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Is God a Misogynist?: Understanding the Bible's Difficult Passages Concerning Women
Secular feminists claim that Christianity is a misogynistic religion and that the Bible is bad for women. Are these claims true? Would women be better off if we all became atheists? Is the God of the Bible portrayed as a sexist who prescribes female inferiority by divine decree? What does the Bible actually teach about the value and personhood of women? David Wilber's book, "Is God a Understanding the Bible's Difficult Passages Concerning Women," explores these questions and uncovers God's true heart toward women as revealed in the Scriptures. This book addresses common objections to the Bible from modern feminism—does the Bible really endorse polygamy, sanction rape, regard women as property, etc.?—in addition to bringing correction to unbiblical doctrines that are pushed by some segments of the Church. Wilber's thoughtful and balanced approach to the Scriptures helps the reader understand how to reconcile difficult passages with the goodness of God, who has revealed Himself to be a lover and protector of women.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 17, 2020
9 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
David Wilber
12 books24 followersDavid Wilber is an author, Bible teacher, and CEO of Pronomian Publishing LLC. He has written several books and numerous theological articles, with his work appearing in outlets such as the Christian Post, the Journal of Biblical Theology, and the E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies. David has spoken at churches and conferences across the nation and has served as a researcher and Bible teacher for a number of Messianic and Christian ministries. David earned his BA in Biblical Studies from Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary, where he had the honor of being chosen as Valedictorian of his graduating class. He is currently working toward his MA in Religion at Southern Evangelical Seminary.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 5, 2022
Wilbur has done his homework!
His conclusions are well-expressed and based on solid scholarship. This is a short but very helpful book for those who are wrestling with the Bible's difficult passages concerning women. I suspect that this book will answer the questions of most Bible readers on these topics. The writing is clear and accessible. It would be suitable guide for a small group or youth group wanting to tackle these passages. For those who desire more detail or a fuller engagement, Wilbur's footnotes will point to longer scholarly resources.
Wilbur addresses polygamy, the test for adultery (Num 5), the test for virginity (Deut 22), the Bible's passages about rape, the apparent inferiority of women to men, and the supposed exclusion of women from ministry. He writes as an egalitarian Messianic Jew -- taking the Bible's law collections seriously, but reading them in their ancient Near Eastern context as well as their canonical context to show how they are good for women.
The tone of his final chapter might not speak effectively to every reader and could use more nuance, though it has much to offer in terms of research and examples. He frames his exposition as an answer to "feminism" or to "secular feminism" without acknowledging that conservative Bible readers might consider themselves to be feminist or may find the same passages to be objectionable, not because they are at odds with secular feminism, but because they seem to be at odds with the Bible's own witness in other passages. How could a good God who created men and women as partners in dominion in Gen 1-2 then allow or promote such demeaning behavior toward women?
Aside from this critique of the final chapter, 'Is God a Misogynist?' is a wonderful resource for Christians who want to take the Bible seriously while honoring women. Highly recommended!
His conclusions are well-expressed and based on solid scholarship. This is a short but very helpful book for those who are wrestling with the Bible's difficult passages concerning women. I suspect that this book will answer the questions of most Bible readers on these topics. The writing is clear and accessible. It would be suitable guide for a small group or youth group wanting to tackle these passages. For those who desire more detail or a fuller engagement, Wilbur's footnotes will point to longer scholarly resources.
Wilbur addresses polygamy, the test for adultery (Num 5), the test for virginity (Deut 22), the Bible's passages about rape, the apparent inferiority of women to men, and the supposed exclusion of women from ministry. He writes as an egalitarian Messianic Jew -- taking the Bible's law collections seriously, but reading them in their ancient Near Eastern context as well as their canonical context to show how they are good for women.
The tone of his final chapter might not speak effectively to every reader and could use more nuance, though it has much to offer in terms of research and examples. He frames his exposition as an answer to "feminism" or to "secular feminism" without acknowledging that conservative Bible readers might consider themselves to be feminist or may find the same passages to be objectionable, not because they are at odds with secular feminism, but because they seem to be at odds with the Bible's own witness in other passages. How could a good God who created men and women as partners in dominion in Gen 1-2 then allow or promote such demeaning behavior toward women?
Aside from this critique of the final chapter, 'Is God a Misogynist?' is a wonderful resource for Christians who want to take the Bible seriously while honoring women. Highly recommended!
January 12, 2021
This is a fantastic apologetics/biblical studies book. Anyone wanting to be a serious apologist for Christianity or for those who have intellectual stumbling blocks to becoming a Christian because of seemingly objectionable passages in The Bible should have this in their library. This is a book I would recommend to those who believe Christianity degrades the value of women.
There are books out there that deal with objectionable Bible passages such as Paul Copan's "Is God A Moral Monster?", David Lamb's "God Behaving Badly" and Dan Kimball's "How (Not) To Read The Bible". And some of the content of those books is treated in this one. But if one is interested just in exegetical treatments the seemingly anti-woman passages and you don't care about Elisha's She-Bears or The Canaanite Conquest, this book is for you. It'll cut out the middle man and get to what you're really interested in answering. Though I definitely recommend you check out those other books too.
In the first chapter of his book, before even looking at the “problem passage”, he makes a case from Genesis 1-3 that God views women as equal to men, not inferior. Women are made in God's image as men are and are equally tasked with stewarding God's cosmic temple in the creation account. He also goes through the history of The Bible throughout the Old Testament of women who were honored and even used by God in significant points in salvific history such as Deborah from the book of Judges, and Huldah in 2 Kings 22:14–20 and 2 Chronicles 34:22–28 just to give a couple of examples. Rahab from the book of Joshua (not just a woman, but a Canaanite woman who was a prostitute!) and Ruth from the book of Ruth, and Esther who was used by God to prevent semitic genocide. All of these women in the Old Testament are viewed positively in scripture.
Some would argue that God endorses polygamy, which is without a doubt detrimental to women. It’s easy to see how they come to that conclusion. When you read through The Old Testament narratives, you see polygamy happening all over the place, even in the lives of the biblical patriarchs, and God doesn’t seem to hold this against them. How do we respond to this? Well, David Wilber takes a surprising approach to this. I had always assumed that Polygamy was like divorce (see Matthew 19:8); something that God hated but permitted because of how ingrained it was in the culture, and something God planned on getting rid of later when Jesus came, because we clearly see Polygamy prohibited in verses like Titus 1:2 and 1 Timothy 3:2. Jesus' teaching (which he drew from Genesis) also prohibits polygamy when he says that man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife (singular) and the two (not three, not four, or more) shall become one flesh (see Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:8, Ephesians 5:31). David Wilber talks about all of this New Testament evidence against polygamy, but he argues that The Torah forbids it just as strongly. He makes a case from Leviticus 18:18. I'll leave it up to you to get the book and read his exegesis of this verse rather than reproduce his argument in this review. Besides, I hope to have Wilber on The Cerebral Faith Podcast to promote this book and I'll have him talk about it there.
He deals with Deuteronomy 22:28-29, a common verse skeptics point to and argue that this verse does not say what the skeptic makes it out to say when the proper rules of hermenuetics are practiced (i.e that forces a rapist to marry his victim). He deals with the so-called passage that the Israelite soldiers could take women as plunder of war in order to rape them, and several others.
At the end, He makes the case that women are NOT prohibited from teaching positions in ministry. I have been on the fence about this for a long time, and by a long time, I mean many years. But after having read Wilber's chapter on this (in addition to having JUST read Dan Kimball's book making similar arguments), I've come to the conclusion that the idea that women can't be pastors has NO basis in scripture. In my opinion, this chapter is worth the price of the book alone. I'm ok with the idea of women not being permitted to be pastors. That need not translate to the conclusion that women are inferior to men. After all, in the Levitical priesthood, non-Jewish men who were not descendents of Levi weren't allowed to serve in the priesthood, but that doesn't mean that God viewed people not related to Levi as inferior to people who were. It just meant God wanted one group of people to participate in that role and not others. The same could be said with men having teaching and leadership positions in the church and not women. So, I'm perfectly fine with the traditional view I was taught growing up in The Baptist Church down here in The Bible belt. I say this because it's as inevitable as death and taxes that I'll get emotionally driven angry fundies bombarding me with claims that I form my conclusions on the basis of what is comfortable or what conforms to "Man's wisdom" whatever the hell that means. I'll never commit the fundies with sticks up their butts that I'm just honestly trying to handle the text or, as Paul put it, "Rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). If The Bible really taught that women weren't allowed to be pastors or leaders in the church of any kind, then that I what I would loudly and proudly proclaim. But after looking at the biblical texts (yes, plural, not just a single verse), I am convinced otherwise.
No doubt saying what I said will get me in hot water with baptists, Catholics, and other Christians who dogmatically hold to the "no womens" rule, but hey, agreeing with them would get me in hot water with egalitarians. I'm going to be verbally beat up no matter what, so I might as well let my Bible be naked (btw, you're one of the cool kids if you got the reference) and follow the hermenuetics where it leads. I'm more concerned with having the truth than with having a fan club. I'm more concerned with being right than being popular. And I'm far more concerned with agreeing with The Bible than The Bible agreeing with me.
If you'd like to see Wilber's case for egalitarianism, check out the book. And again, I do hope to have him on The Cerebral Faith Podcast and have him unpack this in a bit of detail.
There are books out there that deal with objectionable Bible passages such as Paul Copan's "Is God A Moral Monster?", David Lamb's "God Behaving Badly" and Dan Kimball's "How (Not) To Read The Bible". And some of the content of those books is treated in this one. But if one is interested just in exegetical treatments the seemingly anti-woman passages and you don't care about Elisha's She-Bears or The Canaanite Conquest, this book is for you. It'll cut out the middle man and get to what you're really interested in answering. Though I definitely recommend you check out those other books too.
In the first chapter of his book, before even looking at the “problem passage”, he makes a case from Genesis 1-3 that God views women as equal to men, not inferior. Women are made in God's image as men are and are equally tasked with stewarding God's cosmic temple in the creation account. He also goes through the history of The Bible throughout the Old Testament of women who were honored and even used by God in significant points in salvific history such as Deborah from the book of Judges, and Huldah in 2 Kings 22:14–20 and 2 Chronicles 34:22–28 just to give a couple of examples. Rahab from the book of Joshua (not just a woman, but a Canaanite woman who was a prostitute!) and Ruth from the book of Ruth, and Esther who was used by God to prevent semitic genocide. All of these women in the Old Testament are viewed positively in scripture.
Some would argue that God endorses polygamy, which is without a doubt detrimental to women. It’s easy to see how they come to that conclusion. When you read through The Old Testament narratives, you see polygamy happening all over the place, even in the lives of the biblical patriarchs, and God doesn’t seem to hold this against them. How do we respond to this? Well, David Wilber takes a surprising approach to this. I had always assumed that Polygamy was like divorce (see Matthew 19:8); something that God hated but permitted because of how ingrained it was in the culture, and something God planned on getting rid of later when Jesus came, because we clearly see Polygamy prohibited in verses like Titus 1:2 and 1 Timothy 3:2. Jesus' teaching (which he drew from Genesis) also prohibits polygamy when he says that man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife (singular) and the two (not three, not four, or more) shall become one flesh (see Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:8, Ephesians 5:31). David Wilber talks about all of this New Testament evidence against polygamy, but he argues that The Torah forbids it just as strongly. He makes a case from Leviticus 18:18. I'll leave it up to you to get the book and read his exegesis of this verse rather than reproduce his argument in this review. Besides, I hope to have Wilber on The Cerebral Faith Podcast to promote this book and I'll have him talk about it there.
He deals with Deuteronomy 22:28-29, a common verse skeptics point to and argue that this verse does not say what the skeptic makes it out to say when the proper rules of hermenuetics are practiced (i.e that forces a rapist to marry his victim). He deals with the so-called passage that the Israelite soldiers could take women as plunder of war in order to rape them, and several others.
At the end, He makes the case that women are NOT prohibited from teaching positions in ministry. I have been on the fence about this for a long time, and by a long time, I mean many years. But after having read Wilber's chapter on this (in addition to having JUST read Dan Kimball's book making similar arguments), I've come to the conclusion that the idea that women can't be pastors has NO basis in scripture. In my opinion, this chapter is worth the price of the book alone. I'm ok with the idea of women not being permitted to be pastors. That need not translate to the conclusion that women are inferior to men. After all, in the Levitical priesthood, non-Jewish men who were not descendents of Levi weren't allowed to serve in the priesthood, but that doesn't mean that God viewed people not related to Levi as inferior to people who were. It just meant God wanted one group of people to participate in that role and not others. The same could be said with men having teaching and leadership positions in the church and not women. So, I'm perfectly fine with the traditional view I was taught growing up in The Baptist Church down here in The Bible belt. I say this because it's as inevitable as death and taxes that I'll get emotionally driven angry fundies bombarding me with claims that I form my conclusions on the basis of what is comfortable or what conforms to "Man's wisdom" whatever the hell that means. I'll never commit the fundies with sticks up their butts that I'm just honestly trying to handle the text or, as Paul put it, "Rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). If The Bible really taught that women weren't allowed to be pastors or leaders in the church of any kind, then that I what I would loudly and proudly proclaim. But after looking at the biblical texts (yes, plural, not just a single verse), I am convinced otherwise.
No doubt saying what I said will get me in hot water with baptists, Catholics, and other Christians who dogmatically hold to the "no womens" rule, but hey, agreeing with them would get me in hot water with egalitarians. I'm going to be verbally beat up no matter what, so I might as well let my Bible be naked (btw, you're one of the cool kids if you got the reference) and follow the hermenuetics where it leads. I'm more concerned with having the truth than with having a fan club. I'm more concerned with being right than being popular. And I'm far more concerned with agreeing with The Bible than The Bible agreeing with me.
If you'd like to see Wilber's case for egalitarianism, check out the book. And again, I do hope to have him on The Cerebral Faith Podcast and have him unpack this in a bit of detail.
November 28, 2024
a helpful book for people who have declined the faith for this reason alone
I’ve come across many secular people who have decided Christianity is false or outdated for this reason and this reason alone. While this book doesn’t provide overwhelming clarification on some problematic Old Testament passages (the arguments in favour of women here rely heavily on understanding that other ancient near east codes of the time were much worse), the author does a concise job of outlining the plethora of women in the Bible who are of immense influence, and how the secular feminist path can’t out do the work of the faith in validating female (and male) human dignity.
I’ve come across many secular people who have decided Christianity is false or outdated for this reason and this reason alone. While this book doesn’t provide overwhelming clarification on some problematic Old Testament passages (the arguments in favour of women here rely heavily on understanding that other ancient near east codes of the time were much worse), the author does a concise job of outlining the plethora of women in the Bible who are of immense influence, and how the secular feminist path can’t out do the work of the faith in validating female (and male) human dignity.
March 13, 2020
An excellent book and a must read!
No, God is not a misogynist; and David Wilbur, through exceptional research and presentation, does an amazing job of more than proving that point. Not only does he answer the question of God, but he thoroughly demonstrates that true, biblical Christianity is not only itself also not misogynistic, but far more "feminist" than modern secular feminism, and does far more to protect and uphold the rights and equality of women. Another hit out of the park for David Wilbur!
No, God is not a misogynist; and David Wilbur, through exceptional research and presentation, does an amazing job of more than proving that point. Not only does he answer the question of God, but he thoroughly demonstrates that true, biblical Christianity is not only itself also not misogynistic, but far more "feminist" than modern secular feminism, and does far more to protect and uphold the rights and equality of women. Another hit out of the park for David Wilbur!
August 14, 2021
It is not uncommon for many sects of Christianity to encourage misogyny through terrible doctrine that is founded on not fully understanding difficult passages in the Scripture. David does an exceptional job showing why these misogynistic teachings are not at all biblical. Our Heavenly Father loves women and sees them as equal to men, and David shows us this using sound exegesis of the Scriptures. The book has many sources, is very well researched, and written in an easy to understand and concise way. Highly, highly reccomend.
February 27, 2024
I really like this book! If you've ever been a bit uncomfortable with the way women are sometimes portrayed in the Bible, this book does a wonderful job of clearing up those disturbing passages. As expected with anything by David Wilber, this book is thoroughly researched and documented, but is easy to follow and understand. It sheds great light on the Bible's true position on topics like polygamy, adultery, rape, and virginity, while exposing the destruction caused by the prevalent radical feminism of today's culture. I highly recommend it.
October 13, 2020
Great exposition of all key passages dealing with women's issues in the bible.
Thanks David! Great job, really enjoyed it. Using this book as a basis for a study on women and Paul.
Thanks David! Great job, really enjoyed it. Using this book as a basis for a study on women and Paul.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews