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From Genesis to Junia: An Honest Search for What the Bible Really Says About Women in Leadership
Starting from a place of genuine searching, bestselling author Preston Sprinkle challenges assumptions and models gracious theological inquiry in this thoughtful exploration of what the Bible says about women in church leadership.
What does the Bible really say about women serving in positions of leadership in the church? It’s one of the church’s most debated and divisive topics. Many Christians read Scripture in light of preconceived conclusions, rather than engaging in a patient and thorough study of what the Bible actually says.
From Genesis to Junia offers something an honest journey through Scripture that begins with questions rather than answers. With theological rigor and a pastor’s heart, Preston Sprinkle opens the Bible with fresh eyes and invites us along as he examines key passages from Genesis to Revelation—weighing historical context, interacting with a variety of scholarly perspectives, and holding familiar views up to Scripture. This informative and spiritually profound book
A respectful challenge to both complementarian and egalitarian assumptions Insightful analysis of texts such as 1 Corinthians 11, Romans 16, and 1 Timothy 2 A model for navigating controversial topics in the church This open-hearted approach to a complex issue offers a healthy example for dialoguing about tough theological questions. Listeners will walk away not with superficial answers but with biblical confidence, deeper understanding, and a gracious posture for engaging with others.
Contains extensive audiobook-exclusive bonus commentary by the author.
What does the Bible really say about women serving in positions of leadership in the church? It’s one of the church’s most debated and divisive topics. Many Christians read Scripture in light of preconceived conclusions, rather than engaging in a patient and thorough study of what the Bible actually says.
From Genesis to Junia offers something an honest journey through Scripture that begins with questions rather than answers. With theological rigor and a pastor’s heart, Preston Sprinkle opens the Bible with fresh eyes and invites us along as he examines key passages from Genesis to Revelation—weighing historical context, interacting with a variety of scholarly perspectives, and holding familiar views up to Scripture. This informative and spiritually profound book
A respectful challenge to both complementarian and egalitarian assumptions Insightful analysis of texts such as 1 Corinthians 11, Romans 16, and 1 Timothy 2 A model for navigating controversial topics in the church This open-hearted approach to a complex issue offers a healthy example for dialoguing about tough theological questions. Listeners will walk away not with superficial answers but with biblical confidence, deeper understanding, and a gracious posture for engaging with others.
Contains extensive audiobook-exclusive bonus commentary by the author.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2026
About the author
Preston Sprinkle
31 books226 followersPreston Sprinkle (PhD, Aberdeen) is a teacher, speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. He has written several books including People to Be Loved, Living in a Gray World, Charis, and Erasing Hell, which he co-authored with Francis Chan. Preston has held faculty positions at Nottingham University, Cedarville University, and Eternity Bible College. He and his family live in Boise, Idaho, and he currently helps pastors and leaders engage the LGBTQ conversation with thoughtfulness and grace.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
March 4, 2026
From Genesis to Junia is a book by Preston Sprinkle that was released a few days ago, where he invites the reader to follow him on a fresh theological journey as he explores the issues of the complementarian / Egalitarian debate. I want to give a few reflections as I’m sure it will make a brief splash on the internet and the life of the church.
I know this review is a little long, but one important thing first:
1. Tom Schreiner’s review of this book at TGC is pretty accurate.
2. Anyone who wants to understand the nitty gritty of the texts that consume this argument needs to read Women in the Church by Kostenberger and Schreiner.
First, I have never read a book with the style of this book. It had a podcast, even YouTube reaction style to it which was pretty new to me, but I expect will become more popular for lay level books in the future. This did make it fun and engaging, but also gave an air of novelty that also characterized the thin level of engagement with opposing views throughout the book.
Second, unfortunately, if you came to this book to hear new arguments that move the conversation forward, you have come to the wrong place. Sprinkle does admit that his conclusions come from being relatively new to the issue (3 years), but I think part of me still expected that he was going to advance something that split the difference between existing camps.
The arguments were predictable, and once you knew what he said on one passage, and the tone he approached it with, you knew where he was going with other later passages.
The book admits some really good and crucial things for this issue. Namely, that whatever reading we make of Genesis, OT prophets, or other narrative texts in the gospels, and even Romans 16 (none of which settle the issue) the weight of decision has to depend on how you read several key texts in Paul: 1 Timothy 2, 1 Corinthians 11, and Ephesians 5.
He takes a traditional egalitarian approach to Paul, and unfortunately resorts to the three typical readings that someone needs to take in order to justify women as elders in the New Testament:
1. Reinterpreting Paul’s apparent meaning in the text (Ephesians 5)
2. Relegating the text to a distant and irrelevant situation of the past (1 Tim 2)
3. Or ignoring the ramifications of the text because of the complexity of surrounding verses (1 Corinthians 11)
He shows something which I think is almost undeniably true in the New Testament: women are the best examples of faith, humility, and Christian virtue in the Old Testament, Gospels, and letters. But what he misses is that holding authority by nature of resembling Jesus’s loving character (as Stephanus does in 1 Corinthians 16) is not the same thing as formal authority that comes from the office of elder in the New Testament.
The thing that leads to so much confusion in this book is that he equates the idea of “leader” with formal positions of leadership in the church.
Basically, “would you say Phoebe is a leader according to a Christian definition of leadership?” If yes, then she can hold any position of authority in the church. But that’s just not what the Bible says on these issues. Phoebe is a deacon, deacons are leaders. It doesn’t mean they possess all of the teaching authority of elders. “Able to teach” is not even one of their biblical qualifications.
What’s interesting is that he admits that the words for formal authority aren’t used of women in the New Testament:
“Pastor, elder, teacher, overseer”
But because Paul does use “servant, co-worker, working hard, managing” then women are “Leaders” which means they can hold offices regardless of whether the text seems to prohibit them.
I would rate this book lower, but it’s so important that books more and more do what Sprinkle did here, which is focus on the actual texts that make or break these arguments. One challenge is that we don’t have a lot of good resources on this subject that do this, so I pray that more honest looks at texts become more common.
If anyone wants to chat with me at this book, shoot me a call or text!
I know this review is a little long, but one important thing first:
1. Tom Schreiner’s review of this book at TGC is pretty accurate.
2. Anyone who wants to understand the nitty gritty of the texts that consume this argument needs to read Women in the Church by Kostenberger and Schreiner.
First, I have never read a book with the style of this book. It had a podcast, even YouTube reaction style to it which was pretty new to me, but I expect will become more popular for lay level books in the future. This did make it fun and engaging, but also gave an air of novelty that also characterized the thin level of engagement with opposing views throughout the book.
Second, unfortunately, if you came to this book to hear new arguments that move the conversation forward, you have come to the wrong place. Sprinkle does admit that his conclusions come from being relatively new to the issue (3 years), but I think part of me still expected that he was going to advance something that split the difference between existing camps.
The arguments were predictable, and once you knew what he said on one passage, and the tone he approached it with, you knew where he was going with other later passages.
The book admits some really good and crucial things for this issue. Namely, that whatever reading we make of Genesis, OT prophets, or other narrative texts in the gospels, and even Romans 16 (none of which settle the issue) the weight of decision has to depend on how you read several key texts in Paul: 1 Timothy 2, 1 Corinthians 11, and Ephesians 5.
He takes a traditional egalitarian approach to Paul, and unfortunately resorts to the three typical readings that someone needs to take in order to justify women as elders in the New Testament:
1. Reinterpreting Paul’s apparent meaning in the text (Ephesians 5)
2. Relegating the text to a distant and irrelevant situation of the past (1 Tim 2)
3. Or ignoring the ramifications of the text because of the complexity of surrounding verses (1 Corinthians 11)
He shows something which I think is almost undeniably true in the New Testament: women are the best examples of faith, humility, and Christian virtue in the Old Testament, Gospels, and letters. But what he misses is that holding authority by nature of resembling Jesus’s loving character (as Stephanus does in 1 Corinthians 16) is not the same thing as formal authority that comes from the office of elder in the New Testament.
The thing that leads to so much confusion in this book is that he equates the idea of “leader” with formal positions of leadership in the church.
Basically, “would you say Phoebe is a leader according to a Christian definition of leadership?” If yes, then she can hold any position of authority in the church. But that’s just not what the Bible says on these issues. Phoebe is a deacon, deacons are leaders. It doesn’t mean they possess all of the teaching authority of elders. “Able to teach” is not even one of their biblical qualifications.
What’s interesting is that he admits that the words for formal authority aren’t used of women in the New Testament:
“Pastor, elder, teacher, overseer”
But because Paul does use “servant, co-worker, working hard, managing” then women are “Leaders” which means they can hold offices regardless of whether the text seems to prohibit them.
I would rate this book lower, but it’s so important that books more and more do what Sprinkle did here, which is focus on the actual texts that make or break these arguments. One challenge is that we don’t have a lot of good resources on this subject that do this, so I pray that more honest looks at texts become more common.
If anyone wants to chat with me at this book, shoot me a call or text!
April 13, 2026
2026 reads: 13
Rating: 4 stars
This book is super accessible for what it is. As others have pointed out, Sprinkle doesn't progress the field/debate in any shape or form, but takes on an adjudicating role of some sorts. Some minor critiques up front: 1) I found the introduction to be naïve and disingenuous—despite his claims to the contrary. 2) Additionally his tone came across as flippant and casual at times, which, while it might help readers to not feel alienated from the complexity of the issues, came across as too self-centered; there was just too much focus on things being "fun" and "exciting," as if we were at an amusement park. Odd critique, I know. But whatever. 3) Sprinkle again and again asserts that his approach is exegetical but then always frames his conclusions through the complimentarian/egalitarian lens—it was a little confusing. Content wise, I thought Sprinkle was pretty consistent and fair with his hermeneutic. There are times where the debate is fraught by painstaking word-studies that I think can miss the woods for the tree. But that is the nature of these things. A key part of his argument, which is probably the most novel aspect of his contribution, is the framing of leadership. Sprinkle challenges the notion of coming to the texts with a modern, authoritarian, and highly-structured conception of leadership (think mega-churches). Instead, the consistent message of leadership in the NT is that of service and sacrifice. I appreciated this insight and thought it does move the conversation somewhat, or at least opens up other doors or windows of inquiry. In this light, the overwhelming picture of both the OT and NT is one where women are celebrated and held up as virtuous and in possession of their own agency—and yes—in matters of leading, instructing, teaching, and providing theological reflection. Sprinkle handles opposing views well, though I think there were a couple dots that weren't connected that could have been, as well as a deeper investigation into the logic of certain views. I believe it was Bobby Gilles who pointed out that women's "theological" words are actually inscripurated (Exod 15; 1 Sam 2; Judges 5; Luke 1)—possessing and exerting authority over men and women for all time. But I digress. Overall, this is a good resource to get into that blends exegesis, historical backgrounds, and biblical theology. It is measured and careful and hopefully folks engage it at the same level of text and context.
See also: Ingrid Faro, Redeeming Eden; Nijay Gupta, Tell Her Story; Beth Allison Barr, Becoming the Pastor's Wife ; and Sandra Glahn, Nobody's Mother.
Rating: 4 stars
This book is super accessible for what it is. As others have pointed out, Sprinkle doesn't progress the field/debate in any shape or form, but takes on an adjudicating role of some sorts. Some minor critiques up front: 1) I found the introduction to be naïve and disingenuous—despite his claims to the contrary. 2) Additionally his tone came across as flippant and casual at times, which, while it might help readers to not feel alienated from the complexity of the issues, came across as too self-centered; there was just too much focus on things being "fun" and "exciting," as if we were at an amusement park. Odd critique, I know. But whatever. 3) Sprinkle again and again asserts that his approach is exegetical but then always frames his conclusions through the complimentarian/egalitarian lens—it was a little confusing. Content wise, I thought Sprinkle was pretty consistent and fair with his hermeneutic. There are times where the debate is fraught by painstaking word-studies that I think can miss the woods for the tree. But that is the nature of these things. A key part of his argument, which is probably the most novel aspect of his contribution, is the framing of leadership. Sprinkle challenges the notion of coming to the texts with a modern, authoritarian, and highly-structured conception of leadership (think mega-churches). Instead, the consistent message of leadership in the NT is that of service and sacrifice. I appreciated this insight and thought it does move the conversation somewhat, or at least opens up other doors or windows of inquiry. In this light, the overwhelming picture of both the OT and NT is one where women are celebrated and held up as virtuous and in possession of their own agency—and yes—in matters of leading, instructing, teaching, and providing theological reflection. Sprinkle handles opposing views well, though I think there were a couple dots that weren't connected that could have been, as well as a deeper investigation into the logic of certain views. I believe it was Bobby Gilles who pointed out that women's "theological" words are actually inscripurated (Exod 15; 1 Sam 2; Judges 5; Luke 1)—possessing and exerting authority over men and women for all time. But I digress. Overall, this is a good resource to get into that blends exegesis, historical backgrounds, and biblical theology. It is measured and careful and hopefully folks engage it at the same level of text and context.
See also: Ingrid Faro, Redeeming Eden; Nijay Gupta, Tell Her Story; Beth Allison Barr, Becoming the Pastor's Wife ; and Sandra Glahn, Nobody's Mother.
March 5, 2026
In 2021, I went on a similar journey, wrestling with the question of women in church leadership—particularly the role of elders. I ended up reading more than twenty books on the topic, studying both sides in depth, and eventually wrote a short book for the church I lead, offering a biblical explanation for why I was no longer complementarian and had come to identify as a mutualist/egalitarian.
Preston Sprinkle’s From Genesis to Junia is an excellent contribution to this conversation. He carefully engages the major arguments on both sides and brings serious biblical scholarship while maintaining a posture of humility and grace, all while keeping the book highly readable. It’s clear he didn’t enter the debate needing one side to win, and that kind of intellectual honesty is refreshing.
Because of the honesty of his assessment and the depth of his biblical analysis, this will now be my go-to book for anyone who asks about this topic. Whether or not readers ultimately agree with his conclusions, the book models how Christians can wrestle carefully and respectfully with complex biblical questions. After reading a work like this, it becomes even harder to justify the kind of division that sometimes surrounds this issue in the church.
Preston Sprinkle’s From Genesis to Junia is an excellent contribution to this conversation. He carefully engages the major arguments on both sides and brings serious biblical scholarship while maintaining a posture of humility and grace, all while keeping the book highly readable. It’s clear he didn’t enter the debate needing one side to win, and that kind of intellectual honesty is refreshing.
Because of the honesty of his assessment and the depth of his biblical analysis, this will now be my go-to book for anyone who asks about this topic. Whether or not readers ultimately agree with his conclusions, the book models how Christians can wrestle carefully and respectfully with complex biblical questions. After reading a work like this, it becomes even harder to justify the kind of division that sometimes surrounds this issue in the church.
March 23, 2026
Idk what happened to my old review. Here's a short version.
TGC doesn't like something, my ears perk up.
Schreiner says Preston doesn't give us anything new, but also criticizes him for succumbing to contemporary culture and implores readers to adopt an old/historical/traditional view. What? Huh? That's weird, Tom.
Good job of bridging academia and the church. Technical yet accessible.
He definitely could've cited more complementarian scholarship. But it makes sense that he didn't. He also cited Kostenberger and Schreiners work three times during the appropriate section.
Preston worked hard on this book, whether or not you agree with him.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about this topic. I learned a lot reading this.
TGC doesn't like something, my ears perk up.
Schreiner says Preston doesn't give us anything new, but also criticizes him for succumbing to contemporary culture and implores readers to adopt an old/historical/traditional view. What? Huh? That's weird, Tom.
Good job of bridging academia and the church. Technical yet accessible.
He definitely could've cited more complementarian scholarship. But it makes sense that he didn't. He also cited Kostenberger and Schreiners work three times during the appropriate section.
Preston worked hard on this book, whether or not you agree with him.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about this topic. I learned a lot reading this.
April 21, 2026
I appreciated this book largely due to the authors approach. He comes to these very controversial and complex passages with openness and willingness to learn. While initially I felt some frustration at his continual lack of conclusion chapter after chapter, I grew to appreciate what he was doing, leaving things open to further thought until more context and passages had been studied through.
This book feels thorough and is easy to read and follow. The author is very intentional with looking at all sides of the controversy, looking at scripture, context, cultural context, and even other literature and texts from around the same time era to help understand words and their meaning better. This is all done at a very simplistic level as to not loose the average reader to heaps of information and language that is hard to understand. While written very simplistically it’s also very deep and intentional with wonderful thought provoking points along the way that he urges you to think and study through, and come to your own conclusion.
This book is not strong, pushy, or with underground currents of a hidden agenda. It feels as if it is written from a genuine heart that wants to understand and learn, as well as a humbleness to embrace whatever scripture might be saying and meaning. I deeply appreciated this book, and feel it’s a beneficial read for anyone settled, unsettled or simply curious on this matter.
This book feels thorough and is easy to read and follow. The author is very intentional with looking at all sides of the controversy, looking at scripture, context, cultural context, and even other literature and texts from around the same time era to help understand words and their meaning better. This is all done at a very simplistic level as to not loose the average reader to heaps of information and language that is hard to understand. While written very simplistically it’s also very deep and intentional with wonderful thought provoking points along the way that he urges you to think and study through, and come to your own conclusion.
This book is not strong, pushy, or with underground currents of a hidden agenda. It feels as if it is written from a genuine heart that wants to understand and learn, as well as a humbleness to embrace whatever scripture might be saying and meaning. I deeply appreciated this book, and feel it’s a beneficial read for anyone settled, unsettled or simply curious on this matter.
April 12, 2026
Pros:
-bridges the gap between the academy and the lay person better than most books
-clear and thoughtful
-traces the idea of women in leadership like a biblical theology, starting with Genesis and moving forward through the storyline of the Bible letting new parts be interpreted in light of old parts. Most books on women in leadership tha I’m familiar with don’t take this approach.
-exegesis of 1 Timothy 3 was particularly helpful
-great audiobook!
Cons
-it seemed like there was a conflation of the questions “Can women lead in the church?” and “Can women be pastors/elders and function as such?”. These are two very different questions with, I think, different answers. This is my main gripe.
-unimpressed with his treatment of Ephesians 5 and 1 Timothy 2 (his treatment of 1 Timothy 2 was thorough, just missed the mark imo).
-a point that doesn’t get developed much, but I think is part of my disagreement with Preston, is largely ecclesiological. He doesn’t see the NT as giving as clear structures for church leadership as I do. This seems to be an underlying difference that flies under the surface of many of these debates.
The difference between 3 and 4 ⭐️ feels like a lot, but while I really enjoyed the book, the first critique in my list of cons was too big to give 4 ⭐️. I would gladly recommend this book if someone wants a thoroughly biblical case for egalitarianism. Although I remain unconvinced by Preston, he has contributed thoughtfully and thoroughly to the conversation and I’m thankful for his work.
-bridges the gap between the academy and the lay person better than most books
-clear and thoughtful
-traces the idea of women in leadership like a biblical theology, starting with Genesis and moving forward through the storyline of the Bible letting new parts be interpreted in light of old parts. Most books on women in leadership tha I’m familiar with don’t take this approach.
-exegesis of 1 Timothy 3 was particularly helpful
-great audiobook!
Cons
-it seemed like there was a conflation of the questions “Can women lead in the church?” and “Can women be pastors/elders and function as such?”. These are two very different questions with, I think, different answers. This is my main gripe.
-unimpressed with his treatment of Ephesians 5 and 1 Timothy 2 (his treatment of 1 Timothy 2 was thorough, just missed the mark imo).
-a point that doesn’t get developed much, but I think is part of my disagreement with Preston, is largely ecclesiological. He doesn’t see the NT as giving as clear structures for church leadership as I do. This seems to be an underlying difference that flies under the surface of many of these debates.
The difference between 3 and 4 ⭐️ feels like a lot, but while I really enjoyed the book, the first critique in my list of cons was too big to give 4 ⭐️. I would gladly recommend this book if someone wants a thoroughly biblical case for egalitarianism. Although I remain unconvinced by Preston, he has contributed thoughtfully and thoroughly to the conversation and I’m thankful for his work.
Read
April 21, 2026I have come to respect Preston Sprinkle and his research over the past few years, so I was eager to hear his research on this topic. Some of it went a bit over my head. But, as he references in the book, he did make it manageable and understandable for those of us without PhDs...or theology degrees.
This is a very tender topic for me right now and so the conclusion had me crying. Sprinkle confirmed and expounded on many things that I had been coming to believe through my own growing understanding of God and the Bible's portrayal of women. He did it with research to back himself. Thank you, Preston.
Side note: I enjoyed the humor that also came through occasionally. 😁
This is a very tender topic for me right now and so the conclusion had me crying. Sprinkle confirmed and expounded on many things that I had been coming to believe through my own growing understanding of God and the Bible's portrayal of women. He did it with research to back himself. Thank you, Preston.
Side note: I enjoyed the humor that also came through occasionally. 😁
March 7, 2026
Preston Sprinkle began his research into this topic as someone who did not believe in women in church leadership. I appreciate that level of intellectual humility. I've been (skeptically) interested to see where his research would lead him, listening to many of his interviews with scholars (including female scholars I deeply respect). So I've been waiting for this book!
Concerning whether we need men to write about women in leadership: As a woman in theological/ministry spaces, it’s exhausting having to use up so much of my energy defending my place. So while I believe we need to give more attention to the women who have done deep work in this area, I don’t think women should be doing it alone. Additionally, I think that saying only women can talk about the topic of women in church leadership can be another way we pigeonhole the genders. For some people, a book like this is what they need before they will be open to reading the work of more knowledgeable women.
I read a physical copy while listening to the audiobook. I enjoyed that the audiobook included Sprinkle’s additional reflections after each chapter.
Though he cites many scholars in his footnotes, I wish he included a “recommended reading” list, especially in light of the people (especially women) who’ve dedicated many more years researching this topic.
Who I would recommend this book to:
- Complementarians who grew up in spaces where women were forbidden to have leadership in the church and who would probably not read a book on this topic written by a woman (or, at least, not at first)
- People who have already read multiple books on this topic and would like to read one more from a different angle, especially if you want exposure to more arguments from both sides of the debate
- People interested in seeing the thought process of someone who has changed their mind
Who I would NOT recommend this book to:
- People who are currently feeling pain from patriarchal spaces/systems (This book would only frustrate you!)
- People who want to read a book where you’ll agree 100% with everything in it
Concerning whether we need men to write about women in leadership: As a woman in theological/ministry spaces, it’s exhausting having to use up so much of my energy defending my place. So while I believe we need to give more attention to the women who have done deep work in this area, I don’t think women should be doing it alone. Additionally, I think that saying only women can talk about the topic of women in church leadership can be another way we pigeonhole the genders. For some people, a book like this is what they need before they will be open to reading the work of more knowledgeable women.
I read a physical copy while listening to the audiobook. I enjoyed that the audiobook included Sprinkle’s additional reflections after each chapter.
Though he cites many scholars in his footnotes, I wish he included a “recommended reading” list, especially in light of the people (especially women) who’ve dedicated many more years researching this topic.
Who I would recommend this book to:
- Complementarians who grew up in spaces where women were forbidden to have leadership in the church and who would probably not read a book on this topic written by a woman (or, at least, not at first)
- People who have already read multiple books on this topic and would like to read one more from a different angle, especially if you want exposure to more arguments from both sides of the debate
- People interested in seeing the thought process of someone who has changed their mind
Who I would NOT recommend this book to:
- People who are currently feeling pain from patriarchal spaces/systems (This book would only frustrate you!)
- People who want to read a book where you’ll agree 100% with everything in it
February 28, 2026
Well researched and well written. This is probably the best book I’ve read on the texts of Scripture that concern women in church leadership. Wherever you land on the subject, whether you agree or disagree with Preston’s conclusions, this is a worthwhile read. I appreciate Preston’s charitable tone as he agrees and disagrees with scholars on both sides.
March 14, 2026
ARC: Preston writes clearly and in an accessible tone. He wades through nuance thoughtfully and argues with a ton of compassion for those who disagree. His conclusions are compelling and consistent. This book is a gift to the church I would highly recommend for anyone wrestling with the interpretation of Scripture on this issue.
My biggest issue is that it feels like he trimmed out a lot of his research, which I know was necessary to make the book accessible, but I’m the kind of person who wants you to hold my hand through some things a little more. He definitely does this better in the second half of the book on the passages that are most important though, so it really is just more of a preference thing. Make sure you read his free online essays referenced a couple times in the footnotes though, since those give a ton of good meat to his argument!
My biggest issue is that it feels like he trimmed out a lot of his research, which I know was necessary to make the book accessible, but I’m the kind of person who wants you to hold my hand through some things a little more. He definitely does this better in the second half of the book on the passages that are most important though, so it really is just more of a preference thing. Make sure you read his free online essays referenced a couple times in the footnotes though, since those give a ton of good meat to his argument!
April 17, 2026
“The church is a family and we need both fathers and mothers.”
Loved this thoughtful, humble look at this issue. This book is a great starting point for anyone who hasn’t read up on all the scholarship regarding women in ministry. Preston engages with the best of both complementarian and egalitarian work and comes to a position he holds with an open hand. A great model for how to approach a complex biblical question even if you don’t come to the same conclusions. I’m still chewing on his ultimate end point but he offers some of the best biblical evidence for his position I have yet to read.
Loved this thoughtful, humble look at this issue. This book is a great starting point for anyone who hasn’t read up on all the scholarship regarding women in ministry. Preston engages with the best of both complementarian and egalitarian work and comes to a position he holds with an open hand. A great model for how to approach a complex biblical question even if you don’t come to the same conclusions. I’m still chewing on his ultimate end point but he offers some of the best biblical evidence for his position I have yet to read.
April 22, 2026
As a fan of Preston’s podcast, I was excited to read this book because I like the range he has and his openness to new ideas!
Personally, I found this book uninteresting and not super helpful. I think the most helpful chapters were the ones on female leaders in the New Testament, and the final chapter on 1 Timothy. I especially was interested in the background of Junia because I haven’t heard much about her before.
I would say his book didn’t sway me one way or another I still am uncertain! But I would like to go back through and read some of these arguments more thoroughly side by side with the scripture.
Personally, I found this book uninteresting and not super helpful. I think the most helpful chapters were the ones on female leaders in the New Testament, and the final chapter on 1 Timothy. I especially was interested in the background of Junia because I haven’t heard much about her before.
I would say his book didn’t sway me one way or another I still am uncertain! But I would like to go back through and read some of these arguments more thoroughly side by side with the scripture.
March 16, 2026
No matter one's predispositions (or conclusions), this is a great read that should help us interpret scripture with humility. As Sandra Glahn said of it: "[readers will] find themselves drawn afresh to the humble Christ and grateful for the conversation."
What else can we ask for?
What else can we ask for?
February 26, 2026
I was happy to receive an advanced copy of this book as I have been curious about his ultimate conclusion for several years. As with all the Preston Sprinkle books I’ve read, I appreciate the tone and humility of his writing. He does not attempt to tear people down but rather seeks to understand and be thorough in his study. Preston does a good job of being both scholarly and accessible to lay people.
The topic is complex and involves only a handful of passages with rarely used words. Therefore even well-studied conclusions rely on a good amount of speculation. I was hoping that Preston would offer a middle ground or some qualifications on his conclusion but instead he joins one existing camp. I do appreciate that even in his conclusion, he offers grace to those that disagree and acknowledges the limitations of his study.
Preston also references two word studies that he already released on his blog. Rather than including the entire studies, he provides a link to read the blog posts and explains in the acknowledgements that this was done in the interest of making the book shorter and more accessible to lay people. I would have liked to see these included in appendices, however, so that I could have easily referenced them or glanced through quickly.
All in all, this is a good read that I will recommend to those trying to get their feet wet in the conversation about women in church leadership.
The topic is complex and involves only a handful of passages with rarely used words. Therefore even well-studied conclusions rely on a good amount of speculation. I was hoping that Preston would offer a middle ground or some qualifications on his conclusion but instead he joins one existing camp. I do appreciate that even in his conclusion, he offers grace to those that disagree and acknowledges the limitations of his study.
Preston also references two word studies that he already released on his blog. Rather than including the entire studies, he provides a link to read the blog posts and explains in the acknowledgements that this was done in the interest of making the book shorter and more accessible to lay people. I would have liked to see these included in appendices, however, so that I could have easily referenced them or glanced through quickly.
All in all, this is a good read that I will recommend to those trying to get their feet wet in the conversation about women in church leadership.
April 9, 2026
As someone who has been wrestling with understanding the biblical view of women, this book hugely interested me. I’ve found myself repelled from reading the longer works of those who are firmly in their camps of complementarian or egalitarian, since there seems to be a lot of reactionism in these groups (I have read longer articles written on both sides, but no books). But upon hearing about this book, I hoped it could be more balanced. And it was.
I listened to the audio version, which has some huge pros and also some big cons. In the audio version (possibly also in the physical book, idk), Sprinkle spends a few minutes recapping each chapter and the experience of researching, writing, and editing it—giving unique insight into his goals for this chapter and his approach for writing it how he did. These were super conversational and helped the otherwise dense and sometimes hard-to-follow exegesis make more sense in context.
I didn’t like that I listened to it, though, because I wasn’t able to easily reference the passages he was talking about and compare, to “check” his conclusions. Also, the conversational tone of the recaps sections did throw me off somewhat, because he didn’t sound very credible with the casual use of phrases like “you know” and “umm”. I brushed these by, but I still think they dent his credibility amongst a larger scholarly audience.
Onto the book itself…Sprinkle opens the book by explaining that he is on a journey to learn what the Bible actually indicates about women in church leadership. As opposed to starting with his conclusion and explaining how he gets there, he takes the reader along to learn with him. I liked this.
I liked that he regularly sought to ground his arguments in exegesis of the texts, based in context and in consideration of the main scholarly debates. I did have to “take his word” on a lot of the framing of the arguments because I am not deeply-researched in these fields myself. However, most arguments around the key passages were basically familiar to me, and I felt his engagement provided more detail and context. I think his arguments were generally reasonable and strong, if not always simple to arrive at.
I think his arguments were decently complex and thorough, although I would want to annotate and read again to really analyze it. Although I align with the Reformed camp in many areas, I don’t have issues with accepting an egalitarian view based on many of the points Sprinkle makes.
He deals with women leaders in the OT, roundly explores creation and curses in Genesis, dives into the tricky NT passages, and examines examples of women named and described in the NT. I do remain somewhat skeptical of the idea that Paul often if not always repeats/responds to the culture around him in the tricky passages that seem to have a face-value meaning that restricts women’s activities. I think these interpretive options are enlightening and shouldn’t be ignored, but they also feel less stable given how similar they are to arguments sometimes made that Paul doesn’t actually condemn homosexuality. Sprinkle addresses this potential objection at the end and explains that scripture has a clear, exclusive sanctioning of heterosexuality within marriage that is much more firm than this topic of women’s roles, and he states that he uses the same exegetical approach in his other work on that topic. I would have to read more to see if I agree.
Anyways, I liked the tone and approach of the book. I think I largely agree with his conclusions, but I also don’t hold fast to such opinions as I do to the Trinity and salvation by grace through faith alone.
I listened to the audio version, which has some huge pros and also some big cons. In the audio version (possibly also in the physical book, idk), Sprinkle spends a few minutes recapping each chapter and the experience of researching, writing, and editing it—giving unique insight into his goals for this chapter and his approach for writing it how he did. These were super conversational and helped the otherwise dense and sometimes hard-to-follow exegesis make more sense in context.
I didn’t like that I listened to it, though, because I wasn’t able to easily reference the passages he was talking about and compare, to “check” his conclusions. Also, the conversational tone of the recaps sections did throw me off somewhat, because he didn’t sound very credible with the casual use of phrases like “you know” and “umm”. I brushed these by, but I still think they dent his credibility amongst a larger scholarly audience.
Onto the book itself…Sprinkle opens the book by explaining that he is on a journey to learn what the Bible actually indicates about women in church leadership. As opposed to starting with his conclusion and explaining how he gets there, he takes the reader along to learn with him. I liked this.
I liked that he regularly sought to ground his arguments in exegesis of the texts, based in context and in consideration of the main scholarly debates. I did have to “take his word” on a lot of the framing of the arguments because I am not deeply-researched in these fields myself. However, most arguments around the key passages were basically familiar to me, and I felt his engagement provided more detail and context. I think his arguments were generally reasonable and strong, if not always simple to arrive at.
I think his arguments were decently complex and thorough, although I would want to annotate and read again to really analyze it. Although I align with the Reformed camp in many areas, I don’t have issues with accepting an egalitarian view based on many of the points Sprinkle makes.
He deals with women leaders in the OT, roundly explores creation and curses in Genesis, dives into the tricky NT passages, and examines examples of women named and described in the NT. I do remain somewhat skeptical of the idea that Paul often if not always repeats/responds to the culture around him in the tricky passages that seem to have a face-value meaning that restricts women’s activities. I think these interpretive options are enlightening and shouldn’t be ignored, but they also feel less stable given how similar they are to arguments sometimes made that Paul doesn’t actually condemn homosexuality. Sprinkle addresses this potential objection at the end and explains that scripture has a clear, exclusive sanctioning of heterosexuality within marriage that is much more firm than this topic of women’s roles, and he states that he uses the same exegetical approach in his other work on that topic. I would have to read more to see if I agree.
Anyways, I liked the tone and approach of the book. I think I largely agree with his conclusions, but I also don’t hold fast to such opinions as I do to the Trinity and salvation by grace through faith alone.
March 14, 2026
The best book on women in ministry I've come across yet. To be clear, this is not the deepest, most thorough, or even most convincing book on women in ministry out there—its strengths are more subtle than such claims.
Even-handed, theologically humble, and far from triumphalist, this book acts as a sort of chronicle of Dr. Sprinkle's journey through the relevant texts of Scripture. If I had to identify the primary strengths of this work, I would focus on these two qualities:
1) The author is very familiar with complementarian instincts. Overall, egalitarians seem woefully ignorant of the "red-flags" that go up in many a complementarian's mind when someone insists "that verse doesn't say what you think it does" or "that may be a scribal addition" (the complementarian hears, did God really say?). Thus, egalitarians often trip alarm bells in their audience without even knowing the minefield they're walking through. This book largely avoids such blunders, allowing the reader (wherever they fall on this issue) to simply engage with Scripture and the arguments honestly.
2) The author rightly identifies the core arguments for each position, pointing out when oft-discussed topics/passages/arguments are indeterminate and thus, less significant than others. In my experience, proponents of both sides tend to be noodle-slingers, throwing out any piece of information or theory that might stick to the wall. Thus, the hyper specifics of the debate (e.g., noodles) are treated as vastly more important than they truly are. Consider, for example, a complementarian's argument from a male-only priesthood in the OT or the egalitarian's argument from the word authentein in 1 Tim. 2:12. What Dr. Sprinkle identifies is that neither position falls or stands on these points! Throughout the book, he agrees with interpretations from both sides of the debate, but then (most importantly) contextualizes whether that interpretation is core to the argument. Too often, critics from both sides act as if they've kicked the legs out from under the other position, not realizing what they've done is only dismissed a secondary or tertiary support rather than addressing the crux of the matter.
Personal Note/Testimony: I listened to Mike Winger's behemoth of a series two years ago. As a lifelong complementarian, I finished the series utterly convinced of my original position. I had journeyed with Mike through all the data and concluded, just as he had, that egalitarianism had NO ground to stand upon; their arguments were weak and easily dismissed once closely evaluated. Yet two years later, I'm firmly convinced of the opposite; yes, I'm egalitarian now. How? Because Mike's approach was fundamentally flawed, I believe. It is my opinion that Mike unintentionally mishandled the topic. By addressing each and every noodle (shred of information), Mike lost the plot, missing the forest for the trees. By spending 6 hours on authentein, Mike never stopped to ask, does egalitarianism stand or fall on this? My journey away from complementarianism began with a simple questioning of both Mike's and my assumption that any differences located in Genesis 2 between Adam and Eve must reflect a difference in their natures or roles. But after reading Genesis 2 over and over and over and over again, I've been convinced otherwise. I believe the author of Genesis shows differences between Adam and Eve, not to draw attention to their inequality, but precisely the opposite—to highlight their sameness (e.g., something was wrong: "It is not good that the man should be alone" [vs. 18], hence why God brings the animals to Adam [to show him none were like him], hence why God created Eve from him [to show she is of the exact same substance as Adam], hence why Adam cried out in joy, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" [vs. 23], hence why Adam and Eve are considered "one flesh" [vs. 24]). I'm convinced an ANE audience would be struck by the sameness of Adam and Eve here, not entrenched further in their lower view of women. In my journey, this was the first stone to fall, the first interpretation I realized was only assumed and not concluded. As I began to see such a reading was possible, I decided to embark on my own journey to steel-man a Mere Egalitarian argument, one that does not rely upon the Cult of Artemis or the word authentein. And two years later, I'm convinced.
All in all, this was a good book. I may reread it again to ensure it was as good as I thought. For now, however, it is this humble reviewer's opinion that Dr. Sprinkle accomplished what brother Mike only attempted. I beseech you to give it a try.
5/5 Stars
Even-handed, theologically humble, and far from triumphalist, this book acts as a sort of chronicle of Dr. Sprinkle's journey through the relevant texts of Scripture. If I had to identify the primary strengths of this work, I would focus on these two qualities:
1) The author is very familiar with complementarian instincts. Overall, egalitarians seem woefully ignorant of the "red-flags" that go up in many a complementarian's mind when someone insists "that verse doesn't say what you think it does" or "that may be a scribal addition" (the complementarian hears, did God really say?). Thus, egalitarians often trip alarm bells in their audience without even knowing the minefield they're walking through. This book largely avoids such blunders, allowing the reader (wherever they fall on this issue) to simply engage with Scripture and the arguments honestly.
2) The author rightly identifies the core arguments for each position, pointing out when oft-discussed topics/passages/arguments are indeterminate and thus, less significant than others. In my experience, proponents of both sides tend to be noodle-slingers, throwing out any piece of information or theory that might stick to the wall. Thus, the hyper specifics of the debate (e.g., noodles) are treated as vastly more important than they truly are. Consider, for example, a complementarian's argument from a male-only priesthood in the OT or the egalitarian's argument from the word authentein in 1 Tim. 2:12. What Dr. Sprinkle identifies is that neither position falls or stands on these points! Throughout the book, he agrees with interpretations from both sides of the debate, but then (most importantly) contextualizes whether that interpretation is core to the argument. Too often, critics from both sides act as if they've kicked the legs out from under the other position, not realizing what they've done is only dismissed a secondary or tertiary support rather than addressing the crux of the matter.
Personal Note/Testimony: I listened to Mike Winger's behemoth of a series two years ago. As a lifelong complementarian, I finished the series utterly convinced of my original position. I had journeyed with Mike through all the data and concluded, just as he had, that egalitarianism had NO ground to stand upon; their arguments were weak and easily dismissed once closely evaluated. Yet two years later, I'm firmly convinced of the opposite; yes, I'm egalitarian now. How? Because Mike's approach was fundamentally flawed, I believe. It is my opinion that Mike unintentionally mishandled the topic. By addressing each and every noodle (shred of information), Mike lost the plot, missing the forest for the trees. By spending 6 hours on authentein, Mike never stopped to ask, does egalitarianism stand or fall on this? My journey away from complementarianism began with a simple questioning of both Mike's and my assumption that any differences located in Genesis 2 between Adam and Eve must reflect a difference in their natures or roles. But after reading Genesis 2 over and over and over and over again, I've been convinced otherwise. I believe the author of Genesis shows differences between Adam and Eve, not to draw attention to their inequality, but precisely the opposite—to highlight their sameness (e.g., something was wrong: "It is not good that the man should be alone" [vs. 18], hence why God brings the animals to Adam [to show him none were like him], hence why God created Eve from him [to show she is of the exact same substance as Adam], hence why Adam cried out in joy, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" [vs. 23], hence why Adam and Eve are considered "one flesh" [vs. 24]). I'm convinced an ANE audience would be struck by the sameness of Adam and Eve here, not entrenched further in their lower view of women. In my journey, this was the first stone to fall, the first interpretation I realized was only assumed and not concluded. As I began to see such a reading was possible, I decided to embark on my own journey to steel-man a Mere Egalitarian argument, one that does not rely upon the Cult of Artemis or the word authentein. And two years later, I'm convinced.
All in all, this was a good book. I may reread it again to ensure it was as good as I thought. For now, however, it is this humble reviewer's opinion that Dr. Sprinkle accomplished what brother Mike only attempted. I beseech you to give it a try.
5/5 Stars
March 25, 2026
Listened to the audiobook version, which was convenient for driving and cool to have the added reflections from Preston at the end of each chapter. That said, this really deserves a thorough reading in print to piece together all the nuances of the more scholarly chapters, so I might have to give it a re-read.
This book is a journey-in-thought as Preston traverses the scholarship to figure out his own position. He starts as neutral as one could hope, and, while ending firmly to one side, is still completely open to new research shifting his position. That level of academic honesty is commendable and helps me to actually trust his research.
Preston starts in Genesis and then surveys the OT and NT for all instances where women exercise some form of leadership/authority and other texts that defend/defeat women using these positions. Both OT and NT display examples of women holding high authority positions (like prophet, apostle, deacon, judge), being the foil to the failure of men in the same positions, and acting as the paradigm for how leadership should look. Further, all the defeater proof-texts against women in leadership turn out to be extremely contextual and would give you a confused, contradicting Paul if read strongly complementarian. Ultimately, the evidence suggests that women held authority in the early church, are not barred from leadership/authority outside of contextual instances, and even end up being the paradigms of what leadership should look like under the New Covenant.
He also addresses all the “what-abouts” that are typical: the 12 being male, male priesthood, masculine attributions in Paul’s leadership quality list, hyper-liberal slippery slope argument, difficulty in translating certain authority Greek terms, male “headship,” etc. No stone is left unturned.
I started the book as a soft complimentarian (or soft egalitarian, depending on which way you look at it), but ended up squarely in the egalitarian camp. There simply is not a strong biblical case for barring women from authoritative positions in the church. Paul and the earliest church would simply have not understood the Kingdom in this way. Paul is in fact painfully trying to get across that men should be men and women should be women, but those categories aren’t barring under the New Covenant. There is no longer male or female…
This book is a journey-in-thought as Preston traverses the scholarship to figure out his own position. He starts as neutral as one could hope, and, while ending firmly to one side, is still completely open to new research shifting his position. That level of academic honesty is commendable and helps me to actually trust his research.
Preston starts in Genesis and then surveys the OT and NT for all instances where women exercise some form of leadership/authority and other texts that defend/defeat women using these positions. Both OT and NT display examples of women holding high authority positions (like prophet, apostle, deacon, judge), being the foil to the failure of men in the same positions, and acting as the paradigm for how leadership should look. Further, all the defeater proof-texts against women in leadership turn out to be extremely contextual and would give you a confused, contradicting Paul if read strongly complementarian. Ultimately, the evidence suggests that women held authority in the early church, are not barred from leadership/authority outside of contextual instances, and even end up being the paradigms of what leadership should look like under the New Covenant.
He also addresses all the “what-abouts” that are typical: the 12 being male, male priesthood, masculine attributions in Paul’s leadership quality list, hyper-liberal slippery slope argument, difficulty in translating certain authority Greek terms, male “headship,” etc. No stone is left unturned.
I started the book as a soft complimentarian (or soft egalitarian, depending on which way you look at it), but ended up squarely in the egalitarian camp. There simply is not a strong biblical case for barring women from authoritative positions in the church. Paul and the earliest church would simply have not understood the Kingdom in this way. Paul is in fact painfully trying to get across that men should be men and women should be women, but those categories aren’t barring under the New Covenant. There is no longer male or female…
May 11, 2026
This book was very well written and a lot of time was spent researching and collecting the various arguments used in both defense and opposition to the proposal of female leadership roles in the church .
Wether you end up agreeing with his conclusion or not, you can't say that Preston is "just ignoring clear scripture" .
Wether you end up agreeing with his conclusion or not, you can't say that Preston is "just ignoring clear scripture" .
March 21, 2026
If you're on the fence with this debate, and genuinely curious about the text, Preston's latest book will likely be enough to push you over to the other side. It's exegetically sound, readable, and academically rigorous. I appreciated his thoroughness especially with notoriously tough passages.
January 5, 2026
Advanced Copy! An intellectually honest, accessible, and deeply thorough examination of the biblical theology surrounding women in church leadership. Sprinkle is one of my favorite scholars because of the way he navigates controversial topics with nuance, confidence, clarity, and intellectual integrity. We need this type of book for so many issues the church has been debating and talking past one another about. If you want to take a big step towards understanding what the Bible says about the egalitarian complimentarian divide, read this book!
January 4, 2026
Thankful for the advance copy of this book!
Dr. Preston Sprinkle has finally finished his long awaited study on the question of women in church leadership. I kept myself from peeking at the final section where he “lands the plane” and clearly articulates his own position, but as I neared the end of the book, I had a sense of where he was headed. I deeply appreciated the confidence with which he presented his conclusion. I was inspired by his clarity.
Sprinkle carries the reader through thorough scholarship and exegesis, and footnotes every question, doubt, and additional opposing viewpoint. He’s fair and charitable, but also firm. He challenges problematic interpretations on both sides of the debate and doesn’t settle with easy answers. ‘From Genesis to Junia’ is not only exceptionally researched, but accessible and readable. You’ll definitely want to pick up a copy for yourself and your church!
Dr. Preston Sprinkle has finally finished his long awaited study on the question of women in church leadership. I kept myself from peeking at the final section where he “lands the plane” and clearly articulates his own position, but as I neared the end of the book, I had a sense of where he was headed. I deeply appreciated the confidence with which he presented his conclusion. I was inspired by his clarity.
Sprinkle carries the reader through thorough scholarship and exegesis, and footnotes every question, doubt, and additional opposing viewpoint. He’s fair and charitable, but also firm. He challenges problematic interpretations on both sides of the debate and doesn’t settle with easy answers. ‘From Genesis to Junia’ is not only exceptionally researched, but accessible and readable. You’ll definitely want to pick up a copy for yourself and your church!
January 23, 2026
Incredibly readable for such a dense and complex topic. It takes a lot of skills to condense years of research and skilled argument into such a compact book. I’m looking forward to a re-read when I get the paper copy.
April 16, 2026
This is a truly excellent book.
Preston Sprinkle dives into the deeply controversial topic of the role of women in church leadership. He does so with evident humility and grace. Whatever your ultimate conclusion is on this book, I do not think that his attitude and heart can be questioned.
The book is written in a style that makes the deeply complex and academic content accessible to the everyday reader (me!). I am extremely impressed by his ability to be accessible without being condescending, which is a line many scholars (biblical and secular) struggle to walk.
I also think it is important to applaud the author's exegetical skill and integrity. His change in heart has clearly come about by way of thorough and disciplined exegesis. There is a tendency amongst the more reformed sectors of the global Church to belittle anyone who does not take a literal understanding of the modern English translations of the scripture as engaging in isogesis. This, however, fundamentally misunderstands what exogesis entails - which is to start from the text itself and use that to establish a meaning and understanding. That is exaclty what Preston does, he dives deeply into the original texts and the various ways of itnerpreting key words, and he does this skillfully and graciously.
Now, while I found the majority of this book extremely compelling. I probably remain unconvinced by his reasoning around 1 Timothy 2 and 3. To be fair to Preston, these are the passages he found the most challenging to contend with, and he was very open about that. I think he is 95% there, but undervalues the potential significance of Paul using 'authentein' on purpose to indicate that there is something different about this relationship in a specific context. That is, Preston makes it clear that the use of the word is extremely significant - but that it indicates a criticism of a negative type of authority. This has a lot of merit, but I wonder if there isn't a simpler explanation - that Paul chose it because he was indicating that within the specific context of decisive doctrinal authority there is a unique type of authority carved out. I concede that if it is used fully in the negative sense, then Preston almost certainly has to be right in his ultimate conclusion. But I am not convinced it is intended to be negative, and in the context I suspect it suggests a highlighting of the uniqueness of the authority to be exercised (again though, I know little on this subject - I am just reacting with my first instincts here).
I also had concerns about his treatment on the opening verses of 1 Timothy 3. I think the soft-complementarian view is aided, not defeated, by the context of Artemis worship. Surely, if Paul is paying such close attention to the Artemis context in Ephasus (as Preston, I think rightly, argues that he does) he would equally be doing so when setting out the qualification for elders in 1 Timothy 3?
I am no biblical scholar, and I have yet to read the critiques and responses to those critiques which have already been published - I am sure the author would have no difficulty refuting my concerns, yet they remain... for the timebeing. I probably continue to fall into the "soft-complementarian" camp, but I am deeply moved by this book and pray that I remain fully open to whatever God's true design for church leadership is.
All of that said, this book is a phenomenal addition to the modern Church's discussion of this topic. If nothing else, it should serve as a devastating rebuke of the growing patriarchal and fundamentalist movements that belittle and degrade the role of women in faith, family, and the broader community. One thing is abundantly clear - the entire scriptures scream the value, prominence, and necessity of women to the global Church. Jesus' ministry and message, and the ministry and message of His Apostles affirms and celebrates the fundamental, individual dignity of women in a way that is absolutely at odds with the way that many in the neo-patriarchial and fundamentalist movements operate.
EDIT:
P.S I also wonder what his response would be to arguments from Church history? I realise this isn't an exegetical argument, but I think one that really has to be contended with in any serious work on this topic. Church history, from very early on, offers very little indication (if any, really) of women occupying those doctrine-deciding/authoritative roles within the Church.
P.P.S Another concern I had was that I think Preston brushes over the distinctions in leadership in the Church. He rightly identifies that the first century Church did not look like most modern churches in hierarchy and structure. However, he doesn't detail what the distinctions that existed were (and there certainly were some), and how this could impact his interpretation. I think it is manifestly evident that there are women leaders in the early church (and throughout scripture) - but I am not convinced that this leadership extends to every sphere of the Church.
Preston Sprinkle dives into the deeply controversial topic of the role of women in church leadership. He does so with evident humility and grace. Whatever your ultimate conclusion is on this book, I do not think that his attitude and heart can be questioned.
The book is written in a style that makes the deeply complex and academic content accessible to the everyday reader (me!). I am extremely impressed by his ability to be accessible without being condescending, which is a line many scholars (biblical and secular) struggle to walk.
I also think it is important to applaud the author's exegetical skill and integrity. His change in heart has clearly come about by way of thorough and disciplined exegesis. There is a tendency amongst the more reformed sectors of the global Church to belittle anyone who does not take a literal understanding of the modern English translations of the scripture as engaging in isogesis. This, however, fundamentally misunderstands what exogesis entails - which is to start from the text itself and use that to establish a meaning and understanding. That is exaclty what Preston does, he dives deeply into the original texts and the various ways of itnerpreting key words, and he does this skillfully and graciously.
Now, while I found the majority of this book extremely compelling. I probably remain unconvinced by his reasoning around 1 Timothy 2 and 3. To be fair to Preston, these are the passages he found the most challenging to contend with, and he was very open about that. I think he is 95% there, but undervalues the potential significance of Paul using 'authentein' on purpose to indicate that there is something different about this relationship in a specific context. That is, Preston makes it clear that the use of the word is extremely significant - but that it indicates a criticism of a negative type of authority. This has a lot of merit, but I wonder if there isn't a simpler explanation - that Paul chose it because he was indicating that within the specific context of decisive doctrinal authority there is a unique type of authority carved out. I concede that if it is used fully in the negative sense, then Preston almost certainly has to be right in his ultimate conclusion. But I am not convinced it is intended to be negative, and in the context I suspect it suggests a highlighting of the uniqueness of the authority to be exercised (again though, I know little on this subject - I am just reacting with my first instincts here).
I also had concerns about his treatment on the opening verses of 1 Timothy 3. I think the soft-complementarian view is aided, not defeated, by the context of Artemis worship. Surely, if Paul is paying such close attention to the Artemis context in Ephasus (as Preston, I think rightly, argues that he does) he would equally be doing so when setting out the qualification for elders in 1 Timothy 3?
I am no biblical scholar, and I have yet to read the critiques and responses to those critiques which have already been published - I am sure the author would have no difficulty refuting my concerns, yet they remain... for the timebeing. I probably continue to fall into the "soft-complementarian" camp, but I am deeply moved by this book and pray that I remain fully open to whatever God's true design for church leadership is.
All of that said, this book is a phenomenal addition to the modern Church's discussion of this topic. If nothing else, it should serve as a devastating rebuke of the growing patriarchal and fundamentalist movements that belittle and degrade the role of women in faith, family, and the broader community. One thing is abundantly clear - the entire scriptures scream the value, prominence, and necessity of women to the global Church. Jesus' ministry and message, and the ministry and message of His Apostles affirms and celebrates the fundamental, individual dignity of women in a way that is absolutely at odds with the way that many in the neo-patriarchial and fundamentalist movements operate.
EDIT:
P.S I also wonder what his response would be to arguments from Church history? I realise this isn't an exegetical argument, but I think one that really has to be contended with in any serious work on this topic. Church history, from very early on, offers very little indication (if any, really) of women occupying those doctrine-deciding/authoritative roles within the Church.
P.P.S Another concern I had was that I think Preston brushes over the distinctions in leadership in the Church. He rightly identifies that the first century Church did not look like most modern churches in hierarchy and structure. However, he doesn't detail what the distinctions that existed were (and there certainly were some), and how this could impact his interpretation. I think it is manifestly evident that there are women leaders in the early church (and throughout scripture) - but I am not convinced that this leadership extends to every sphere of the Church.
March 15, 2026
I’m going to put my rating in two different camps. 5 stars for style of writing, attitude towards topic, and humility towards the end (Preston makes it abundantly clear in the end that he is very open handed towards changing his view because of the complexity of this topic). 3.5 stars for methodology - and those who agree with where he lands in this book hear me out -
As a complimentarian reading this book there were too many times he connected dots that didn’t seem connected to me. I can tell he has done research and I do believe in him having integrity in his work, but he needed to do more math for me on why A + B = C. I know he kept saying he had to keep this shorter, but I kept wishing there was more. I wasn’t persuaded in his arguments for the most crucial passages & I think this had to do with I didn’t agree with a large portion of his methodology that was the starting ground for his argument to be built on. Much of his argument was built on a foundation I wasn’t compelled by - definition of leadership. Not that I disagree with what Jesus has to say about leadership, but I believe there is a difference between general leadership and church office/governance. On a topic like this I kept expecting for him to turn the corner and devote a chapter to the difference between an office authority in the church and general leadership. & it never happened. As someone who listened to the audiobook, on the chapter over Romans 16 addressing Phoebe as a deacon he made the comment, on his reflection writing the chapter, that many scholars don’t find the office of diaconate a literal office. Comments continued to be made about how our current church structures do not necessarily reflect home churches or isn’t what Paul had it mind with little reflection on explaining why this is so. I’m aware that the early house churches do not look like today, obviously due to Christianity was beginning and now as widespread throughout the world as it is now. But if he disagree with the concept of current church leadership/authority structures, I thought there needed to be a chapter addressing what the Bible and even early church believed about church offices and structure, because it does influence much of this conversation. Either way, I wasn’t necessarily persuaded by his views on the word for authority. Mostly because I don’t agree that authority and servant leadership are necessarily pitted against each other. and was kinda surprised that 1 Timothy Chapter 3 has only 10 minutes in the audio book discussing it and no discussion on the later passage on the diaconate which I was waiting for. This may be a niche view that I take and to be honest I’m only writing this review for my own personal notes to jog my memory if I pull this book back out one day.
Regardless of landing in a different place than he does I deeply appreciated the type of work this is (I’ve enjoyed all his books similar in style from People to be Loved, Engendered, and now Genesis to Junia). I think more people need to write books like this and I appreciate his integrity to continue to say there is credit to the complimentarian view and he could change his mind and write another book if he does. I appreciated his last chapter a whole lot in even explaining how he still holds previous views from his other books and explains why he lands in the place he does and how and it doesn’t impact his views on the beautiful differences between men and women. I know he said his editors wanted to take it out, but I’m glad he kept it in. I learned a lot!
As a complimentarian reading this book there were too many times he connected dots that didn’t seem connected to me. I can tell he has done research and I do believe in him having integrity in his work, but he needed to do more math for me on why A + B = C. I know he kept saying he had to keep this shorter, but I kept wishing there was more. I wasn’t persuaded in his arguments for the most crucial passages & I think this had to do with I didn’t agree with a large portion of his methodology that was the starting ground for his argument to be built on. Much of his argument was built on a foundation I wasn’t compelled by - definition of leadership. Not that I disagree with what Jesus has to say about leadership, but I believe there is a difference between general leadership and church office/governance. On a topic like this I kept expecting for him to turn the corner and devote a chapter to the difference between an office authority in the church and general leadership. & it never happened. As someone who listened to the audiobook, on the chapter over Romans 16 addressing Phoebe as a deacon he made the comment, on his reflection writing the chapter, that many scholars don’t find the office of diaconate a literal office. Comments continued to be made about how our current church structures do not necessarily reflect home churches or isn’t what Paul had it mind with little reflection on explaining why this is so. I’m aware that the early house churches do not look like today, obviously due to Christianity was beginning and now as widespread throughout the world as it is now. But if he disagree with the concept of current church leadership/authority structures, I thought there needed to be a chapter addressing what the Bible and even early church believed about church offices and structure, because it does influence much of this conversation. Either way, I wasn’t necessarily persuaded by his views on the word for authority. Mostly because I don’t agree that authority and servant leadership are necessarily pitted against each other. and was kinda surprised that 1 Timothy Chapter 3 has only 10 minutes in the audio book discussing it and no discussion on the later passage on the diaconate which I was waiting for. This may be a niche view that I take and to be honest I’m only writing this review for my own personal notes to jog my memory if I pull this book back out one day.
Regardless of landing in a different place than he does I deeply appreciated the type of work this is (I’ve enjoyed all his books similar in style from People to be Loved, Engendered, and now Genesis to Junia). I think more people need to write books like this and I appreciate his integrity to continue to say there is credit to the complimentarian view and he could change his mind and write another book if he does. I appreciated his last chapter a whole lot in even explaining how he still holds previous views from his other books and explains why he lands in the place he does and how and it doesn’t impact his views on the beautiful differences between men and women. I know he said his editors wanted to take it out, but I’m glad he kept it in. I learned a lot!
April 21, 2026
From Genesis to Junia von Preston Sprinkle ist ein gut strukturiertes und bewusst ausgewogen geschriebenes Buch, das sich der Frage widmet, inwiefern Frauen in Leitungs- und Lehrämtern innerhalb der Kirche dienen können. In zehn Kapiteln arbeitet sich der Autor Schritt für Schritt durch die relevanten biblischen Texte – von der Schöpfung über das Alte Testament bis hin zu den zentralen neutestamentlichen Schlüsselstellen.
Zu Beginn nimmt Sprinkle den Leser in seine eigene Geschichte mit hinein und macht transparent, wie er selbst zu diesem Thema gekommen ist. Das schafft Vertrauen und zeigt, dass es ihm nicht um Polemik, sondern um ein ehrliches Ringen mit dem biblischen Befund geht.
Der Aufbau des Buches ist klar und logisch:
Kapitel 1 beginnt mit der Schöpfung (Adam und Eva), darauf folgen Abschnitte zum Alten Testament, zum Dienst von Frauen im Umfeld Jesu, zur frühen Kirche, zu Römer 16, zu Prophetinnen im Neuen Testament sowie zu den klassischen „Streittexten“ wie 1. Korinther 11 und 14 sowie 1. Timotheus 2.
Positiv hervorzuheben ist die Art und Weise, wie Sprinkle mit den Texten umgeht. Seine Argumentation ist durchgehend nachvollziehbar, gut strukturiert und exegetisch sauber aufgebaut. Auch wenn man seine Schlussfolgerungen nicht teilt, ist der Weg dorthin meist klar und verständlich. Das Buch eignet sich daher sehr gut, um einen fundierten Einblick in die egalitäre Position zu bekommen.
Was das Buch bei mir besonders positiv ausgelöst hat: eine neue Wertschätzung für Frauen in der biblischen Geschichte. Sprinkle zeigt eindrücklich, wie vielfältig und bedeutend Frauen im Handeln Gottes vorkommen. Das weckt Staunen und macht deutlich, wie sehr Gott Frauen sieht, liebt und gebraucht. Dieser Aspekt ist wirklich stark.
Gleichzeitig bleiben für mich zentrale Kritikpunkte.
In der Auslegung der Schöpfungstexte wirkt manches reduktionistisch und lässt wichtige Aspekte unberücksichtigt. Gerade hier hätte ich mir mehr Tiefe und eine umfassendere Einbindung der gesamten biblischen Theologie gewünscht. Auch bei 1. Timotheus 2 fand ich die Argumentation letztlich nicht überzeugend.
Zudem hatte ich an einigen Stellen den Eindruck, dass bestimmte Exkurse nicht unbedingt nötig gewesen wären, um die Hauptthese zu stützen. Diskussionen etwa über die Zugehörigkeit einzelner Texte oder detaillierte Nebenfragen wirken stellenweise etwas vom eigentlichen Anliegen wegführend.
Beim Thema „Hauptsein“ (z. B. 1. Korinther 11) hingegen bietet Sprinkle interessante und teilweise hilfreiche Gedanken, die zumindest zum Weiterdenken anregen, auch wenn man nicht jede Schlussfolgerung übernimmt.
Fazit:
Ein faires, gut lesbares und exegetisch solides Buch, das einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Debatte leistet. Auch wenn ich die Ergebnisse nicht in allen Punkten teile, habe ich den respektvollen Umgang mit dem Text und die klare Argumentation sehr geschätzt. Wer sich ernsthaft mit der Frage nach Frauen in Leiterschaft auseinandersetzen will, findet hier einen guten Gesprächspartner – auch (oder gerade) dann, wenn man am Ende zu anderen Schlüssen kommt.
Zu Beginn nimmt Sprinkle den Leser in seine eigene Geschichte mit hinein und macht transparent, wie er selbst zu diesem Thema gekommen ist. Das schafft Vertrauen und zeigt, dass es ihm nicht um Polemik, sondern um ein ehrliches Ringen mit dem biblischen Befund geht.
Der Aufbau des Buches ist klar und logisch:
Kapitel 1 beginnt mit der Schöpfung (Adam und Eva), darauf folgen Abschnitte zum Alten Testament, zum Dienst von Frauen im Umfeld Jesu, zur frühen Kirche, zu Römer 16, zu Prophetinnen im Neuen Testament sowie zu den klassischen „Streittexten“ wie 1. Korinther 11 und 14 sowie 1. Timotheus 2.
Positiv hervorzuheben ist die Art und Weise, wie Sprinkle mit den Texten umgeht. Seine Argumentation ist durchgehend nachvollziehbar, gut strukturiert und exegetisch sauber aufgebaut. Auch wenn man seine Schlussfolgerungen nicht teilt, ist der Weg dorthin meist klar und verständlich. Das Buch eignet sich daher sehr gut, um einen fundierten Einblick in die egalitäre Position zu bekommen.
Was das Buch bei mir besonders positiv ausgelöst hat: eine neue Wertschätzung für Frauen in der biblischen Geschichte. Sprinkle zeigt eindrücklich, wie vielfältig und bedeutend Frauen im Handeln Gottes vorkommen. Das weckt Staunen und macht deutlich, wie sehr Gott Frauen sieht, liebt und gebraucht. Dieser Aspekt ist wirklich stark.
Gleichzeitig bleiben für mich zentrale Kritikpunkte.
In der Auslegung der Schöpfungstexte wirkt manches reduktionistisch und lässt wichtige Aspekte unberücksichtigt. Gerade hier hätte ich mir mehr Tiefe und eine umfassendere Einbindung der gesamten biblischen Theologie gewünscht. Auch bei 1. Timotheus 2 fand ich die Argumentation letztlich nicht überzeugend.
Zudem hatte ich an einigen Stellen den Eindruck, dass bestimmte Exkurse nicht unbedingt nötig gewesen wären, um die Hauptthese zu stützen. Diskussionen etwa über die Zugehörigkeit einzelner Texte oder detaillierte Nebenfragen wirken stellenweise etwas vom eigentlichen Anliegen wegführend.
Beim Thema „Hauptsein“ (z. B. 1. Korinther 11) hingegen bietet Sprinkle interessante und teilweise hilfreiche Gedanken, die zumindest zum Weiterdenken anregen, auch wenn man nicht jede Schlussfolgerung übernimmt.
Fazit:
Ein faires, gut lesbares und exegetisch solides Buch, das einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Debatte leistet. Auch wenn ich die Ergebnisse nicht in allen Punkten teile, habe ich den respektvollen Umgang mit dem Text und die klare Argumentation sehr geschätzt. Wer sich ernsthaft mit der Frage nach Frauen in Leiterschaft auseinandersetzen will, findet hier einen guten Gesprächspartner – auch (oder gerade) dann, wenn man am Ende zu anderen Schlüssen kommt.
March 17, 2026
There was nothing too new here for me, but I still appreciated this book for the following reasons:
1) I like his approach of recounting his own search, and it really does feel like he’s genuinely dealing with every argument. He doesn’t just land on the most egalitarian argument every time. This is refreshing. It makes me trust his conclusions more.
2) I also quite enjoyed his dive into what NT leadership looked like. It’s definitely an important conversation to have when asking if women were leaders.
3) I loved that he started with narrative and then conclude with the “problem passages.” I think that’s a more helpful approach than attempting to explain away people like Deborah and Priscilla based on one possible (& I think quite stretched) interpretation of approx. 2 verses mainly 1 Tim. 2)
This is definitely the book I would recommend to people who want to dip their toes into this discussion without having to wade through lots of academic tomes. Sprinkle writes in an easy to understand manner and, from all the reading I’ve done, presents the arguments for differing interpretations quite well.
His book is an encouragement, and I hope more people will revisit this discussion with an open mind. There are many of us who have landed on the “egalitarian” side who are not in the slightest attempting to undermine orthodoxy.
Also, every time I read one of these books, I’m just all the more pleased that we named our daughter Junia. We may not know much about the original Junia, but from the little we do know…what a woman to look up to!
1) I like his approach of recounting his own search, and it really does feel like he’s genuinely dealing with every argument. He doesn’t just land on the most egalitarian argument every time. This is refreshing. It makes me trust his conclusions more.
2) I also quite enjoyed his dive into what NT leadership looked like. It’s definitely an important conversation to have when asking if women were leaders.
3) I loved that he started with narrative and then conclude with the “problem passages.” I think that’s a more helpful approach than attempting to explain away people like Deborah and Priscilla based on one possible (& I think quite stretched) interpretation of approx. 2 verses mainly 1 Tim. 2)
This is definitely the book I would recommend to people who want to dip their toes into this discussion without having to wade through lots of academic tomes. Sprinkle writes in an easy to understand manner and, from all the reading I’ve done, presents the arguments for differing interpretations quite well.
His book is an encouragement, and I hope more people will revisit this discussion with an open mind. There are many of us who have landed on the “egalitarian” side who are not in the slightest attempting to undermine orthodoxy.
Also, every time I read one of these books, I’m just all the more pleased that we named our daughter Junia. We may not know much about the original Junia, but from the little we do know…what a woman to look up to!
May 3, 2026
I walked away from this book very disappointed. What I expected to be, as Preston Sprinkle says on the cover, “an honest search for what the Bible really has to say about women in leadership” felt much more like “an honest attempt to straw-man complementarian views while heavily favoring the egalitarian view” for 280 pages.
From the first chapter, it was incredibly clear exactly where Preston was going to land on this topic. What are the odds that with every instance in scripture regarding women that he addresses, he finds the egalitarian view more compelling each time? Not once did he finish a chapter with the conclusion of “even though, in the broader scope of the text the egalitarian view seems to hold more weight, the complementarian view seems to make more sense here.” Content aside, I personally find it highly unlikely that one can confidently say the egalitarian view makes more sense in each and every instance of women in leadership in scripture, even if someone still holds to the egalitarian view holistically. There is epistemic virtue in textual explanations being simple - something Preston ignores for complementarians, while going to great lengths to make egalitarian views seem in any way feasible with each passage.
From an argumentative standpoint, the book is confused. What are we actually trying to discuss with this book? What the Bible says about whether women can lead anything at all ever? Women leading over men? Whether the Bible thinks women are awesome or not? Sprinkle doesn’t seem to know, and it seems to vary chapter by chapter. I would be hard pressed to find a complementarian who says a woman cannot faithfully lead in any context whatsoever, yet that seems to be the people Sprinkle is trying to argue against for most of this book.
Finally, one of the most concerning things I saw was an author using seemingly very similar exegetical strategies that he very much argues against in books about other topics he has previously worked on.
Personal preferences and convictions aside - what I was hoping to be a genuine evaluation of both sides turned out to be a strong case for one while leaving the other out to dry.
From the first chapter, it was incredibly clear exactly where Preston was going to land on this topic. What are the odds that with every instance in scripture regarding women that he addresses, he finds the egalitarian view more compelling each time? Not once did he finish a chapter with the conclusion of “even though, in the broader scope of the text the egalitarian view seems to hold more weight, the complementarian view seems to make more sense here.” Content aside, I personally find it highly unlikely that one can confidently say the egalitarian view makes more sense in each and every instance of women in leadership in scripture, even if someone still holds to the egalitarian view holistically. There is epistemic virtue in textual explanations being simple - something Preston ignores for complementarians, while going to great lengths to make egalitarian views seem in any way feasible with each passage.
From an argumentative standpoint, the book is confused. What are we actually trying to discuss with this book? What the Bible says about whether women can lead anything at all ever? Women leading over men? Whether the Bible thinks women are awesome or not? Sprinkle doesn’t seem to know, and it seems to vary chapter by chapter. I would be hard pressed to find a complementarian who says a woman cannot faithfully lead in any context whatsoever, yet that seems to be the people Sprinkle is trying to argue against for most of this book.
Finally, one of the most concerning things I saw was an author using seemingly very similar exegetical strategies that he very much argues against in books about other topics he has previously worked on.
Personal preferences and convictions aside - what I was hoping to be a genuine evaluation of both sides turned out to be a strong case for one while leaving the other out to dry.
March 18, 2026
Preston Sprinkle's style is so persuasive! So many theologians start their books at the end of their intellectual journey, beginning with an argument. But I'm prone to skepticism. I want to work through the process without feeling like I'm being pulled in one direction or another; if there's a right way to think, then I shouldn't need your aggressive tactics to get there (shoutout to evangelicals). So when I get the chance to ponder ALONGSIDE Preston (who, by the way, is so humble and quick to admit that something is "what he thinks" or best "in his opinion"), I'm willing to be more receptive. It's a neat little trick I suppose.
Not only did I love the way this book was written, but I love this book. Probably the most helpful compilation of all the relevant information to this topic that I've come across so far.
Not only did I love the way this book was written, but I love this book. Probably the most helpful compilation of all the relevant information to this topic that I've come across so far.
March 25, 2026
This book gave a good overview of the biblical case for women in leadership. It wasn't as deep a dive as other theology books I've read on the topic, but it's very easy to read and he states his conclusions in a matter of fact way. What's missing for me is the pastoral lens, and any reflection or exploration of the real harm and damage that poor interpretations of the bible have done to women and men in the church. He tries to approach the issue completely objectively, but the compassionate view of the people affected is missing from this book, which is disappointing since he articulates it so beautifully in some of his other works. I still gave it four stars because in the end I thought it was well written, well-argued and well-intentioned. And I do think it's admirable to try to approach such a hot topic with an openness and willingness to change your mind based on what's actually in the text - would that others would do the same.
March 23, 2026
Sprinkle is technical, honest, and humble in his evaluation of the role women can play in church leadership. Sprinkle sincerely engages with both sides of the 'argument' giving his opinion of which arguments he finds persuasive as well as those he doesn't. I appreciated how he fair he tried to be to both complementary, soft-complementary, and egalitarian views. He was quick to point out issues and holes in arguments even with the conclusion he arrived at. On the flip side he affirmed the strengths of arguments that he wasn't convinced by. In the end, Sprinkle paints a picture of a complicated issue that demands us to be humble in our conclusion. Asserting 100% confidence in our own conclusion is probably naive at best and arrogant at worst. There are very smart, well researched, and God loving people on both sides of this argument. We'd do well to hold our conclusions with an open hand, obviously never using them to put people down but rather build each other up in love.
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