40 Questions About Women in Ministry

40 Questions

by Sue Edwards, Kelley Mathews, Benjamin L. Merkle (Editor)

Aims for a deeper understanding about the roles of women in the faith community 40 Questions About Women in Ministry charts a course for understanding differing views on the topic. The accessible question-and-answer format guides readers to specific areas of confusion, and authors Sue Edwards and Kelley Mathews helpfully zero in on the foundations of varied beliefs and practices.

Edwards and Mathews cover interpretive, theological, historical, and practical matters such as:




What terms best describe the various views on women in ministry?
What did God mean that the woman was man's helper corresponding to him?
How is it that Bible-believing Christians reach vastly different conclusions about 1 Timothy 2:11-15?
How did Western culture influence the role of women in society and the church?
Combining a strong adherence to Scripture, vast academic and ministry experiences, and a commitment to Christ-honoring dialogue, 40 Questions About Women in Ministry is a valuable guide for pastors, ministry leaders, church groups, and seminarians.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published January 17, 2023

About the author

I am an assistant professor of Christian education at Dallas Theological Seminary, specializing in Women's Studies. I also love to write as a way to share my love for people and God's Word. I have authored 6 books with two more in the works. Each book is a tool to help women and men sharpen their ministry skills and serve others more effectively."

Reviews

[Katie Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most clear and concise books on women in ministry. Each chapter answers one question on the topic with dual views and interpretations while expressing grace for either side. That grace gave me space to be able to form my views and interpretations with wisdom. Highly recommend for anyone waffling on issues of women in ministry!

[Jonah Shiramizu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough look at a complex topic

[Shena Ashcraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mathews and Edwards present and answer questions about women with a balanced sharing of viewpoints from hierarchs (those who see a hierarchy between women and men) and heterarchs (those who do not). Each answer is less than 10 pages with full notes and a great bibliography for further study.

[SarahO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this as a birthday present for myself and wasn't disappointed! Though I've read deeply on a lot of these questions before, seeing them all in one place, and the multiple POV's, was really useful.

Like the title say's, this book cover's 40 questions that the authors took from people on the internet. They shows 2+ views on each questions and use a lot of quotes from hierarch's (mostly complementarians) and heterarch's (mostly egalitarians). This would be a great refresher for those who already know a bit about the subject and a good introduction to those who want to learn more.

One thing I loved about this book is the authors' continued exhortation to the reader to come to the questions with an open heart and use their discernment to decide what is the most biblical answer to each question no matter which side had it.

[Christine C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Measured and insightful exploration

I have been looking for a book on the topic that would provide a lot of historical and theological info/insight but not push an agenda or pontificate toward one specific position. This book does that beautifully.

It served as an excellent guide to exploring a number of Bible passages and the historical understandings of them, while also fairly communicating various viewpoints on some of the current tensions in the gender discussion.

Also, while the book had plenty of depth, it was super approachable and read very conversationally. I will definitely be recommending it to folks in my ministry sphere.

[Emily Carrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I had to read this for school and I am so thankful that I did. A succinct, digestible, and fair introduction to each issue. Even though I am still torn on several pertinent issues I feel as if I have a much fuller understanding of the issues at hand and I already look forward to referencing this book in the future. I also deeply appreciate the authors’ consistent call to unity.

[Peter Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read another volume in Kregel’s “40 Questions” series: 40 Questions about Women in Ministry by Sue Edwards and Kelley Mathews.

Like the other volumes in the series – the 40 questions are divided into smaller components of consideration. Here we find:

Introductory Issues

Questions related to the Old Testament

Questions related to the New Testament and beyond

Current Issues

The authors put effort into presenting both major sides of the debate: the side that says women are limited in the ministry they can participate in, and the side that says there is no intrinsic limitation in the ministry women can participate in.

Reflection on who the questions were answered historically and what ought to be done to protect women and not make them to be less than God’s Image-bearers – equal with men in this – are worthwhile investigations, but the primary issue is understanding what the Scripture actually says.

It is rightly argued that the Scripture must be understood in context – and there may be occasions where a question is being asked where the reader only hears and answer – and so forth – possibility making understanding the text more difficult.

After examining the Scripture rightly, then I would argue history comes into the discussion – not merely what was done historically, but how the texts were understood historically.

This book is useful in understanding the arguments of the two major interpretations of the issue of women in ministry, which is seems to be the goal of the volume, but I would find a volume that argues one way or another – drawing conclusions from the Scripture against other views – maybe several books – to be able to better see the arguments played out.

[I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.]

[Rachel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors aimed to give an overview of current thought regarding women in Christian ministry, from both the complementarian and egalitarian viewpoints (though this book uses the terms hierarchy and heterarchy, respectively). I think the arguments were a bit biased to favor heterarchy (egalitarians), but perhaps that's just because I lean that way, too, so I can more easily see the logic in those arguments.

Some of the questions were answered so briefly that the responses didn't really answer the question, and some answers didn't seem to focus on the most important aspect of the given question.

This was an okay overview, especially for someone who's just starting to explore the issue, but I think I'll have more success with books that go deeper.

[Jake Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not particularly novel, this book provides a succinct and accessible overview of the key questions to be answered in the debate about women in ministry. The authors present the perspectives of both hierarchs (complementarians) and heterarchs (egalitarians) on the key issues, illuminating both agreement and difference. For the most part, Edwards and Matthews are fair and generous in their presentation of the positions. I felt as though the final chapter on how to make churches safe places for women was superb and a much needed message for God's people to heed.

[William Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well written, largely fair to both sides of the issue, and helpful for getting a better idea of where I am on this. The reason I’m not giving it a higher rating is because there were a few places where there were some false dichotomies. I realize this is mostly a survey of the major positions on the issue, but a lot of times there were some very simple alternatives to the options they presented that weren’t acknowledged. I also felt that the best arguments for each position were not always used. All things considered (yes I’ve considered ALL things), this was a useful read.

[LMG · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the more balanced and thoughtful books on a very complex and emotional topic.

I appreciated that the authors address many of the difficult biblical passages on women in ministry and present different perspectives. The authors give the reader the information to make their own decision.

[Ole Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved the message. I have started on a path with this book setting my sisters in the faith free, wonderful book

[Virginia Geisler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to add this one to my library! I hope to get some other in this series, seem like a great resource to have!