What do you think?
Rate this book
Origins of Difference: The Gender Debate Revisited
Explores the origins of the differences between men and women from secular and Christian perspectives, addressing the historical, biological, and social factors.
- GenresTheology
156 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 13, 2010
This was some of the best $5.60 I've ever spent on a book.
Dr. Elaine Storkey examines the gender debate, tracing its lines of thinking and argumentation in brief, from the "essentialists" (both secular and religious) who believe that masculinity and femininity are part of our very nature to the post-Christian feminists who have reduced the God of the Bible to a non-person, non-entity in their search for feminist spirituality. Even if you've never before studied feminist theory, this book will be a good read. It's clear, it's succinct, it's well thought-through. And the last chapter (Post-Postmodern Postscript) made me want to underline every sentence as she considered the issue from a biblical standpoint.
And at 134 pages, it will take hardly any time to have your thinking stimulated on this ever-timely subject. Buy it. Read it. Thank me later.
Dr. Elaine Storkey examines the gender debate, tracing its lines of thinking and argumentation in brief, from the "essentialists" (both secular and religious) who believe that masculinity and femininity are part of our very nature to the post-Christian feminists who have reduced the God of the Bible to a non-person, non-entity in their search for feminist spirituality. Even if you've never before studied feminist theory, this book will be a good read. It's clear, it's succinct, it's well thought-through. And the last chapter (Post-Postmodern Postscript) made me want to underline every sentence as she considered the issue from a biblical standpoint.
And at 134 pages, it will take hardly any time to have your thinking stimulated on this ever-timely subject. Buy it. Read it. Thank me later.
May 24, 2020
I found this book very helpful. I have gone through various iterations in my own mindset on sex and gender. I have read Elaine Storkey's book on Feminism and Christianity, which was also really helpful.
This book uses the paradigms of pre-modern, modern and post-modern philosophy through which to view the gender debate - moving from 'secular' to theology, in the later chapters of the book and discussing the various strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The book ends with an alternative Biblical philosophy from which to re-frame the debate.
It has just given me so much to think about and has been so helpful in answering some of the questions I had, whilst raising others to consider.
The book is really well researched and written and whilst some of the material is hard to get your head around - e.g. post-modernism, I found Elaine Storkey's writing helped clarify some very difficult and complex ideas.
I know this is a good book, because I can't wait to talk to my friends about what I have read :-) Thank you Elaine Storkey for a great book.
I am looking forward to reading Elaine Storkey's new book on women in the Bible.
This book uses the paradigms of pre-modern, modern and post-modern philosophy through which to view the gender debate - moving from 'secular' to theology, in the later chapters of the book and discussing the various strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The book ends with an alternative Biblical philosophy from which to re-frame the debate.
It has just given me so much to think about and has been so helpful in answering some of the questions I had, whilst raising others to consider.
The book is really well researched and written and whilst some of the material is hard to get your head around - e.g. post-modernism, I found Elaine Storkey's writing helped clarify some very difficult and complex ideas.
I know this is a good book, because I can't wait to talk to my friends about what I have read :-) Thank you Elaine Storkey for a great book.
I am looking forward to reading Elaine Storkey's new book on women in the Bible.
February 10, 2019
Elaine Storkey speaks so much sense! I love her! What a relief to read a balanced, well-researched, rational, biblically-based discussion of the gender debate, covering pre-modern, modern and postmodern developments, and ending with a Christian response. Much wisdom is found within these pages. It is just a shame it was written in 2001 so the whole issue of transgenderism does not get a mention - maybe she will write an up-dated version with a chapter added on this.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews