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Women and the Gender of God
A robust theological argument against the assumption that God is male. God values women. While many Christians would readily affirm this truth, the widely held assumption that the Bible depicts a male God persists—as it has for centuries. This misperception of Christianity not only perniciously implies that men deserve an elevated place over women but also compromises the glory of God by making God appear to be part of creation, subject to it and its categories, rather than in transcendence of it. Through a deep reading of the incarnation narratives of the New Testament and other relevant scriptural texts, Amy Peeler shows how the Bible depicts a God beyond gender and a savior who, while embodied as a man, is the unification in one person of the image of God that resides in both male and female. Peeler begins with a study of Mary and her response to the annunciation, through which it becomes clear that God empowers women and honors their agency. Then Peeler describes from a theological standpoint how the virgin birth of Jesus—the second Adam—reverses the gendered division enacted in the garden of Eden. While acknowledging the significance of the Bible’s frequent use of “Father” language to represent God as a caring parent, Peeler goes beneath the surface of this metaphor to show how God is never sexualized by biblical writers or described as being physically involved in procreation—making the concept of a masculine God dubious, at best. From these doctrinal centers of Christianity, Peeler leads the way in reasserting the value of women in the church and prophetically speaking out against the destructive idolatry of masculinity.
286 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2022
124 people are currently reading
1931 people want to read
About the author
Amy Peeler
15 books63 followersRev. Amy Peeler, Ph.D. is the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies and Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, IL and an Associate Priest at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Geneva, IL. Peeler researches, writes, and speak on the relationship between women and men in the Christian faith, particularly through the lens of the incarnation. She received her BA in Biblical Languages from Oklahoma Baptist University, M. Div. and Ph. D. in New Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary, and served as a Senior Research Fellow with the Logos Institute at the University of St. Andrews. She is an active member of the Society of Biblical Literature, Institute for Biblical Research, and a Fellow with the Center for Pastor Theologians.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
March 21, 2022
This is a daring book. Amy Peeler tackles a controversial issue: the gender of God and its implications for women. For some, to raise these questions at all is objectionable. For others, Peeler's high view of Scripture will suggest that she herself is captive to patriarchy. However, readers who take the time to engage her argument will find that neither critique has merit.
Like it or not, many people today reject the Christian faith because of their perception that the Bible portrays God as masculine/male. Is the Bible even good for women? Peeler patiently shows why these questions are worth asking and how the Bible itself offers a robust response that both affirms women and glorifies God, without making God male. Part of her answer is to help Protestants recover the biblical portrait of Mary.
Peeler's grasp of the secondary literature is impressive. Her arguments are sophisticated and theologically astute. She is attentive to nuance in Scripture, and her faithful reading yields an illuminating vision of a good God who invites women to be full participants in God's work in the world. I'm so grateful for her work. I expect it will be an essential resource for years to come.
Like it or not, many people today reject the Christian faith because of their perception that the Bible portrays God as masculine/male. Is the Bible even good for women? Peeler patiently shows why these questions are worth asking and how the Bible itself offers a robust response that both affirms women and glorifies God, without making God male. Part of her answer is to help Protestants recover the biblical portrait of Mary.
Peeler's grasp of the secondary literature is impressive. Her arguments are sophisticated and theologically astute. She is attentive to nuance in Scripture, and her faithful reading yields an illuminating vision of a good God who invites women to be full participants in God's work in the world. I'm so grateful for her work. I expect it will be an essential resource for years to come.
January 16, 2024
It's hard to know where to start reviewing this book. Its main focus is the Incarnation of Christ, specifically in two ways: first, what it tells us about the way God values women, and second, what it tells us about the gendered ways in which God has made himself known to humanity, despite being an entity far beyond any human conception of gender. Peeler approaches the topic primarily from a solidly orthodox and Protestant standpoint, and the the conclusions she draws are mostly egalitarian, but the book is rigorously scholarly, gracious and attentive to other perspectives, and (I am convinced) profitable reading for anyone.
Personally I found the book refreshing in two ways. First, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read a book on Christianity and gender that doesn't focus on enforcing or contextualising a small handful of "problem passages" from Paul's epistles, or praising a limited number of Old Testament female saints. This book has much broader, more overarching questions in mind. God is not male, but is God indeed masculine in relationship to humanity? If it's unhelpful to import earthly ideas of gender into God's character, then why did he choose to reveal himself as a he/him? While it's important to consider the finer details of what the Bible actually reveals, including the Pauline "problem passages", it's overarching discussions like this that are badly needed to frame the discussion.
Second, in considering the Incarnation, Peeler spends a large proportion of the book discussing the figure of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is the lynchpin of her argument. I've long bewailed that fact that Protestantism, particularly in the Reformed streams I grew up in, shows a distinct lack of interest in Mary - occasionally one might hear a Christmas sermon on the Magnificat or on Mary's willing obedience to God, but the vast majority of references to her simply dismiss her as an icon of Catholicism. Don't call her blessed, even though she prophesies through the Spirit that all generations should do just that. Don't consider how she might be unique among human beings. Don't identify her with the woman of Revelation 12, even though that woman clearly appears giving birth to the Lord. Reformed preaching certainly never had me consider how the young Jesus was taught and reproved by Mary, or the larger implications for humanity in general of his incarnation from the singular flesh of a young woman. It turns out that there's a whole rich field of Mariology spanning all traditions of the Christian faith, going far beyond such claims as immaculate conception or perpetual virginity, which any devout Protestant can learn from with profit. Where has this book been my whole life?
Some takeaways from this book:
- the central argument, which is that God is neither male (not possessing a body) nor even masculine in relation to humanity (since his attributes include and transcend gender). On the contrary, God is called a parent because of his uniquely loving, parental, personal relationship to the Word and through the Word to all of adopted humanity. And he is called Father because the Word already has a Mother, Mary of Nazareth. Calling God Father preserves and honours the role of Mary, recognises a personal and particular God, and insists upon the fleshly Incarnation of God as the Son from the Father through the flesh of his mother.
- similarly, Jesus became incarnate as a male, because in this way he could best represent all humanity, including women. In becoming incarnate from the flesh of a singular woman, there is nothing about Jesus' humanity that did not come from a woman. Therefore he is in his flesh able to represent both men and women.
- ancillary to this is another very striking and important point: the personality and particularity of this God. We do not worship a God who is some archetypal principle of paternity. Rather, we worship a God who is the particular Father of a particular Son. This is a person, not a force, nor a principle, nor an archetype. He is Himself - he has a specific personality, a specific set of characteristics, specific desires and ways of doing things. One father may be evil, selfish, abusive, or neglectful; another father may be good, giving, nurturing, and personally involved in the lives of his children; God the Father, as a person, is definitively the latter. Similarly, God the Word had to become incarnate by some means on earth, and that meant accruing a body that was (or presented as) either male or female; and it's possible to read his choice of a male body originating from a singular female body as the most inclusive, rather than an exclusive, body.
Also of note - a year ago I concluded that if there is any rationale for a priesthood of males, it cannot be male authority. "There may be a typological rationale for an all-male clergy: for instance, that a priest must symbolise Jesus, the Groom, to the Body, the Bride," I added, as an aside. It was interesting to note that Peeler demolishes this rationale pretty handily in this book, although she remains coy on the topic of whether other rationales may exist.
That aside, I have to reiterate that this book is as nonpartisan as the author can make it, never descends to the level of polemic, and ought to be able to be read with profit by a range of different viewpoints. I loved every minute of it.
Personally I found the book refreshing in two ways. First, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read a book on Christianity and gender that doesn't focus on enforcing or contextualising a small handful of "problem passages" from Paul's epistles, or praising a limited number of Old Testament female saints. This book has much broader, more overarching questions in mind. God is not male, but is God indeed masculine in relationship to humanity? If it's unhelpful to import earthly ideas of gender into God's character, then why did he choose to reveal himself as a he/him? While it's important to consider the finer details of what the Bible actually reveals, including the Pauline "problem passages", it's overarching discussions like this that are badly needed to frame the discussion.
Second, in considering the Incarnation, Peeler spends a large proportion of the book discussing the figure of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is the lynchpin of her argument. I've long bewailed that fact that Protestantism, particularly in the Reformed streams I grew up in, shows a distinct lack of interest in Mary - occasionally one might hear a Christmas sermon on the Magnificat or on Mary's willing obedience to God, but the vast majority of references to her simply dismiss her as an icon of Catholicism. Don't call her blessed, even though she prophesies through the Spirit that all generations should do just that. Don't consider how she might be unique among human beings. Don't identify her with the woman of Revelation 12, even though that woman clearly appears giving birth to the Lord. Reformed preaching certainly never had me consider how the young Jesus was taught and reproved by Mary, or the larger implications for humanity in general of his incarnation from the singular flesh of a young woman. It turns out that there's a whole rich field of Mariology spanning all traditions of the Christian faith, going far beyond such claims as immaculate conception or perpetual virginity, which any devout Protestant can learn from with profit. Where has this book been my whole life?
Some takeaways from this book:
- the central argument, which is that God is neither male (not possessing a body) nor even masculine in relation to humanity (since his attributes include and transcend gender). On the contrary, God is called a parent because of his uniquely loving, parental, personal relationship to the Word and through the Word to all of adopted humanity. And he is called Father because the Word already has a Mother, Mary of Nazareth. Calling God Father preserves and honours the role of Mary, recognises a personal and particular God, and insists upon the fleshly Incarnation of God as the Son from the Father through the flesh of his mother.
- similarly, Jesus became incarnate as a male, because in this way he could best represent all humanity, including women. In becoming incarnate from the flesh of a singular woman, there is nothing about Jesus' humanity that did not come from a woman. Therefore he is in his flesh able to represent both men and women.
- ancillary to this is another very striking and important point: the personality and particularity of this God. We do not worship a God who is some archetypal principle of paternity. Rather, we worship a God who is the particular Father of a particular Son. This is a person, not a force, nor a principle, nor an archetype. He is Himself - he has a specific personality, a specific set of characteristics, specific desires and ways of doing things. One father may be evil, selfish, abusive, or neglectful; another father may be good, giving, nurturing, and personally involved in the lives of his children; God the Father, as a person, is definitively the latter. Similarly, God the Word had to become incarnate by some means on earth, and that meant accruing a body that was (or presented as) either male or female; and it's possible to read his choice of a male body originating from a singular female body as the most inclusive, rather than an exclusive, body.
Also of note - a year ago I concluded that if there is any rationale for a priesthood of males, it cannot be male authority. "There may be a typological rationale for an all-male clergy: for instance, that a priest must symbolise Jesus, the Groom, to the Body, the Bride," I added, as an aside. It was interesting to note that Peeler demolishes this rationale pretty handily in this book, although she remains coy on the topic of whether other rationales may exist.
That aside, I have to reiterate that this book is as nonpartisan as the author can make it, never descends to the level of polemic, and ought to be able to be read with profit by a range of different viewpoints. I loved every minute of it.
October 30, 2022
Basically underlined every line. The conclusion made me tear up. How’s that for an academic book?
So grateful to have studied under this brilliant scholar.
So grateful to have studied under this brilliant scholar.
May 12, 2023
Since this book has received some heat as of late, I thought I’d post my review I wrote last year but never published.
Simply put: God is not male. God is called Father because God begot Jesus. God is not called Mother because Jesus had a mother. But God is not male because God did not impregnate Mary as a man would. To affirm that God is not male is to reaffirm that both males and females equally image God.
Jesus is male, but he is male like no other because of his virginal conception. Jesus had to be male because only through a woman giving birth to a man could God partner with God’s image bearers fully (male and female) through the incarnation.
God being born of Mary bestows dignity upon women as full image bearers of God. God being born as a man bestows dignity upon men as full image bearers of God.
So, if God is not male, why does scripture use masculine pronouns to describe “Him?” And if God is not male, why does Scripture instruct us to call God “Father?”
To begin with, any human language we use to describe the first member of the Trinity is anthropomorphic. God is spirit. Thus, God is neither male nor female. To say “Him” or “He” is to ascribe personhood to God, not gender. God is no more “masculine” than God is “feminine” nor is God more male than female. Femininity and masculinity are culturally defined and maleness and femaleness are biologically defined. Thus, because God does not change like culture, nor is God embodied like humans, it is inaccurate to place masculinity/femininity or maleness/femaleness over God. Whatever distinctions do exist between male and female -whether biological or spiritual - must equally find their fullness in Godself. There is no bit of God that is more male than female or vice versa as scripture is clear that males and females are both made in the image of God—equally.
This is not novel. Scripture and church history affirm this repeatedly as Dr. Peeler so thoroughly shows. But if that is so, why have 2,000 years of Christian history also formed us to subconsciously think of God as male?
Firstly, the prevalence of patriarchy. Regardless of if you think women can pastor or not, the fact that most people in church history have believed only men can serve God as pastor/priest/elder subconsciously (or consciously) supposes men more fully image God.
Secondly, while scripture does use feminine/motherly imagery to describe God (and it is beautiful and should be thoroughly explored in this conversation), scripture never calls God a woman or a mother. Why? Again, God is not a woman nor a man and when scripture uses masculine or feminine language, it only does so anthropomorphically. On top of this, scripture does not call God mother because Jesus had a mother and she was not God.
This leads to point three. Thirdly, scripture calls God “Father” and we assume that means male. This may be the hardest point to capture, but scripture repeatedly denies that God is male. So, whatever scripture means by “Father,” it cannot mean a man with a penis. Rather, Scripture uses “Father” for three reasons:
1. To show the familial relationship we can have with God and to rightly orient ourselves in that relationship - as the dependents.
2. To show that God like a man (not as a man) initiates to bring forth creation and humanity into existence.
3. Jesus calls God Father because Jesus had a mother. Without a human father involved in Jesus’ conception, God exists as Jesus’ eternal “Father.” But again, this does not mean male. Initiator, source of life, or Parent would be a more accurate (yet potentially distracting or less-personal) depiction.
Fourthly, Christian theology has routinely denied the maleness of God while Christian art has routinely depicted God as male. In the rightful quest to image God in art (and language) as personal, we have fallen into a gendered-trap by depicting God as male (and often white, but that’s another topic). Because we see God the Father as male in our churches, we assume the gender of God must be male. But again, God is not gendered. God is spirit.
So what does all this mean?
Firstly, if God is not male, then any claim that God prefers men to women or is more like men than women is disproven. God does not show favoritism.
Secondly, regardless of where you fall on the women in church leadership discussion, your reason cannot be based on the illusion that men more truly portray God than women so only men can lead. There are biblically-sound reasons to believe in male-headship in church. This not one. This is a theological heresy.
Thirdly, while it is not wrong to say “He” or “Him” for God the Father, it can be misleading and continue the faulty assumption that God is male. Thus, while it is right and good to use masculine pronouns for Jesus, it can confuse to use them for God the Father or God the Holy Spirit.
Fourthly, to call God “She,” “Her” or “Mother” may make sense as if we should simply “balance” what we call God. But it only perpetuates the problem in the opposition direction because God, likewise, is not a woman. Thus, if gendered language must be used, masculine should be our default because historically and culturally the masculine is 1. what scripture uses and 2. is the most gender-inclusive term.
Fifthly, while it is not wrong to say “He” or “Him” for God the Father, it can be beneficial to avoid gendered pronouns for the first or third member of the Trinity. One can simply say God or Godself. It does take some mental retraining (as you will quickly find just how often you call God “He/Him”), but I personally find this wise and good. But again, this is not a moral issue as scripture repeatedly depicts God this way. So, those of us who adopt this linguistic change must not look down our nose at those who don’t.
Some other approaches I’ve seen to the default of using masculine-language to depict God:
1. To put “He” or “Him” in quotes to highlight the anthropomorphic language in your words. I’ve seen Walter Brueggemann do this in his books.
2. To say “It” or “Itself.” This removes the gender issue all together, but personally, I find it both distracting and difficult to retain a personal view of God with an impersonal pronoun like this. You can find this example in popular-level Christian books like Scot Erickson’s Honest Advent.
3. To use female pronouns in addition to male pronouns. While I don’t personally support this option, some Christians have opted to use both male and female pronouns interchangeably to try and correct the lie that God is male.
This book has given me a more robust theological imagination for who God is, who we are as human image bearers of God - male and female - and answered astutely from scripture and church history how God and God’s people esteem women. We have not done it perfectly, only God has. And for much of church history, we have cloaked doctrine of God in masculine ideas to the detriment of women. And for that, we must repent and reconcile our view of women with how God sees them - as equals.
May this book continue the important conversation and specifically help women who feel disenfranchised see how valued they are to God - co-heirs with Christ, equals with men.
Simply put: God is not male. God is called Father because God begot Jesus. God is not called Mother because Jesus had a mother. But God is not male because God did not impregnate Mary as a man would. To affirm that God is not male is to reaffirm that both males and females equally image God.
Jesus is male, but he is male like no other because of his virginal conception. Jesus had to be male because only through a woman giving birth to a man could God partner with God’s image bearers fully (male and female) through the incarnation.
God being born of Mary bestows dignity upon women as full image bearers of God. God being born as a man bestows dignity upon men as full image bearers of God.
So, if God is not male, why does scripture use masculine pronouns to describe “Him?” And if God is not male, why does Scripture instruct us to call God “Father?”
To begin with, any human language we use to describe the first member of the Trinity is anthropomorphic. God is spirit. Thus, God is neither male nor female. To say “Him” or “He” is to ascribe personhood to God, not gender. God is no more “masculine” than God is “feminine” nor is God more male than female. Femininity and masculinity are culturally defined and maleness and femaleness are biologically defined. Thus, because God does not change like culture, nor is God embodied like humans, it is inaccurate to place masculinity/femininity or maleness/femaleness over God. Whatever distinctions do exist between male and female -whether biological or spiritual - must equally find their fullness in Godself. There is no bit of God that is more male than female or vice versa as scripture is clear that males and females are both made in the image of God—equally.
This is not novel. Scripture and church history affirm this repeatedly as Dr. Peeler so thoroughly shows. But if that is so, why have 2,000 years of Christian history also formed us to subconsciously think of God as male?
Firstly, the prevalence of patriarchy. Regardless of if you think women can pastor or not, the fact that most people in church history have believed only men can serve God as pastor/priest/elder subconsciously (or consciously) supposes men more fully image God.
Secondly, while scripture does use feminine/motherly imagery to describe God (and it is beautiful and should be thoroughly explored in this conversation), scripture never calls God a woman or a mother. Why? Again, God is not a woman nor a man and when scripture uses masculine or feminine language, it only does so anthropomorphically. On top of this, scripture does not call God mother because Jesus had a mother and she was not God.
This leads to point three. Thirdly, scripture calls God “Father” and we assume that means male. This may be the hardest point to capture, but scripture repeatedly denies that God is male. So, whatever scripture means by “Father,” it cannot mean a man with a penis. Rather, Scripture uses “Father” for three reasons:
1. To show the familial relationship we can have with God and to rightly orient ourselves in that relationship - as the dependents.
2. To show that God like a man (not as a man) initiates to bring forth creation and humanity into existence.
3. Jesus calls God Father because Jesus had a mother. Without a human father involved in Jesus’ conception, God exists as Jesus’ eternal “Father.” But again, this does not mean male. Initiator, source of life, or Parent would be a more accurate (yet potentially distracting or less-personal) depiction.
Fourthly, Christian theology has routinely denied the maleness of God while Christian art has routinely depicted God as male. In the rightful quest to image God in art (and language) as personal, we have fallen into a gendered-trap by depicting God as male (and often white, but that’s another topic). Because we see God the Father as male in our churches, we assume the gender of God must be male. But again, God is not gendered. God is spirit.
So what does all this mean?
Firstly, if God is not male, then any claim that God prefers men to women or is more like men than women is disproven. God does not show favoritism.
Secondly, regardless of where you fall on the women in church leadership discussion, your reason cannot be based on the illusion that men more truly portray God than women so only men can lead. There are biblically-sound reasons to believe in male-headship in church. This not one. This is a theological heresy.
Thirdly, while it is not wrong to say “He” or “Him” for God the Father, it can be misleading and continue the faulty assumption that God is male. Thus, while it is right and good to use masculine pronouns for Jesus, it can confuse to use them for God the Father or God the Holy Spirit.
Fourthly, to call God “She,” “Her” or “Mother” may make sense as if we should simply “balance” what we call God. But it only perpetuates the problem in the opposition direction because God, likewise, is not a woman. Thus, if gendered language must be used, masculine should be our default because historically and culturally the masculine is 1. what scripture uses and 2. is the most gender-inclusive term.
Fifthly, while it is not wrong to say “He” or “Him” for God the Father, it can be beneficial to avoid gendered pronouns for the first or third member of the Trinity. One can simply say God or Godself. It does take some mental retraining (as you will quickly find just how often you call God “He/Him”), but I personally find this wise and good. But again, this is not a moral issue as scripture repeatedly depicts God this way. So, those of us who adopt this linguistic change must not look down our nose at those who don’t.
Some other approaches I’ve seen to the default of using masculine-language to depict God:
1. To put “He” or “Him” in quotes to highlight the anthropomorphic language in your words. I’ve seen Walter Brueggemann do this in his books.
2. To say “It” or “Itself.” This removes the gender issue all together, but personally, I find it both distracting and difficult to retain a personal view of God with an impersonal pronoun like this. You can find this example in popular-level Christian books like Scot Erickson’s Honest Advent.
3. To use female pronouns in addition to male pronouns. While I don’t personally support this option, some Christians have opted to use both male and female pronouns interchangeably to try and correct the lie that God is male.
This book has given me a more robust theological imagination for who God is, who we are as human image bearers of God - male and female - and answered astutely from scripture and church history how God and God’s people esteem women. We have not done it perfectly, only God has. And for much of church history, we have cloaked doctrine of God in masculine ideas to the detriment of women. And for that, we must repent and reconcile our view of women with how God sees them - as equals.
May this book continue the important conversation and specifically help women who feel disenfranchised see how valued they are to God - co-heirs with Christ, equals with men.
September 27, 2022
Peeler's provocative title considers the implications of the Virgin Mary and her son Jesus on the Triune God. Peeler is a New Testament scholar, so her work here largely focuses on the Gospels. (So refreshing to not have a Paul-centric study of gender, huzzah!) She invites us to consider "The Father Who Is Not Male" (chapter 1), the "God [Who] Is Not Masculine" (chapter 4), and "The Male Savior" (chapter 5), among other things. What does it mean for Christian theology that a genderless God was born of a woman, as a man, in the person of Jesus Christ?
I found her work thought-provoking and illuminating, especially regarding the annunciation and magnificat of Mary in Luke's account. I would love to see Peeler work on other women from the Gospels, namely the Bethany siblings and Mary Magdalene and their unique roles of understanding and testifying in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
This is quite an academic work, with oodles of fun footnote conversations, but I am not a New Testament scholar and I found it accessible enough. She remains faithful to Christian tradition, but the ways in which she does so depart from recent history and appeal more to pre-Constantinopolitan Christianity. Peeler provides helpful correctives for certain alleys of evangelicalism that want to claim a genderless God but affirm some essential masculinity, which based on past experience they will refuse to hear.
Overall, I find this another useful example of Protestant Mariology. It's fitting that Peeler and Milliner co-teach a Mariology class and are having their books published on the same day. Their angles (and even the stuff of their conclusions) are quite different, but complementary and worth reading together. Yet, I have hope for Peeler's book making waves in New Testament studies and inviting us Protestants to consider Mary more deeply, not as a vessel, but as a Spirit-filled agent in the drama of redemption.
End matter includes an appendix on God the Father, a list of works cited, and Eerdmans' tripartite indexes, of authors, subjects, and Scripture references/ancient sources.
I found her work thought-provoking and illuminating, especially regarding the annunciation and magnificat of Mary in Luke's account. I would love to see Peeler work on other women from the Gospels, namely the Bethany siblings and Mary Magdalene and their unique roles of understanding and testifying in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
This is quite an academic work, with oodles of fun footnote conversations, but I am not a New Testament scholar and I found it accessible enough. She remains faithful to Christian tradition, but the ways in which she does so depart from recent history and appeal more to pre-Constantinopolitan Christianity. Peeler provides helpful correctives for certain alleys of evangelicalism that want to claim a genderless God but affirm some essential masculinity, which based on past experience they will refuse to hear.
Overall, I find this another useful example of Protestant Mariology. It's fitting that Peeler and Milliner co-teach a Mariology class and are having their books published on the same day. Their angles (and even the stuff of their conclusions) are quite different, but complementary and worth reading together. Yet, I have hope for Peeler's book making waves in New Testament studies and inviting us Protestants to consider Mary more deeply, not as a vessel, but as a Spirit-filled agent in the drama of redemption.
End matter includes an appendix on God the Father, a list of works cited, and Eerdmans' tripartite indexes, of authors, subjects, and Scripture references/ancient sources.
July 16, 2024
excellent. i won't give a full review now bc i need to literally start this book again and read once more to grasp more than i did on a first read/listen through. there's so much in this book.
July 10, 2023
As a child who grew up in the church believing I was somehow a second class citizen of God’s kingdom because of my gender and the lack I saw of female representation behind the pulpit, Peeler’s reorientation of women as equal image bearers of God because of the virgin birth brought tears to my eyes and deeper breath to my chest. Her argument is robust and clarifying. A worthwhile and deeply necessary read.
July 13, 2023
Thought provoking and well written.
The reason for the lower rating is that Peeler doesn’t delve into the eternal relations as reason for “Father/Son” language when that seems to be the primary theological justification. She deals mainly with the economic work of the Trinity and particularly the incarnation. She fails to see that the incarnation is not the basis for “Father/Son” language but takes the shape it does because Father/Son is how the first and second person of the Trinity have eternally related. I’m not sure if this is a willful omission because it would locate masculine analogy in the God-head or what to think of it. Whatever the case, her failure to broach the issue in a sufficient way when that seems to be the crux of the matter is the main reason for the lower rating.
In all, Peeler is clearly brilliant and a gifted writer and my own theological thinking was sharpened by reading her. Worth the read, though frustrating for the above mentioned glaring omission.
The reason for the lower rating is that Peeler doesn’t delve into the eternal relations as reason for “Father/Son” language when that seems to be the primary theological justification. She deals mainly with the economic work of the Trinity and particularly the incarnation. She fails to see that the incarnation is not the basis for “Father/Son” language but takes the shape it does because Father/Son is how the first and second person of the Trinity have eternally related. I’m not sure if this is a willful omission because it would locate masculine analogy in the God-head or what to think of it. Whatever the case, her failure to broach the issue in a sufficient way when that seems to be the crux of the matter is the main reason for the lower rating.
In all, Peeler is clearly brilliant and a gifted writer and my own theological thinking was sharpened by reading her. Worth the read, though frustrating for the above mentioned glaring omission.
January 12, 2023
There’s so much to unpack with this book. Peeler here tackles exactly what you’d expect: Women and the gender of God.
This book was incredibly engaging and academic, and Peeler fearlessly asks some hard but good questions like: Does the Levitical law privilege and prefer men over women? Was Mary a passive vessel of God, or even worse was she a victim of his imposed will? Was Jesus REALLY conceived by a virgin and does it matter? Is Christianity even a good thing for women?
Peeler offers a lot of good in this book. The first two chapters may be worth the whole price of admission— her treatment of Mary (specifically) and her analysis of the treatment of women in the Bible can leave no doubt in reader’s minds: God loves women intensely, and has shown that He values them infinitely. These are important chapters.
Peeler however, was less convincing of her premise about the gender of God. I felt like she spent so much time countering detractors of her point of view (that God has no gender because he is Spirit) that she does not elaborate well on what God being spirit actually means.
This book is a discussion starter, that’s for sure. Peeler is incredibly orthodox in many ways, while advocating for abandoning church tradition in others. She argues that God has no gender and is spirit, but she also willingly dies on the hill that He should be called Father and that this term should be privileged for Him. She has lots of great exegesis throughout the book, but she also quotes the Wisdom of Solomon as inspired scripture. She engages all three major streams of the church. She quotes and uses conservative theologians while engaging with a great breadth of feminist, womanist, and liberal theologians as well.
While I don’t agree with every conclusion Peeler draws, I think this book is going to generate great discussions about the Word, and will leave me chewing on a lot for some time to come.
This book was incredibly engaging and academic, and Peeler fearlessly asks some hard but good questions like: Does the Levitical law privilege and prefer men over women? Was Mary a passive vessel of God, or even worse was she a victim of his imposed will? Was Jesus REALLY conceived by a virgin and does it matter? Is Christianity even a good thing for women?
Peeler offers a lot of good in this book. The first two chapters may be worth the whole price of admission— her treatment of Mary (specifically) and her analysis of the treatment of women in the Bible can leave no doubt in reader’s minds: God loves women intensely, and has shown that He values them infinitely. These are important chapters.
Peeler however, was less convincing of her premise about the gender of God. I felt like she spent so much time countering detractors of her point of view (that God has no gender because he is Spirit) that she does not elaborate well on what God being spirit actually means.
This book is a discussion starter, that’s for sure. Peeler is incredibly orthodox in many ways, while advocating for abandoning church tradition in others. She argues that God has no gender and is spirit, but she also willingly dies on the hill that He should be called Father and that this term should be privileged for Him. She has lots of great exegesis throughout the book, but she also quotes the Wisdom of Solomon as inspired scripture. She engages all three major streams of the church. She quotes and uses conservative theologians while engaging with a great breadth of feminist, womanist, and liberal theologians as well.
While I don’t agree with every conclusion Peeler draws, I think this book is going to generate great discussions about the Word, and will leave me chewing on a lot for some time to come.
August 18, 2023
I heard an interview with Dr. Peeler on the "Birds of a Feather" podcast with Aimee Byrd and Michael F. Bird, and decided to at least skim this book -- once I started, I ended up reading it end to end.
This is a fantastic book, deeply rooted in the scholarship of New Testament Studies, and there were multiple times when I had deep "lightbulb" moments reading this. Peeler knows "The Literature" deeply, and situates the New Testament accounts in the context of other Greek, Roman, and Jewish texts. There were several aspects of Mary and Jesus that stand out sharply when contrasted with other literature of the day, that I had never considered before: "virgin" births; other "god-men"; and more.
She also traces Mary and Jesus and gender through the patristics, and both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, as well as the later Protestant thinkers. And then there was her own expositions of texts, laden with her observations and insights; some passages read as almost sermonic -- a rich feast.
This was a powerful, rich, edifying book. I would highly recommend it.
This is a fantastic book, deeply rooted in the scholarship of New Testament Studies, and there were multiple times when I had deep "lightbulb" moments reading this. Peeler knows "The Literature" deeply, and situates the New Testament accounts in the context of other Greek, Roman, and Jewish texts. There were several aspects of Mary and Jesus that stand out sharply when contrasted with other literature of the day, that I had never considered before: "virgin" births; other "god-men"; and more.
She also traces Mary and Jesus and gender through the patristics, and both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, as well as the later Protestant thinkers. And then there was her own expositions of texts, laden with her observations and insights; some passages read as almost sermonic -- a rich feast.
This was a powerful, rich, edifying book. I would highly recommend it.
December 15, 2025
A perfect Christmas read!
January 28, 2024
A phenomenal exploration of God’s gender and the implications of the incarnation for women. This is deep theological reflection that is necessary, I believe, for the full equality of women in the church and in the Christian imagination. God values women, women are full image bearers of God, and men do not represent God more than women. I especially treasured the opportunity to dwell on Mary’s story as a real person and the “theotokos” (“mother of God”). This should be required reading!
For a taste of what this book reflects on, read the following quote: “God the Father is not male. God the Father is not masculine. The son Jesus is embodied male but, because of the mode of his incarnation, is male like no other, denying the necessity that only males represent him. God the Father is rightly "Father" because God is Father of the eternal Son Jesus the Messiah, whose mother was Mary of Nazareth.”
For a taste of what this book reflects on, read the following quote: “God the Father is not male. God the Father is not masculine. The son Jesus is embodied male but, because of the mode of his incarnation, is male like no other, denying the necessity that only males represent him. God the Father is rightly "Father" because God is Father of the eternal Son Jesus the Messiah, whose mother was Mary of Nazareth.”
March 15, 2025
I read everything thoroughly (including the monumental number of footnotes 😅), except for the Ministry of Mary chapter, which I skimmed.
While I wasn't really satisfied with most of the claims, I came away with more formulated questions for further reading. They weren't all necessarily the questions she was asking, but her breadth of research is helping me more ably interrogate assumptions that I didn't realize I had.
- Is God male? If yes, what does that mean? If no, why all the masculine pronouns?
- What does the virginal conception mean for Jesus' maleness, and his representing of men and women in his life, death, and resurrection?
- What is masculinity? What is femininity? Is God either masculine or feminine, or both? Are people all masculine or all feminine, or both? (Taking titles if you have any...) Her reference to Lewis's "forces acting on the world" (Priestesses essay and the Ransom trilogy) felt confusing to me. Do masculinity and femininity emanate from God? If not because he's not embodied, from where? If they don't require embodiment, then how are they related to sex? If not essential in this way (determined by sex) are there morally right and wrong ways to be feminine or masculine as a male or as a female?
See? Many questions.
While I wouldn't consider it definitive, it was worth reading in an anthology exploring theology of gender.
While I wasn't really satisfied with most of the claims, I came away with more formulated questions for further reading. They weren't all necessarily the questions she was asking, but her breadth of research is helping me more ably interrogate assumptions that I didn't realize I had.
- Is God male? If yes, what does that mean? If no, why all the masculine pronouns?
- What does the virginal conception mean for Jesus' maleness, and his representing of men and women in his life, death, and resurrection?
- What is masculinity? What is femininity? Is God either masculine or feminine, or both? Are people all masculine or all feminine, or both? (Taking titles if you have any...) Her reference to Lewis's "forces acting on the world" (Priestesses essay and the Ransom trilogy) felt confusing to me. Do masculinity and femininity emanate from God? If not because he's not embodied, from where? If they don't require embodiment, then how are they related to sex? If not essential in this way (determined by sex) are there morally right and wrong ways to be feminine or masculine as a male or as a female?
See? Many questions.
While I wouldn't consider it definitive, it was worth reading in an anthology exploring theology of gender.
June 6, 2023
This is the book Protestantism has needed on Mary, the mother of God, and her significance for women and for theology as a whole! I knew that Peeler would discuss Mary in this volume, but I honestly expected it to also address passages from Paul relating to women and gender, which it didn’t at all. As a woman, I have always accepted that my savior had to be a male given the complex particular historical context he lived in, but now I can articulate how Jesus truly was a “male like no other”, with his flesh coming solely from a woman. God dignifies woman to the highest degree by choosing to enter the world “born of a woman”.
I particularly enjoyed the final chapter entitled “ministry” on how Mary parented and then influenced specific moments of Jesus’ ministry, such as the miracle at the wedding at Cana. God has, and will continue to welcome women’s participation in proclaiming His Kingdom, most clearly because He chose to enter the world first by a woman (who freely chose that this might happen to her).
I particularly enjoyed the final chapter entitled “ministry” on how Mary parented and then influenced specific moments of Jesus’ ministry, such as the miracle at the wedding at Cana. God has, and will continue to welcome women’s participation in proclaiming His Kingdom, most clearly because He chose to enter the world first by a woman (who freely chose that this might happen to her).
March 22, 2023
Peeler is doing some powerful stuff in this book as she moves the incarnation and Mary into the center of gender conversations within the church. The question is that if God is more like men, then how can God truly value women, and how can communities of faith do so as well? Peeler's thesis that God the father is not male and God the son is male like no other is proven through a theologically robust and biblically faithful examination of the incarnation and Mary's role in the divine drama of scripture.
"Instead of bringing her into the holy space, God has made her the holy space. In the incarnation, God has deemed the female body -- the impure, bleeding female body -- worthy to handle the most sacred of all things."
"It is not only the word who teaches us the meaning of our words but also the one who bore the word ... It must be the incarnation that narrows the fitting choice for divine address. Jesus does not call God mother because he already has one."
"Instead of bringing her into the holy space, God has made her the holy space. In the incarnation, God has deemed the female body -- the impure, bleeding female body -- worthy to handle the most sacred of all things."
"It is not only the word who teaches us the meaning of our words but also the one who bore the word ... It must be the incarnation that narrows the fitting choice for divine address. Jesus does not call God mother because he already has one."
January 1, 2025
God values women. In her book Women and the Gender of God, Amy Peeler endeavors to prove that point. While I disagree with some of her conclusions, this work is quite valuable.
She starts her book by discussing that God the Father is not male. To be honest, this is the part that I struggled with the most. I appreciate Peeler’s desire to elevate and affirm the dignity of women, primarily as I minister in a complementarian denomination. Peeler desires to keep the traditional language for God as Father. But the concern is to assert that God is called Father and is not male. Frankly, I’m still wrestling with much of what was said in this chapter.
The part of Peeler’s book that stands out the most is her theology of Mary. One argument was the necessity of Mary to Christ’s solidarity with all peoples as a Male savior. Christ had to be born a male to represent males since he was born of a woman. This allows him to be the savior of humanity.
December 27, 2025
I was first introduced to “The Gender of God” through Amy Peeler while listening to an Esau McCaulley podcast, and I’m really glad I picked it up. I’ll admit the title initially threw me off and made me a little hesitant. But once I started reading, I quickly realized how careful, faithful, and theologically sound this book is.
Rather than trying to make God fit into modern categories, the author thoughtfully explores the biblical language used to describe God, showing how Scripture employs both masculine and feminine imagery while consistently affirming that God transcends human gender. The book is deeply rooted in Scripture, historically aware, and pastorally wise.
What I appreciated most was how it challenged assumptions without being provocative for provocation’s sake. It invited me to read the Bible more attentively and to take God’s self revelation seriously, on God’s own terms. Overall, this was a rich, clarifying, and edifying read one that strengthened my theology rather than unsettling it.
Rather than trying to make God fit into modern categories, the author thoughtfully explores the biblical language used to describe God, showing how Scripture employs both masculine and feminine imagery while consistently affirming that God transcends human gender. The book is deeply rooted in Scripture, historically aware, and pastorally wise.
What I appreciated most was how it challenged assumptions without being provocative for provocation’s sake. It invited me to read the Bible more attentively and to take God’s self revelation seriously, on God’s own terms. Overall, this was a rich, clarifying, and edifying read one that strengthened my theology rather than unsettling it.
December 30, 2024
Through her examination of the incarnation, Peeler argues that God is not male and women are included and valued.
“In the incarnation, God has deemed the female body—the impure, bleeding female body—worthy to handle the most sacred of all things, the very body of God.”
“The male savior whose flesh came from the body of a woman provides radically, inclusive embrace of humanity, humanity made in the image of God.”
“Mary shows this unassailable good news: through invitation, empowerment, and amplification, God has deemed the bodies and voices of women worthy of gospel participation, from raising the next generation to the act of testifying to countless generations. God values women.“
“In the incarnation, God has deemed the female body—the impure, bleeding female body—worthy to handle the most sacred of all things, the very body of God.”
“The male savior whose flesh came from the body of a woman provides radically, inclusive embrace of humanity, humanity made in the image of God.”
“Mary shows this unassailable good news: through invitation, empowerment, and amplification, God has deemed the bodies and voices of women worthy of gospel participation, from raising the next generation to the act of testifying to countless generations. God values women.“
August 6, 2024
This book was an academic approach to essential topics of God as Father, the incarnation of Jesus, and the essence of masculinity and femininity. Peeler spent more time than I expected exploring Mary, mother of Jesus, which I believe was a needed corrective to a lack of understanding of Mary in Protestant theology. This book wasn't a quick page-turner, but it was refreshing, thorough, and wholly orthodox.
January 29, 2024
God is not male or female. Not a controversial statement, but Peeler brings a lot of clarity of thought, nuance, and familiarity with Scripture and history of thought on this subject to show why this statement is true and what the implications are.
A couple of notable insights from the book:
-Mary is highly elevated in Scripture: acting as a partner with God in the incarnation; being a prophet and proclaimer; and presenting Christ's body to the world
-We call God "Father" through the lens of the Jesus in the incarnation, whose mother is Mary and father is God.
A couple of notable insights from the book:
-Mary is highly elevated in Scripture: acting as a partner with God in the incarnation; being a prophet and proclaimer; and presenting Christ's body to the world
-We call God "Father" through the lens of the Jesus in the incarnation, whose mother is Mary and father is God.
December 10, 2023
I'd heard great things and this didn't disappoint. I really appreciated the way this was handled, the strong biblical exegesis, and how the overall focus involved a lot of Mary (not what I was expecting). Might need to reread in a few years. This works as a great companion piece to Cynthia Long Westfall's 'Paul and Gender'.
December 25, 2023
A beautiful and impactful scholarly read. While it’s subject is not Advent per se (and we certainly need Mary, the Mother of God, in all seasons), I encourage you to add this to your list of books to reading during the Advent season.
February 5, 2025
It wasn’t an easy read, but it was a worthy read. A nuanced approach to gender studies and theology through the figure of Mary the Theotokos and a non-gendered God the Father
January 16, 2024
There are three main sections. First, Peeler considers of sex, gender, and roles with a focus on Mary and God the Father. God the Father is described predominantly with paternal language in the Old Testament, but God is not portrayed as a sexualized deity.
Second, Peeler refutes the legitimacy of God as the oppressive male and Mary as the oppressed female. The virgin birth is not a story of divine rape or coercion as was common in pagan mythology. Mary has agency and willingly humbles herself. The incarnation of Jesus through Mary affirms the holiness of female bodies.
The third section is about gender roles. The virginal conception makes Jesus a male unlike any other. The humanity of Jesus as born from a virgin includes everyone within the divine image. Mary is evidence of God’s validation of woman in ministry. The ministry of mothering is not the only ministry available to women. Mary is also an example of the ministry of proclamation. Mary’s proclamations are seen in her Magnificat, the story in Luke 2 when 12-year-old Jesus was left behind in Jerusalem, the wedding in Cana, and Pentecost.
God honors women and does not favor men. Peeler defends her claim that the God revealed in the Bible does not have a preference for males because God the Father is not male, and Jesus is a male like no other. God is not masculine. Jesus fully represents both men and women because he was a man and was born solely from the flesh of a woman. Jesus called God Father because Mary was his mother. Women and the Gender of God is recommended for readers looking for a biblical approach to understanding gender.
Read the full review at:
https://faithfulintellect.com/women-a...
Second, Peeler refutes the legitimacy of God as the oppressive male and Mary as the oppressed female. The virgin birth is not a story of divine rape or coercion as was common in pagan mythology. Mary has agency and willingly humbles herself. The incarnation of Jesus through Mary affirms the holiness of female bodies.
The third section is about gender roles. The virginal conception makes Jesus a male unlike any other. The humanity of Jesus as born from a virgin includes everyone within the divine image. Mary is evidence of God’s validation of woman in ministry. The ministry of mothering is not the only ministry available to women. Mary is also an example of the ministry of proclamation. Mary’s proclamations are seen in her Magnificat, the story in Luke 2 when 12-year-old Jesus was left behind in Jerusalem, the wedding in Cana, and Pentecost.
God honors women and does not favor men. Peeler defends her claim that the God revealed in the Bible does not have a preference for males because God the Father is not male, and Jesus is a male like no other. God is not masculine. Jesus fully represents both men and women because he was a man and was born solely from the flesh of a woman. Jesus called God Father because Mary was his mother. Women and the Gender of God is recommended for readers looking for a biblical approach to understanding gender.
Read the full review at:
https://faithfulintellect.com/women-a...
November 21, 2023
I think this book was well-intentioned but disappointment is the biggest emotion I felt reading this book. For starters, she’s an academic and I’ve read enough academic scholarship in my time as a Masters student to know how terrible academics are at writing. The language was incredibly inaccessible and hard to follow and I found myself reading over things multiple times to try to understand what she was trying to say.
.
She also, in my opinion, very weakly supports her claims (or at least doesn’t write in a way that helps the reader understand them). She tried to cite the original language of the Bible to explain why certain interpretations of the Bible are wrong, which I absolutely respect and wish more people would do, but she doesn’t bring the Greek down to my level. I haven’t learned this language and I don’t know these specific nuances of it. For example when trying to explain how Mary actually had the option to say no to Gabriel/God and consented to becoming pregnant with Jesus, she tried to cite the original Greek to make her point, but doesn’t explain the language enough in layman’s terms to convince me.
.
There was a glaringly larger issue with this point, however, that arose when she discussed Mary’s consent. At a certain point she says “Mary didn’t choose this but she did consent to it,” which isn’t what real consent is. This tied into a discussion about whether or not Mary had been raped which I won’t get into here, mainly because it would be more of me ranting about how the author weakly defends her point and I don’t want to invite a theological debate into the comments.
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The biggest disappointment for me was the fact that Peeler stayed within the gender binary. She proclaims that salvation and the death of Jesus is for everyone but, in a book discussing God’s gender where she so boldly states He Himself defies gender, she only talks about men and women. This isn’t only exclusionary but also severely weakens and hinders her argument. So much of what she's trying to say could be strengthened if she broke from the gender binary to discuss The androgynous nature of God. Hell, she even talks about how some believe Jesus was androgynous but doesn't really give that the time it needs save to try and negate it.
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I really hoped this book was something different. And while I appreciated her defense of women and her attempt at leveling the playing field between men and women in the church, this book just wasn't what I had hoped it would be. She is very passionate about her work and I can tell she knows a lot about it, but I dont think this book is for me.
May 21, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. The author discusses the gender of God, and does so with grace and truth.
February 2, 2023
This book is excellent! It’s so well-researched and articulated. It’s definitely more on the academic side. I had to really slow down and read thoroughly, but it is worth it to stick with it and engage the text. The author presents her case on a gender-less God while maintaining orthodox beliefs. The way she talks about Mary (and all women) was a blessing and deeply meaningful for me. She challenges the reader to think deeply about gender and read scripture with an attention to detail most would never recognize. Definitely recommend this book. Oh, and don’t sleep on the footnotes. They add so much to the reading!
June 27, 2025
Truly excellent work! Dr. Peeler is faithful to the text and navigates complex issues with nuance and delicacy.
May 22, 2025
// from the book: At my son’s recent eight-year-old birthday party, a conversation organically unfolded about gender. “I like boys better,” one of the male attendees shared. “Why is that?” I queried. “Because God is a boy.” From the mouths of babes. I could not have articulated the problem this book seeks to address with any greater clarity. //
this book was incredibly dense and academic, but i felt it was very helpful in proving (through scripture, ancient texts, and modern commentary/theology) that God values women. it has definitely been a big support in my personal choice to start moving away from using gendered pronouns for God the Father (Parent). it took me forever to get through because it was an ebook and i hate those. i’m giving it 4 stars because it isn’t very approachable for the everyman (me) but probably meant for someone who is used to dense theological books.
**
here’s some quotes that i found striking:
In the incarnation, God has deemed the female body—the impure, bleeding female body—worthy to handle the most sacred of all things, the very body of God.
It is leadership that discloses the true meaning of theological language. The claim may be made that God is above gender, but if only men are ever allowed to represent this God, that claim becomes difficult, if not impossible, to believe. If women are not allowed to represent Christ, those Christian communities are utilizing a flattened view of his maleness, one that forgets the mode of the incarnation. This weakened Christology becomes a pathway to the false and damaging male-making of God the Father. The male Savior whose flesh came from the body of a woman provides a radically inclusive embrace of all humanity, a humanity made in the image of God.
God's choice to allow the body of a woman, even the most intimate parts of herself, to come into direct contact with the body and blood of the Son stands against any who would deny women by virtue of the fact that they are women access to the holy.
If God is like a male in relationship with the world who is like a female, and God is clearly superior to the world, then that image suggests that males are superior to females. When women are considered less like God, they cannot be fully human, because they cannot bear the imago Dei in the same way as do men. At the same time, what a burden this association between God and masculinity places upon men, who fall prey either to despair over their failure to rise to this divine-like superior position or to the lust for power itself over women and less manly men.`
To say that God initiates and that humans' role is to respond, and that these are masculine and feminine actions, posits God as an aggressive sexual human male. In no other relationship is initiation necessarily the role of the male. Women may (even if some think it untoward) cast the vision and take the lead in public and private spheres....The only interchange between men and women in which men must initiate and women must receive is forcible genital intercourse....Theologians who assert that God's initiation is masculine have embraced what Israel's Scriptures, the New Testament, and conciliar Christianity adamantly denies: the crude male sexualization of God.
Jesus does not call God "mother" because he already has one.
When Christians call God "Father" as [Jesus] did, they invoke the revelation of the particular way the Son came. This Father is not male. This Father is not masculine. This Father through the work of the Holy Spirit partnered with one human, a woman, to achieve the salvation of all things. Calling God "Father" proclaims the unparalleled role played by the young Jewish girl named Mary, the Mother of God.
this book was incredibly dense and academic, but i felt it was very helpful in proving (through scripture, ancient texts, and modern commentary/theology) that God values women. it has definitely been a big support in my personal choice to start moving away from using gendered pronouns for God the Father (Parent). it took me forever to get through because it was an ebook and i hate those. i’m giving it 4 stars because it isn’t very approachable for the everyman (me) but probably meant for someone who is used to dense theological books.
**
here’s some quotes that i found striking:
In the incarnation, God has deemed the female body—the impure, bleeding female body—worthy to handle the most sacred of all things, the very body of God.
It is leadership that discloses the true meaning of theological language. The claim may be made that God is above gender, but if only men are ever allowed to represent this God, that claim becomes difficult, if not impossible, to believe. If women are not allowed to represent Christ, those Christian communities are utilizing a flattened view of his maleness, one that forgets the mode of the incarnation. This weakened Christology becomes a pathway to the false and damaging male-making of God the Father. The male Savior whose flesh came from the body of a woman provides a radically inclusive embrace of all humanity, a humanity made in the image of God.
God's choice to allow the body of a woman, even the most intimate parts of herself, to come into direct contact with the body and blood of the Son stands against any who would deny women by virtue of the fact that they are women access to the holy.
If God is like a male in relationship with the world who is like a female, and God is clearly superior to the world, then that image suggests that males are superior to females. When women are considered less like God, they cannot be fully human, because they cannot bear the imago Dei in the same way as do men. At the same time, what a burden this association between God and masculinity places upon men, who fall prey either to despair over their failure to rise to this divine-like superior position or to the lust for power itself over women and less manly men.`
To say that God initiates and that humans' role is to respond, and that these are masculine and feminine actions, posits God as an aggressive sexual human male. In no other relationship is initiation necessarily the role of the male. Women may (even if some think it untoward) cast the vision and take the lead in public and private spheres....The only interchange between men and women in which men must initiate and women must receive is forcible genital intercourse....Theologians who assert that God's initiation is masculine have embraced what Israel's Scriptures, the New Testament, and conciliar Christianity adamantly denies: the crude male sexualization of God.
Jesus does not call God "mother" because he already has one.
When Christians call God "Father" as [Jesus] did, they invoke the revelation of the particular way the Son came. This Father is not male. This Father is not masculine. This Father through the work of the Holy Spirit partnered with one human, a woman, to achieve the salvation of all things. Calling God "Father" proclaims the unparalleled role played by the young Jewish girl named Mary, the Mother of God.
February 17, 2025
Does God favor men?
Peeler thoughtfully looks to the incarnation for her answer.
Some of her main arguments are:
- If God is male (or if he is more male than female), then men would bear his image more than women. This opens the door for oppression of women.
- God the Father is not male. He is called Father in relation to his Son, but he fathers his Son unlike any human male (i.e. not sexually).
- Jesus is male like no other because he was born of a human woman alone (i.e. no human male was involved).
- God profoundly honors women by his choice of a human woman to carry, nurture, teach, and testify to his Son.
There are a few points I wish she had argued more/differently:
- She claims that orthodox Christianity has maintained that God is not male. But her citations of early church writings are sparse. I'd like to see more.
- If God is not male or masculine, why has he chosen masculine pronouns to reveal himself in Scripture?
- In the last chapter especially, she speculates about Mary's story in the New Testament, which is fine. But then she takes her speculation as fact and draws conclusions from it.
I really appreciate that Peeler asks the question about God valuing women, answers dozens of objections, and seeks to exposit Scripture. I have assumed for a long time that God favors men, and am grateful for her careful correction.
There is certainly more work to be done on the topic!
Peeler thoughtfully looks to the incarnation for her answer.
Some of her main arguments are:
- If God is male (or if he is more male than female), then men would bear his image more than women. This opens the door for oppression of women.
- God the Father is not male. He is called Father in relation to his Son, but he fathers his Son unlike any human male (i.e. not sexually).
- Jesus is male like no other because he was born of a human woman alone (i.e. no human male was involved).
- God profoundly honors women by his choice of a human woman to carry, nurture, teach, and testify to his Son.
There are a few points I wish she had argued more/differently:
- She claims that orthodox Christianity has maintained that God is not male. But her citations of early church writings are sparse. I'd like to see more.
- If God is not male or masculine, why has he chosen masculine pronouns to reveal himself in Scripture?
- In the last chapter especially, she speculates about Mary's story in the New Testament, which is fine. But then she takes her speculation as fact and draws conclusions from it.
I really appreciate that Peeler asks the question about God valuing women, answers dozens of objections, and seeks to exposit Scripture. I have assumed for a long time that God favors men, and am grateful for her careful correction.
There is certainly more work to be done on the topic!
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