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Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts: Reflections on Paul, Women, and the Authority of Scripture
The Bible includes any number of “tyrannical texts� that have proved to be profoundly oppressive in the lives of many people. Among them are Pauline texts that have circumscribed the lives and ministries of women throughout Christian history. What are people who honor Scripture to do with such texts, and what does it mean to speak of biblical authority in their presence? In Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts, Frances Taylor Gench provides strategies for engaging such texts with integritythat is, without dismissing them, whitewashing them, or acquiescing to themand as potential sources of edification for the church. Gench also facilitates reflection on the nature and authority of Scripture.
Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts provides access to feminist scholarship that can inform preaching and teaching of problematic Pauline texts and encourages public engagement with them.
Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts provides access to feminist scholarship that can inform preaching and teaching of problematic Pauline texts and encourages public engagement with them.
- GenresTheology
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2015
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64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 16, 2017
The "tyrannical texts" this book deals with are five scripture passages from the Pauline letters that have been used throughout history to subjugate women. These are the parts of the Bible that tell women to be submissive to their husbands and silent in church, that say they are idle "gossips and busybodies" who need to be married housewives to stay out of trouble. (Three of the texts are from 1 Timothy and Ephesians, epistles not even written by Paul but in his name years after his death by an interpreter of his tradition.)
Prof. Gench admits that the offensiveness of these texts makes her want to rip them out of the Bible and leave them on the cutting room floor. But it is of paramount importance to her that the Bible and every word in it is "a privileged mediator of our encounter with God" (p.21), which is revelatory "not because it contains divinely revealed propositional certitudes, but because it has the unique capacity to draw us into the living presence of God." (p.22) Therefore everything in the canon, written by its purported author or not, full of human error or not, must be treated with respect and charity even if we argue with it.(Recommendations ##1 and 2 and #3, "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater") And arguing with it is an act of faith that takes the Bible's authority very seriously (Recommendations ##2 and 5).
The five recommendations provide an orientation to her approach for arguing with the tyrannical texts (p.19) As we get deeper into the discussion of each passage, her arguments rest upon specific principles of scriptural interpretation. Briefly summarized, these are: interpreting Scripture by Scripture; the centrality of Jesus Christ, the rule of faith, and the rule of love. (p.57) To oversimplify, you have to read individual excerpts from the Bible in the context of the whole Bible and the overall meaning of Jesus' message, and the latter supersedes any specific passage that seems to say otherwise. She shreds each tyrannical text in turn with voluminous support from Scripture and fascinating historical data, while maintaining sympathy for the contemporary problems and circumstances the letter author was addressing and analyzing what even his errors can teach us. Like our forebears, we also need to avoid the pitfall of "reading" the current culture back into the Bible.
The result is so convincing you wonder how anyone could ever have thought otherwise, and why she needs to work so hard to convince people in the 21st century that women aren't inferior to men. Clearly she is trying to persuade a more fundamentalist audience that non-literal Biblical interpretation is not heresy.
The book is a somewhat tedious read because it is extremely repetitious. Her systematic application of her step-by-step method results in nearly identical sentences repeated over and over for each text discussed. Still, this could be an asset for study groups, as are the discussion questions at the end of each chapter.
Prof. Gench admits that the offensiveness of these texts makes her want to rip them out of the Bible and leave them on the cutting room floor. But it is of paramount importance to her that the Bible and every word in it is "a privileged mediator of our encounter with God" (p.21), which is revelatory "not because it contains divinely revealed propositional certitudes, but because it has the unique capacity to draw us into the living presence of God." (p.22) Therefore everything in the canon, written by its purported author or not, full of human error or not, must be treated with respect and charity even if we argue with it.(Recommendations ##1 and 2 and #3, "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater") And arguing with it is an act of faith that takes the Bible's authority very seriously (Recommendations ##2 and 5).
The five recommendations provide an orientation to her approach for arguing with the tyrannical texts (p.19) As we get deeper into the discussion of each passage, her arguments rest upon specific principles of scriptural interpretation. Briefly summarized, these are: interpreting Scripture by Scripture; the centrality of Jesus Christ, the rule of faith, and the rule of love. (p.57) To oversimplify, you have to read individual excerpts from the Bible in the context of the whole Bible and the overall meaning of Jesus' message, and the latter supersedes any specific passage that seems to say otherwise. She shreds each tyrannical text in turn with voluminous support from Scripture and fascinating historical data, while maintaining sympathy for the contemporary problems and circumstances the letter author was addressing and analyzing what even his errors can teach us. Like our forebears, we also need to avoid the pitfall of "reading" the current culture back into the Bible.
The result is so convincing you wonder how anyone could ever have thought otherwise, and why she needs to work so hard to convince people in the 21st century that women aren't inferior to men. Clearly she is trying to persuade a more fundamentalist audience that non-literal Biblical interpretation is not heresy.
The book is a somewhat tedious read because it is extremely repetitious. Her systematic application of her step-by-step method results in nearly identical sentences repeated over and over for each text discussed. Still, this could be an asset for study groups, as are the discussion questions at the end of each chapter.
July 31, 2015
This book packages three different, but related topics into one. The first is the subject of the authority of scripture and what that looks like in practice. The first two chapters deal with its ins and outs using two passages as case studies. The second subject is what to do with the so-called "tyrannical" texts that minimize and subjugate women. Five of the six chapters deal with examples of such "tyrannical" texts. (The sixth chapter discusses a non-tyrannical passage, Romans 16, which discusses women in church leadership, but also discusses how the church has sought to erase their memories.) The third subject is the controversy regarding Pauline authorship of some of these tyrannical texts, and whether authorship should be a consideration in scriptural authority.
The question of what to do with troubling texts has vexed Christian readers of the Bible throughout its history. In the present day one of its manifestations is in regards to what the Bible "really says" about women and, more importantly, women in church leadership. For traditionalists, "the Bible is clear" that women are not to hold teaching positions and perhaps even remain silent in church. For progressives this is at odds with the overall trajectory of God's plan of restoration and at odds with Jesus' example and Paul's teaching, particularly of Galatians 3:28. Progressives are tempted to minimize troublesome teachings, try to explain it away, or even throw it out altogether.
Frances Gench shows her readers another set of options. The first chapter discusses 1 Timothy 2:8-15 and then suggests five recommendations for reading and handling tyrannical texts. The intent is to take seriously the canonical authority (as opposed to authority based on presumed authorship) of the biblical text.
For me the fourth recommendation - Learn from the dangers as well as the insights - was a revelation. This recommendation acknowledges that biblical authors are human, even when inspired, that they are writing within their various contexts and with various motivations - some which may not be altogether pure or praiseworthy. This recommendation allows for errors and even bad theology to have been recorded in the pages of the Bible. What it does is allows us to wrestle with the problems and see where the authors and the communities they were writing to went off track so that we can learn from their mistakes. For me, this was the book's most important contribution.
Gench provides exegesis and discusses various interpretations of some of the common tyrannical texts employed against women. She frequently disagrees with even some commonly supplied progressive interpretations and provides alternatives that she suggests are more faithful to keeping to the text and its authority.
For progressive Christians, this book can provide a way to reconcile a Bible that is less than perfect with divinely inspired authority of said writing. It is a progressive apologetic to a way of interpreting and using scripture that remains faithful to its intent and to two millennia of church history.
This book is also a fine resource for exploring biblical feminism and gender roles in the family, church, and society.
The question of what to do with troubling texts has vexed Christian readers of the Bible throughout its history. In the present day one of its manifestations is in regards to what the Bible "really says" about women and, more importantly, women in church leadership. For traditionalists, "the Bible is clear" that women are not to hold teaching positions and perhaps even remain silent in church. For progressives this is at odds with the overall trajectory of God's plan of restoration and at odds with Jesus' example and Paul's teaching, particularly of Galatians 3:28. Progressives are tempted to minimize troublesome teachings, try to explain it away, or even throw it out altogether.
Frances Gench shows her readers another set of options. The first chapter discusses 1 Timothy 2:8-15 and then suggests five recommendations for reading and handling tyrannical texts. The intent is to take seriously the canonical authority (as opposed to authority based on presumed authorship) of the biblical text.
For me the fourth recommendation - Learn from the dangers as well as the insights - was a revelation. This recommendation acknowledges that biblical authors are human, even when inspired, that they are writing within their various contexts and with various motivations - some which may not be altogether pure or praiseworthy. This recommendation allows for errors and even bad theology to have been recorded in the pages of the Bible. What it does is allows us to wrestle with the problems and see where the authors and the communities they were writing to went off track so that we can learn from their mistakes. For me, this was the book's most important contribution.
Gench provides exegesis and discusses various interpretations of some of the common tyrannical texts employed against women. She frequently disagrees with even some commonly supplied progressive interpretations and provides alternatives that she suggests are more faithful to keeping to the text and its authority.
For progressive Christians, this book can provide a way to reconcile a Bible that is less than perfect with divinely inspired authority of said writing. It is a progressive apologetic to a way of interpreting and using scripture that remains faithful to its intent and to two millennia of church history.
This book is also a fine resource for exploring biblical feminism and gender roles in the family, church, and society.
June 6, 2025
The detail that Gench goes into when looking at the "tyrannical texts" is impressive. Tons of historical context, with a 30 page long citation section in the back. She provides the readers with a fair look at the scriptures, guiding us through a balanced criticism with lots of grace toward ourselves, and our fellow Christians (both modern and ancient). I finished this book shed a lot of light on scriptures that have left my puzzled for my whole life. Even if I didn't walk away with solid answers, I walked away with an ability to understand the scriptures in a new, better light.
My two criticisms: 1. The book is definitely wordy and can be tedious at times but it's a theology book so it comes with the territory. 2. I don't love looking at the world through the lens of "oppressor" and "oppressee" and the author takes that route on several occasions. I understand why but I also think we can have productive conversations without resorting to declarations of victimhood. In any case my criticisms don't weigh enough to knock off a full star. 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 for the review. A pivotal read for any Christian.
My two criticisms: 1. The book is definitely wordy and can be tedious at times but it's a theology book so it comes with the territory. 2. I don't love looking at the world through the lens of "oppressor" and "oppressee" and the author takes that route on several occasions. I understand why but I also think we can have productive conversations without resorting to declarations of victimhood. In any case my criticisms don't weigh enough to knock off a full star. 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 for the review. A pivotal read for any Christian.
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