INFORMATION (such as reporting on missionary activity or giving a personal testimony) to the church.” (Pg. 34-35) Later, he adds, “I think it is inappropriate for a woman to be the Bible teacher in an adult Sunday School class.” (Pg. 60)
He explains about 1 Cor 14:33-35, “Paul cannot mean that women are to be completely silent at all times in church, for he had just finished saying in 1 Cor 11:5 that they should not pray or prophesy unless they had a head covering… So what kind of silence does Paul mean?... Paul means… with respect to the topic under discussion in this context… Paul says that when people are weighing and evaluating a prophetic message, the women should be silent and not speak up to judge the prophecies.” (Pg. 42) Later, he adds, “what kind of ‘silence’ does Paul mean in 1 Cor 14:34?... speech that involves judging prophecies fits this description.” (Pg. 143)
He summarizes, “the Bible is simply not an egalitarian book… Where is one example in the entire Bible of a woman publicly teaching an assembled group of God’s people? There is none. Sometimes people mention Deborah in Judges 4, but she did not teach the people publicly, for people came to her privately to hear her wise decisions in disputed cases… Therefore… Men teach and lead God’s people.” (Pg. 51) Later, he states, “The story of Deborah should motivate women in such situations to do what Deborah did: encourage and exhort a man to take the leadership role in which God has called him, as Deborah encouraged and exhorted Barak…” (Pg. 83)
He points out, “Jesus treated women as equals in a way that was surprising for first-century culture. We should be thankful that Jesus honored women and treated them as persons just as He treated men. He talked openly with women, to the amazement of his disciples (Jn 4:1-27), taught women (Lk 10:38-42), assumed that women as well as men could talk and reason about theological truths (Lk 10:38-42; Jn 4:7-26, 11:21-27), had women among the band of disciples who traveled with Him (Lk 8:1-3), accepted monetary support and ministry from them (Mk 15:40-41) and used women as teaching examples (Mk 12:41-44; Lk 15:8-10, 18:1-8). Jesus thus set a pattern that should forever challenge all cultures that treat women as second-class citizens, as it is no doubt challenged and rebuked the culture of Jesus’ day.” (Pg. 92)
Of Gal 3:28, he asserts, “we need to realize that this is not the only text in the Bible on men and women. It is a true text, it is a wonderful text, but it is not the only text, and we should not make it say more than it does. To determine the ways men and women should relate to each other in marriage and the church… we need the teaching of other texts… Paul’s statement … does not abolish all differences in roles between men and women.” (Pg. 112)
About the suggestion that ‘Junia’ in Romans 16:7 was an apostle, he argues, “The name… could be either a man’s name or a woman’s name simply according to the spelling… In light of recent research in Greek grammar, the verse means, ‘Greet Andronicus and Junia…well-known TO the apostles… A further uncertainty … is the word translated ‘apostles.’ This same term … is used elsewhere in the New Testament to mean ‘messengers, one who is sent’ … the sense ‘well known among the messengers’ would be more appropriate.” (Pg. 135)
As to whether Rom 16:1-2 and 1 Tim 3:11 speak of women ‘deacons,’ he comments, “how are we to decide if Phoebe should be called ‘deacon’ or ‘servant’ in Rom 16:1? The question is whether Paul has a church office in view… or is simply honoring Phoebe for her servicer… It does not matter very much to the argument of this book whether Phoebe is called a faithful ‘servant’ or a ‘deacon’… In neither case does this passage show that she had any teaching or governing authority in the church.” (Pg. 154-155)
Of 1 Tim 2:9, he says, “This passage does not prohibit jewelry or braided hair; it prohibits ostentation or excessive emphasis on jewelry or braided hair as a woman’s source of beauty.” (Pg. 200) Of 1 Cor 11:4-6, he suggests, “The most likely meaning of a woman wearing a head covering in first-century Corinth was to indicate that she was married. But no such meaning would be understood from a woman’s head covering today… In modern American society, a married woman wears a wedding ring to give public evidence that she is married.” (Pg. 204-205)
Of slavery, he notes, “the Bible was used by more Christians to OPPOSE slavery than to defend it, and eventually their arguments won and slavery was abolished… The people who tried to use the Bible to defend slavery lost the argument! Shall we now reverse history and say their losing argument was correct?” (Pg. 210)
He summarizes, “I have concluded that evangelical feminism is becoming a new path to theological liberalism for evangelicals in our generation… ‘theological liberalism’ … denies the complete truthfulness of the Bible as the Word of God and denies the unique and absolute authority of the Bible in our lives.” (Pg. 282) He adds, “egalitarians … have two significant allies. The first is the secular culture, which … is strongly opposed to the authority of the Word of God… The second ally … is a large group of Christian leaders who believe that the Bible teaches a complementarian position but who lack courage to teach about it or take a stand in favor of it.” (Pg. 298-299)
This book will be of great interest to Evangelicals and other Christians who are studying such issues.
August 28, 2025
|| 5 ⭐️ ||
I’m surprised this is the condensed version—it covers a lot. Grudem clearly communicates the complimentarian view, and then exposes gaps in egalitarian reasoning. He goes through dozens of claims that egalitarians make in attempts to biblically justify their position, and answers each one of them by building a solid biblical case for why the claim can’t be true. And as if one answer isn’t enough to refute each claim, he usually comes at them from a few different angles such as logic, translation, exegesis, context, history and more. It’s clear that Grudem has done his due diligence to understand thoroughly the topic at hand and what the Bible has to say about it. Egalitarianism requires a lot of mental gymnastics, and Grudem does an excellent job of breaking it down and showing us that the simple truth of the way God designed gender roles is much more wonderful. It’s so cool how God can deepen our understanding of theology, and His purpose for us, by allowing us to face controversy and being forced to really wrestle through our position. I never thought about controversy as a blessing in this way, but it’s a good point that Grudem makes in his closing chapter!
Some of these claims I’ve heard many times before and already knew how to refute them, but others I’d heard and have never been quite sure how to respond to them. He also brought up several claims that I’d never heard before. He answered questions I had, and questions I didn’t even know I or other people had. I found it very scholarly, persuasive and helpful.
I’m surprised this is the condensed version—it covers a lot. Grudem clearly communicates the complimentarian view, and then exposes gaps in egalitarian reasoning. He goes through dozens of claims that egalitarians make in attempts to biblically justify their position, and answers each one of them by building a solid biblical case for why the claim can’t be true. And as if one answer isn’t enough to refute each claim, he usually comes at them from a few different angles such as logic, translation, exegesis, context, history and more. It’s clear that Grudem has done his due diligence to understand thoroughly the topic at hand and what the Bible has to say about it. Egalitarianism requires a lot of mental gymnastics, and Grudem does an excellent job of breaking it down and showing us that the simple truth of the way God designed gender roles is much more wonderful. It’s so cool how God can deepen our understanding of theology, and His purpose for us, by allowing us to face controversy and being forced to really wrestle through our position. I never thought about controversy as a blessing in this way, but it’s a good point that Grudem makes in his closing chapter!
Some of these claims I’ve heard many times before and already knew how to refute them, but others I’d heard and have never been quite sure how to respond to them. He also brought up several claims that I’d never heard before. He answered questions I had, and questions I didn’t even know I or other people had. I found it very scholarly, persuasive and helpful.
April 21, 2022
Solid. Biblical. Methodical. Clear. Engaging. Very open in explaining personal boundaries in this topic as a matter of conscience and opinion, but quick to express that there is reason for denominations to not draw that line/conclusion. Honestly, I loved everything but the title, and that is why I’m giving it four stars.
The tone of the book was caring, compassionate, gentle, and humble in its counter arguments. This felt a respectful response to a growing trend, while the title feels unnecessarily antagonistic. It’s a topic I genuinely wanted to learn more about, and I came away with no disagreements to the author’s points, but something in the title already had me slightly on the defense before even reading, and I already started off on the more conservative side of this topic. I could see many people not even giving the book based on the title alone, which be disappointing. “Egalitarianism and the Bible” or something explanatory along those lines sets a more inviting tone.
The tone of the book was caring, compassionate, gentle, and humble in its counter arguments. This felt a respectful response to a growing trend, while the title feels unnecessarily antagonistic. It’s a topic I genuinely wanted to learn more about, and I came away with no disagreements to the author’s points, but something in the title already had me slightly on the defense before even reading, and I already started off on the more conservative side of this topic. I could see many people not even giving the book based on the title alone, which be disappointing. “Egalitarianism and the Bible” or something explanatory along those lines sets a more inviting tone.
July 7, 2020
It's a bit simplistic and I don't think it's always fair, but it's a great resource for turning to if you're wanting a fresh reminder of some of the surrounding questions on any given issue in the Complementarian-Egalitarian debates.
May 22, 2024
great resource
This book was helpful and I consider it to be a great resource for the average Christian and pastor. Grudem leaves no stone unturned and considers all possible arguments against complementarinism. Scripturally accurate.
This book was helpful and I consider it to be a great resource for the average Christian and pastor. Grudem leaves no stone unturned and considers all possible arguments against complementarinism. Scripturally accurate.
February 8, 2019
Extremely helpful book. It's format makes it a useful took as a specific subject can be quickly found. Solid responses.
December 19, 2022
It makes some valid arguments, but there are also some that are not thorough enough for my liking.
June 11, 2014
Loved it. I've been troubled by hearing some of the arguments for acceptance of homosexual marriage in Christian circles, and reading this book helped me see the commonality/linkage between egalitarian arguments and gay arguments.
Grudem is thorough, crisp, clear in his analysis of the texts and winsome/gracious in his words. Frankly, I think he dismantles the egalitarian position for anyone who holds a high view of the authority of Scripture. I am grateful for his scholarship, and commend this book to anyone concerned about the now popular interchangeability of roles between the genders, in both marriage and the Kingdom of Christ.
Grudem is thorough, crisp, clear in his analysis of the texts and winsome/gracious in his words. Frankly, I think he dismantles the egalitarian position for anyone who holds a high view of the authority of Scripture. I am grateful for his scholarship, and commend this book to anyone concerned about the now popular interchangeability of roles between the genders, in both marriage and the Kingdom of Christ.
May 20, 2014
In this concise volume, Grudem has provided a tremendous resource for those who are looking for Biblical answers in the Gender role debate. With stellar scholarship, Grudem answers many claims made by Egalitarians with sound biblical exegesis, biblical language skills, and astute logic. If your an Egalitarian and don't have time to read Grudem's larger volume, read this. If your are a Complimentarian, read this!If you are undecided, definitely read this. The issue of gender roles is relevant to both daily life in the Body and our hermeneutic.
December 8, 2015
As suggested by the title, this book is a polemic against the various egalitarian arguments of liberal theology. He treats the subject of male authority from scripture as applied to home and church governance, and he is careful to restrict the scope of his contention to teaching and governing authority in the church. For the most part, Grudem's arguments are scripturally sound and well articulated. It is best used as a reference resource on the subject of feminism and the church, and is well worth keeping on hand for consideration regardless of whether you ultimately agree or disagree.
August 17, 2015
Easy to use. Question and answer format makes finding info a fingertip trip. All claims are organized into categories.
Grudem covers all the egalitarian claims I've heard and many, many more. His thorough footnoting allows the reader to check the context of his quotes. So you can decide for yourself if he's taking things out of context or fairly representing his opposition.
Grudem covers all the egalitarian claims I've heard and many, many more. His thorough footnoting allows the reader to check the context of his quotes. So you can decide for yourself if he's taking things out of context or fairly representing his opposition.
July 13, 2013
A great, easy to read resource for those with questions about gender roles within the church. As with all of Grudem's work, it is littered with biblical references.
Grudem states an egalitarian claim and then presents the biblical answer...great format which lends itself to real credibility.
Grudem states an egalitarian claim and then presents the biblical answer...great format which lends itself to real credibility.
April 16, 2014
This excellent book takes the claims of feminists and biblically dismantles them one at a time - a must read!
Want to read
December 8, 2016I've scanned pieces of this book, and can tell it is going to upset me. Most books on this topic do. But alas, that is not an adequate reason not to read it.
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