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On Purpose: Understanding God's Freedom for Women Through Scripture
Many Christian women are torn between how the church has taught traditional gender roles and the liberty they see secular society afford to women. But what if the church's conventional teachings on the place of women aren't really biblical at all?
On Purpose is a serious study on the verses in the Bible that have often been interpreted to define the role of women in the church, at home, and in the workplace. Each chapter focuses on a single passage, considering what it meant to the original recipients, understanding each author's intent, and applying its true meaning in today's cultural setting. With each chapter, Julie Coleman thoroughly reveals how the timeless principles in the Bible actually teach freedom for women. In fact, when rightly understood, these verses are a wake-up call that we are handicapping the church's role on earth by limiting women unnecessarily. Instead, men and women should be working side by side for the advancement of the kingdom of God.
Written without anger or judgment, and with no agenda but to delve deep into the Bible, On Purpose is an enlightening study offering a fresh, scriptural perspective. It's time to set women free to answer God's call on their lives--and set the church free to function the way God truly desires.
On Purpose is a serious study on the verses in the Bible that have often been interpreted to define the role of women in the church, at home, and in the workplace. Each chapter focuses on a single passage, considering what it meant to the original recipients, understanding each author's intent, and applying its true meaning in today's cultural setting. With each chapter, Julie Coleman thoroughly reveals how the timeless principles in the Bible actually teach freedom for women. In fact, when rightly understood, these verses are a wake-up call that we are handicapping the church's role on earth by limiting women unnecessarily. Instead, men and women should be working side by side for the advancement of the kingdom of God.
Written without anger or judgment, and with no agenda but to delve deep into the Bible, On Purpose is an enlightening study offering a fresh, scriptural perspective. It's time to set women free to answer God's call on their lives--and set the church free to function the way God truly desires.
200 pages, Paperback
Published May 10, 2022
4 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Julie Zine Coleman
4 books11 followersJulie Coleman loves to teach the Word of God! With contagious enthusiasm, she brings hope and encouragement to her audience through rich biblical teaching. Julie uses humor and personal stories to make her teaching entertaining as well as meaningful. Her warm and insightful messages make her an effective and well-received speaker.
During her 20 year teaching career, Julie received professional recognition including being named Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from Capital Bible Seminary. Julie and her husband, Steve, have four grown children and make their home in the Annapolis, Maryland area.
During her 20 year teaching career, Julie received professional recognition including being named Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from Capital Bible Seminary. Julie and her husband, Steve, have four grown children and make their home in the Annapolis, Maryland area.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 24, 2023
A balanced, careful look at how the Bible speaks about women and the way they can and should use their gifts to serve the Body to the glory of God. After examining each text in its original context and considering how to interpret it in light of the whole Bible, she then wisely applies it to our current context. This book has one of the better explanations of the structure and grammar of Ephesians 5 that I’ve seen. I particularly appreciated Julie’s clear love for and high view of God’s Word, the way she shared her heart and the questions with which she has wrestled, as well as, the way she kept Christ central throughout her writing. She is honest but also charitable and gracious. This was a refreshing read!
August 1, 2022
I am not usually a reader of Christian nonfiction, but the description of On Purpose interested me. I found it a very accessible book, but written for a different type of Christian than I am. I am a Presbyterian, and in my lifetime, have always seen women as leaders in the church. I myself am an Elder, and have led Sunday School classes and known women ministers.
However, I acknowledge that other denominations don't have the same history. Many still believe that women shouldn't preach or teach men because the Bible says that men are the spiritual leaders. Julie Coleman wrote this book to show how Scripture doesn't back them up on that claim. She goes through several stories and figures in the Bible to show that women were historically part of Jewish and Christian communities as spiritual leaders.
Coleman's book is based in her beliefs of the Bible and the church, and would be a good read for anyone who is from a similar background. Her Biblical knowledge is great, and this book could act as reference material when speaking with someone who believes women don't belong in ministry.
However, since this is not even a question in my church, this book wasn't overly compelling to me. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.
However, I acknowledge that other denominations don't have the same history. Many still believe that women shouldn't preach or teach men because the Bible says that men are the spiritual leaders. Julie Coleman wrote this book to show how Scripture doesn't back them up on that claim. She goes through several stories and figures in the Bible to show that women were historically part of Jewish and Christian communities as spiritual leaders.
Coleman's book is based in her beliefs of the Bible and the church, and would be a good read for anyone who is from a similar background. Her Biblical knowledge is great, and this book could act as reference material when speaking with someone who believes women don't belong in ministry.
However, since this is not even a question in my church, this book wasn't overly compelling to me. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.
August 1, 2022
What an incredibly loving, thoroughly researched, encouraging, sincere joy this book was to me. It's brief and direct but deep, providing historical context and letting Scripture interpret itself. Without being argumentative or demanding its own way, this book invites readers to look at God's Word and see His heart for women, the freedom Christ offers, and the obvious ways humans have tended to misread and misinterpret and ultimately sabotage ourselves and our relationships in ways He neither deamnded nor intended. This one is worth a read or two or three.
May 10, 2022
Does the Bible really say all women should stay silent in church? Or that Eve was created as inferior to Adam? Or that wives must obey their husbands no matter what? Sadly, there are more than a few people who think Scriptures give them authority to control what women are allowed to say and do.
Julie Coleman grew up in a church like that, where she was not allowed to use her considerable gifts to teach groups that included men—or even serve on a committee with them. Fortunately for her and for us, she dug deeper to find out what the Bible really teaches about women. That means not simply accepting our contemporary view of what a word or a verse might mean, but looking at it in its original language (Hebrew or Greek), finding how the word was used elsewhere in the Bible, considering to whom it was originally spoken or written and what circumstances were at the time. In addition, it has to be considered alongside the rest of the Bible’s teaching. Context matters a lot.
Coleman points out how we apply our contemporary ideas to ancient words. Genesis refers to Eve as a helper for Adam. Today we tend to think of helpers as assistants or aides, but the same word is used elsewhere in the Bible to when God helps people. Is the helper less than those who are helped?
Coleman’s take is that both Adam and Eve were created in the image of God and intended to be partners. The patriarchal arrangement that came after the fall was a perversion of God’s original intention as a consequence of sin, not a mandate for all time or something for us to aspire to.
She has lots more to say about both Old Testament and New Testament passages, grounding them in history and linguistics. Her work is intended to be used as a 10-session Bible study, filled with thought-provoking ideas for discussion. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about what the Bible really says about women, this is a great tool.
Julie Coleman grew up in a church like that, where she was not allowed to use her considerable gifts to teach groups that included men—or even serve on a committee with them. Fortunately for her and for us, she dug deeper to find out what the Bible really teaches about women. That means not simply accepting our contemporary view of what a word or a verse might mean, but looking at it in its original language (Hebrew or Greek), finding how the word was used elsewhere in the Bible, considering to whom it was originally spoken or written and what circumstances were at the time. In addition, it has to be considered alongside the rest of the Bible’s teaching. Context matters a lot.
Coleman points out how we apply our contemporary ideas to ancient words. Genesis refers to Eve as a helper for Adam. Today we tend to think of helpers as assistants or aides, but the same word is used elsewhere in the Bible to when God helps people. Is the helper less than those who are helped?
Coleman’s take is that both Adam and Eve were created in the image of God and intended to be partners. The patriarchal arrangement that came after the fall was a perversion of God’s original intention as a consequence of sin, not a mandate for all time or something for us to aspire to.
She has lots more to say about both Old Testament and New Testament passages, grounding them in history and linguistics. Her work is intended to be used as a 10-session Bible study, filled with thought-provoking ideas for discussion. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about what the Bible really says about women, this is a great tool.
April 16, 2025
This is a really good, concise approach to a sometimes complicated and controversial topic in the church. It’s studied, but written for the layman… or laywoman. ☺️
There is a good short address of current assumptions and cultural norms associated with certain Bible verses, framing the relevant context. I particularly appreciate the respect for Scripture, and the hermeneutical approach.
This will make for a great intro to the subject or just a great addition to the growing library of these books. Additionally, this book presents some valuable insight on gnostic teachings.
There is a good short address of current assumptions and cultural norms associated with certain Bible verses, framing the relevant context. I particularly appreciate the respect for Scripture, and the hermeneutical approach.
This will make for a great intro to the subject or just a great addition to the growing library of these books. Additionally, this book presents some valuable insight on gnostic teachings.
May 24, 2023
This is an extremely well-written and well-researched book. I started reading already agreeing with the author's general premise and having a general familiarity with the opposing and supporting viewpoints on women's leadership in the church. So I was honestly not really expecting to be surprised by many of the points made. I also take a less literal/inerrant view of the Bible than I believe the author does, so I thought I might even find some of the arguments to be a bit of a stretch (whereas with my views I can accept some parts of the Bible as simply being "outdated" for lack of a better term, a literalist who also believes in gender equality needs a better explanation for what appears to be sexist biblical passages and therefore could be motivated to "reach" a bit with some interpretations). Not that I doubt the author's integrity - I very much do not - just that I am aware that no human can be 100% unbiased.
Needless to say, I was wrong on both counts. I learned a lot, many things I was surprised to have never learned about previously in my studies on this subject. And regardless of the author's biblical literalism and how that may or may not affect her interpretation of some passages, as it turns out she simply did not need to "reach" for anything on this topic. She made a strong, well-researched case that even a semi-skeptic such as myself found very compelling.
Examples. Stuff I learned that I wasn't expecting. Apparently, the Greek pronouns in the instructions to elders passages in the pastoral epistles are actually not male. They are GENDER NEUTRAL! So while our English translations, for whatever reason, translate 1 Tim 3:1 as "if any man aspires to..." actually says something more like "if any one aspires to..." There is a reference in those passages to "being the husband of one wife" but the author explains that was a common idiom at the time (an exact translation is something like "one man woman") and was used for both men and women. What the what, every-Bible-translation-I've-ever-read? Now, I understand that the instructions to women in vs 13 COULD indicate the previous verses are directed to men (although there is a Greek word for "man" so it is curious why the author didn't just use that if that was what he meant). So I get that there is room for discussion and reasonable disagreement here. But the ubiquitous translation decisions that all favor one side of that discussion are not helping.
Reaching. There were a few chapters where the author laid out her argument in the opening paragraphs and my initial thoughts were that it seemed a little weak. But lo and behold, by the end of the chapter I was convinced. The chapter on 1 Cor 11 (head coverings in church, fun one) is a good example. The author argues that the passage where Paul appears to be saying women need to wear a head covering while praying were actually an argument against such decrees (or at least against the rigidity of such decrees) using an ancient literary tool called a chiasm. That sounded like a stretch to me at first but by the end of the chapter, she had made a pretty solid case.
There are some passages that remain difficult to reconcile with a gender equality viewpoint. 1 Timothy 2 is one of them. Weird passage. It seems likely at this point we will never know for sure exactly what in the world was going on there. But we do know (or should know) that a strict, surface-level, literal reading of the text is not it. No one (except perhaps the most fringe, fundamentalist viewpoints) thinks that women are saved by having babies. So we don't take that verse at face value without nuance, but for some reason many insist on taking that stance with the verses right next to it. The true intention of these verses is probably wrapped up in details of the local context which have been lost to time. But there are some things we can rule out based on other parts of that letter and other biblical writings and we can make educated guesses on the rest. The author goes through several of these possible alternative explanations and the best evidence we have for them.
So, in sum, this book is an insightful exploration of the biblical passages typically used to restrict women's opportunities in the church. I found it helpful and educational. Highly recommend.
Needless to say, I was wrong on both counts. I learned a lot, many things I was surprised to have never learned about previously in my studies on this subject. And regardless of the author's biblical literalism and how that may or may not affect her interpretation of some passages, as it turns out she simply did not need to "reach" for anything on this topic. She made a strong, well-researched case that even a semi-skeptic such as myself found very compelling.
Examples. Stuff I learned that I wasn't expecting. Apparently, the Greek pronouns in the instructions to elders passages in the pastoral epistles are actually not male. They are GENDER NEUTRAL! So while our English translations, for whatever reason, translate 1 Tim 3:1 as "if any man aspires to..." actually says something more like "if any one aspires to..." There is a reference in those passages to "being the husband of one wife" but the author explains that was a common idiom at the time (an exact translation is something like "one man woman") and was used for both men and women. What the what, every-Bible-translation-I've-ever-read? Now, I understand that the instructions to women in vs 13 COULD indicate the previous verses are directed to men (although there is a Greek word for "man" so it is curious why the author didn't just use that if that was what he meant). So I get that there is room for discussion and reasonable disagreement here. But the ubiquitous translation decisions that all favor one side of that discussion are not helping.
Reaching. There were a few chapters where the author laid out her argument in the opening paragraphs and my initial thoughts were that it seemed a little weak. But lo and behold, by the end of the chapter I was convinced. The chapter on 1 Cor 11 (head coverings in church, fun one) is a good example. The author argues that the passage where Paul appears to be saying women need to wear a head covering while praying were actually an argument against such decrees (or at least against the rigidity of such decrees) using an ancient literary tool called a chiasm. That sounded like a stretch to me at first but by the end of the chapter, she had made a pretty solid case.
There are some passages that remain difficult to reconcile with a gender equality viewpoint. 1 Timothy 2 is one of them. Weird passage. It seems likely at this point we will never know for sure exactly what in the world was going on there. But we do know (or should know) that a strict, surface-level, literal reading of the text is not it. No one (except perhaps the most fringe, fundamentalist viewpoints) thinks that women are saved by having babies. So we don't take that verse at face value without nuance, but for some reason many insist on taking that stance with the verses right next to it. The true intention of these verses is probably wrapped up in details of the local context which have been lost to time. But there are some things we can rule out based on other parts of that letter and other biblical writings and we can make educated guesses on the rest. The author goes through several of these possible alternative explanations and the best evidence we have for them.
So, in sum, this book is an insightful exploration of the biblical passages typically used to restrict women's opportunities in the church. I found it helpful and educational. Highly recommend.
September 1, 2022
The strength of "On Purpose" is Coleman's use of scholarship to bring clarity to biblical texts. Each chapter focuses on a passage that has been used by the Church to make women subordinate to men in ministry and family. Coleman deftly focuses on the actual text, its original language, and, critically, its original context. She describes how these difficult passages, properly understood and interpreted, agree with the whole of scripture: all people are created equal in the image of God, men and women are partners in leadership, ministry, and family, and women are key contributors to the growth of God's kingdom on Earth.
August 2, 2022
Julie digs into the Word to reveal the meanings of difficult passages in the Scriptures about women. She brings clarity and invites you to also dig into the scripture to see for yourself and not just take her word for it.
September 11, 2022
Early in my Christian walk, I received some amazing advice:
God cannot contradict himself. If it looks like the Bible is contradicting itself, then you need to dig into the Bible (and the original Hebrew/Greek) to find out what it's really saying.
The role of women in Scripture can seem contradictory, especially to contemporary audiences. We don't understand the culture of ancient Israel, so we don't understand how revolutionary it was for Jesus to talk to a Samaritan woman or for Priscilla to be named a co-worker with Paul. Those details matter, though, and Julie Zine Coleman explains how.
Coleman doesn't defend what she thinks or hopes--she looks back at the original Hebrew and Greek texts, as well as other ancient works, to see what the whole of Scripture says about women, including their relationships in the church and marriages.
A fantastic, Bible-based book for men and women who want to see what Scripture really says about women.
God cannot contradict himself. If it looks like the Bible is contradicting itself, then you need to dig into the Bible (and the original Hebrew/Greek) to find out what it's really saying.
The role of women in Scripture can seem contradictory, especially to contemporary audiences. We don't understand the culture of ancient Israel, so we don't understand how revolutionary it was for Jesus to talk to a Samaritan woman or for Priscilla to be named a co-worker with Paul. Those details matter, though, and Julie Zine Coleman explains how.
Coleman doesn't defend what she thinks or hopes--she looks back at the original Hebrew and Greek texts, as well as other ancient works, to see what the whole of Scripture says about women, including their relationships in the church and marriages.
A fantastic, Bible-based book for men and women who want to see what Scripture really says about women.
August 10, 2023
I greatly appreciated this scholarly approach to the examination of scripture--Old Testament and New Testament--to determine what the Bible says about leadership roles of women in the church and larger community. The author focuses each of the ten chapters with a question--one that we've heard and perhaps one that we have had. Was woman created with an inherently different nature than man's? Does God approve o women leading? Should women be allowed to teach men? I am thankful for such a well-written resource . . . and for the validation that encourages me to use the gifts God has given me.
December 12, 2024
I appreciated the depth of scripture and contextual background given to support each of her points. These interpretations were encouraging and enlightening. I appreciated her call to unity and harmony, for all believers to glorify Christ and live on purpose.
Even if I don’t agree with all of her interpretations of the passages she provided, i do think there is much wisdom to be gained from her teachings. Overall this book is a helpful tool to see how the Bible really teaches equality in Christ and equality in marriage.
Even if I don’t agree with all of her interpretations of the passages she provided, i do think there is much wisdom to be gained from her teachings. Overall this book is a helpful tool to see how the Bible really teaches equality in Christ and equality in marriage.
May 14, 2023
I didn't agree with all the arguments made in this book, but I appreciated the attempts to take on the "submission" passages from a fresh angle. I learned a few things and have an increased appreciation for the complexity and depth of some of these passages. I wouldn't say that I found a lot of answers for how to think about and deal with these things, but that's ok. I was given more ways to grapple with and think about the Bible and that's a good thing.
June 15, 2023
There are few books that after I read the library copy, I think to myself, "This is one that I need for my own personal library because I will definitely be referring to it again and again!" This is one of those books. As a woman in ministry who constantly faces criticism from the church culture in general due to ignorance and lack of Bible knowledge, I found this book to be so well-researched, Biblically sound, and encouraging. This book should be on every minister's shelves.
October 3, 2023
I highly recommend this book. Coleman has much wisdom and has done deep research, and it is eye opening. I wish every person in the church would read it with an open mind.
January 8, 2025
Excellent book. Very well-written and accessible.
September 1, 2022
Thank you for letting the Holy Spirit teach you and then sharing with us what you are learning. What has been taught is scary because it’s destroying the relationships that God wants to have with women. It is Antichrist! He is loving and good and died for us too - He came to set us free too! I was raised in the lie and the damage done is huge. God has been walking me through healing for years and you are now part of that healing process!! Thanks again- may God bless His truth - may it destroy every lie!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews