Annotated Bibliography for Gender-Related Articles in 2007
Barak Tjader
In this issue of the journal we profile some of the most significant gender-related articles from 2007. Here is a brief reminder about the categories we are using and our intent in using them. Complementarian designates an author who recognizes the full personal equality of the sexes, coupled with an acknowledgment of role distinctions in the home and church, as articulated in the Danvers Statement (see back cover of JBMW). Egalitarian classifies evangelicals who see undifferentiated equality (i.e., they see no scriptural warrant for affirming male headship in the home or the church). Under the Non-Evangelical heading, we have classified important secular works that address the subject of biblical gender issues from a religious, albeit, non-evangelical point of view. This category also serves as our classification for liberal scholars wanting to retain some sort of Christian identity. Finally, under the Undeclared heading, we have listed those authors who do not give sufficient indication of their fundamental stance for us to classify them more specifically, or authors whose position is too ambiguous to classify in light of the category descriptions above.
Complementarian
Ashford, Bruce. "Worldview, Anthropology, and Gender: A Call to Widen the Parameters of the Discussion." Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 12, no. 1 (2007): 7-9.
In light of a recent wave of aggressive secularism, Ashford reminds complementarians of the need to understand and articulate the biblical anthropology. In conversation with an unbelieving culture, he argues, believers should present issues such as male and female complementarity within the framework of humanity's unique creation in the image of God.
Bjerkaas, Robert. "‘And Adam Called His Wife's Name Eve': A Study in Authentic Biblical Manhood." Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 12, no. 1 (2007): 16-20.
Drawing principles from the narrative of Genesis 1-3, Bjerkaas explores the implications of Adam's naming of his wife for biblical manhood. As Adam chose the name "life" for his spouse even after the curses of Genesis 3, Bjerkaas reasons that masculinity as shown in Scripture requires husbands to believe the promises of God, look forward in faith, and initiate in speaking grace and truth to their wives.
Burk, Denny, and Jim Hamilton. "Younger Evangelicals and Women in Ministry: A Sketch of the Spectrum of Opinion." Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 12, no. 2 (2007): 26-40.
Burk and Hamilton offer an assessment of the current state of young evangelicals concerning women in ministry. The article focuses on the views and practices of current evangelical pastors and leaders, with the authors dividing practitioners into four categories: (1) hierarchy in principle/ hierarchy in practice, (2) hierarchy in principle/ no hierarchy in practice, (3) no hierarchy in principle/ hierarchy in practice, and (4) no hierarchy in principle/no hierarchy in practice. Burk and Hamilton's categories helpfully clarify inconsistencies and disagreements among both complementarians and egalitarians as to how they actually apply their principled views.
Davis, Andrew M. "Fathers and Sons in Deuteronomy 6: An Essential Link in Redemptive History." Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 12, no. 1 (2007): 21-31.
Davis examines the redemptive-historical significance of Deuteronomy 6 within the overarching patriarchal context of Old Testament covenantal promises, arguing for a multi-generational approach of father-son training and discipleship. He makes a compelling case that Deuteronomy's patriarchal thrust envisions fathers—as representative spiritual heads of their families—raising up future generations of spiritual leaders. Davis then lists practical ways in which Israelite fathers were expected to train their sons to lead in the home, before concluding with several derivative applications for Christian fathers seeking to raise future leaders.
Duesing, Jason, and Thomas White. "Neanderthals Chasing Bigfoot? The State of the Gender Debate in the Southern Baptist Convention." Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 12, no. 2 (2007): 5-19.
Duesing and White survey the colorful history of the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) views on gender. While rank-and-file Southern Baptists have traditionally understood the pastorate to be limited to men, the authors detail the prominence of the gender issue in the convention's escalating conflict during the 1980s and 1990s—particularly with regard to its academic institutions. Because of the shift in SBC seminaries, as well as the adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Duesing and White convey optimism about the present state of the convention's gender debate and are hopeful that Southern Baptist churches will continue to see a practical outworking of their confessional complementarianism.
Nelson, P. G. "Inscription to a High Priestess at Ephesus." Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 12, no. 1 (2007): 14-15.
Nelson provides a short description of a firstcentury tribute to an Ephesian high priestess. The inscription casts doubt on the popular egalitarian argument that Paul capitulates to cultural norms in advocating male headship in the home and church.
Storms, Sam. "Women in Ministry in the Vineyard, U.S.A." Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 12, no. 2 (2007): 20-25.
Storms chronicles the move in Vineyard's stance on gender. Although early leader John Wimber advocated a complementarian view of church leadership, Vineyard churches did not initially take an official position in the gender debate. To clarify confusion over gender issues, Storms writes, the Vineyard USA Board of Directors penned a letter to pastors affirming egalitarianism at all levels of the church's ecclesial structure.
Walden, Wayne. "Ephesians 5:21 in Translation." Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 12, no. 1 (2007): 10-13.
While commentators have disagreed over precisely how Eph 5:21 relates to its extended pericope, Walden argues that translation of the verse should show connection to both the preceding and subsequent passages. Furthermore, rather than espousing mutual submission, the verse actually teaches a structure of submission to proper authorities.
Egalitarian
Bilezikian, Gilbert. "Church Leadership that Kills Community." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 4 (2007): 5-7.
Bilezikian argues that most churches operate under an authority-driven model of government borrowed from the corporate business world rather than the congregationalism prescribed in the New Testament. New Testament ecclesiology, he asserts, calls for congregations to "exercise their own leadership before they have it imposed on them by an elite group of leaders above them" (6). While the Pastoral Epistles prove exceptions to this rule, Bilezikian reasons that the leadership restrictions placed by Paul on women, unmarried men, and others are given for "situations of terminal crisis" (6). Aside from the exegetical and theological difficulties in relegating the leadership directives in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus merely to churches in extreme crisis, Bilezikian ignores the clear instruction toward strong pastoral leadership given elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g. Heb 13:17, 1 Pet 5:1-5) in addition to the wider biblical teaching on gender.
Birungi, Medad. "Gender Injustice Destroys the Whole Family: One Child's Experience." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 2 (2007): 20-23.
Birungi narrates the story of reconciliation with his father who had cursed him along with the rest of his family years earlier, relegating them to lives of poverty. Because of the forgiveness his family now knows, Birungi seeks the inclusion of women in ministerial leadership roles.
Cohick, Lynn. "Met with Dancing: The Changing Faces of African Christian Women." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 3 (2007): 16-24.
After asserting that societies construct gender, Cohick relates the ways in which African Christian women have been shaped by their identity in community. She parallels the results of her study with the biblical story of Jephthah's daughter. Operating from a feminist assumption, Cohick suggests that just as Jephthah tragically sealed the fate of his own daughter, African society suppresses the selfdetermining power of choice that would free its women to actuate their potential. Cohick, as well as some of the African interviewees, views headship/submission structures in the home and church as a result of cultural biases rather than prescribed in Scripture.
Compleman-Blair, J. Martha. "New Lenses for Viewing Submission." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 3 (2007): 4-8.
In this article, Compleman-Blair seeks to readjust the lenses of academic scholarship with regard to interpreting Eph 5:18-22 and Col 3:12-17. She employs typical egalitarian argumentation in understanding husbands and wives to be mutually submissive and that the husband is the "source" of the wife. After flattening the hierarchical lenses of these passages, she offers five principles for reciprocating submissive relationships. Compleman-Blair then concludes with the troubling assertion that mutual submission "is righteousness" that "contains the very essence of eternal life: knowing God" (8).
Dinkler, Michal Beth. "Sarah's Submission: Peter's Analogy in 1 Peter 3:5-6." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 3 (2007): 9-15.
Dinkler considers Peter's injunction for wives to submit to their husbands in 1 Pet 3:5-6. Rather than a universal directive for all wives at all times, she argues, Peter advocates a "qualified submission" to unbelieving husbands for evangelistic purposes. Appealing to the Jewish and Greco-Roman pattern of paterfamilias, the wider context of Peter's reference to Abraham and Sarah, and the parallel injunction to slaves, Dinkler contends that the submission Peter asks of wives is merely temporary and functional, not a permanent provision for Christian wives. Dinkler, however, does not adequately account for the fact that Peter addresses all wives and husbands, not merely the wives with unbelieving husbands. Nor does she address how the husband's task of honoring his wife as the "weaker vessel" fits within the framework of qualified submission for the purpose of evangelism.
Dugan, Jennie. "Jesus and Trust." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 4 (2007): 19-27.
Dugan contrasts Jesus' cultivation of trust with the Pharisees' essentially defensive and mistrustful outlook. Laced with enigmatic assertions—such as, "Jesus would not disregard equality any more than he would have disregarded empathy" (19) and "To Jesus, equality has no limits, no endpoints" (21)—the article argues for the full equality of all persons and the abrogation of social and ecclesial hierarchy. Dugan, however, nowhere distinguishes between ontological and functional equality and does not deal with texts that are problematic to an equality that "has no limits."
Keener, Craig. "Women's Education and Public Speech in Antiquity." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50, no. 4 (2007): 747-59.
Keener argues that women in antiquity were, by and large, less educated than men. Though Keener—like many other egalitarians—uses this to justify his understanding of the cultural specificity of texts such as 1 Tim 2:11-12 and 1 Cor 14:34-35, he is careful to point out that the central premise of his historical evaluation does not necessitate an egalitarian conclusion.
Keener, Médine Moussounga. "How Subjection Harms Congolese Women: A Call to Consciousness." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 3 (2007): 25-28.
Keener details the atrocities endured by women in the Republic of Congo. Congolese women face the cruelties of poverty; prostitution; AIDS; physical and sexual abuse in the home, school, and workplace; and rape in the midst of war-torn areas. Complementarians and egalitarians alike can vehemently renounce and seek to prevent and correct this type of predatory patriarchy that victimizes women made in the image of God.
Lincoln, Lucy. "Two Gardens." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 1 (2007): 21-26.
Lincoln offers an exercise in biblical hermeneutics with view to the current gender debate. She argues that the garden-tomb of Jesus wherein death was defeated echoes the garden of Eden from which death entered the world. Second, when Mary mistakes Jesus for a gardener, Lincoln asserts that John points readers back to the failure of the first gardener to parallel the second gardener whose mission did not fail. Furthermore, Jesus reverses the freedom relinquished by Adam and Eve in acquiescing to the tempter's scheme in Eden by freeing Mary of Migdal of her shackled, demonic past. Lincoln concludes that John's use of literary echoes in Jesus' commissioning of Mary to relay the news of His resurrection helps explain the "few verses" that seem to contradict the full inclusion of women in ministry.
Manasseh, Elizabeth Leelavathi. "Gender Injustice: Evangelical Initiatives in India." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 2 (2007): 24-27.
Manasseh laments the lack of gender justice in Indian society and churches. She argues that the New Testament mandates a "new community in Christ" in which all racial, class, and gender divisions are removed. Unfortunately, Manasseh's perception of three theological assumptions underlying a "subordinationist" biblical hermeneutic does not reflect the views of complementarians. Complementarians reject any notion of woman's ontological inferiority, do not view "all daughters of Eve" with contempt for Eve's role in the fall, and certainly deny that woman's existence is merely instrumental rather than fundamental. While all believers can join in grieving the state of injustice in India, egalitarian gender roles in the church and home do not necessarily follow.
Pierce, Ronald W. "The Feminine Voice of God: Women as Prophets in the Bible." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 1 (2007): 4-8.
Pierce traces the prophetic voices of women through the biblical narrative, emphasizing their leadership role and recounting the stories of how God has used women to speak to His people. Pierce concludes that the fact of women prophets legitimates the full inclusion of women in the offices of the church and the task of preaching. While complementarians can affirm and celebrate with Pierce the unique and valuable contributions of women in Scripture, they will not accept the jump he makes from prophet to preaching applications within the church.
Sider, Ronald J. "Gender and Justice Today." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 2 (2007): 4-8.
Sider details some of the horrific injustices against women prevalent in the world today. The article lists statistics concerning (1) cultural preferences for boys that result in massive abortion and abandonment of girls, (2) inequality in educational opportunities, (3) inequality in health care, (4) inequality in property ownership and work compensation, (5) physical violence against women, and (6) sexual trafficking and prostitution. Sider notes that those on all sides of gender discussions can agree to the outrage of social structures that propagate violence and injustice toward women.
Story, J. Lyle. "The Discipleship of Women- From Jesus' Birth to the Empty Tomb." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 1 (2007): 14-20.
Story analyzes the draw of Jesus in his interaction with women followers. Highlighting the radically countercultural inclusive nature of His discipling relationships, Story shows how the narratives of Jesus' encounters with women affirm and define their place as genuine disciples.
Undeclared
Hoehner, Harold W. "Can a Woman Be a Pastor- Teacher?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50, no. 4 (2007): 761-71.
Seeking to clarify confusion about proper roles for women in ministry, Hoehner argues that the office of elder/overseer is distinct from the gift of pastor-teacher. While the New Testament reserves the office of elder for men, it does not place restrictions on gifts and, thus, does not exclude women as pastor-teachers. Hoehner claims that keeping this distinction clears up "85-90%" of the problems raised about women in ministry (771). He asserts that separating gift from office opens up many possibilities for women in ministry, such as teaching in parachurch organizations and academic institutions. In an attempt to clarify uncertainty about women in ministry, however, Hoehner perhaps confuses the issue further for local churches, as no specific applications of this gift inside the church are discussed. Moreover, exercising a gift outside the church so closely related to a function expressly forbidden inside the church seems to miss the larger thrust of the New Testament's teaching on gender. For a more detailed response to Hoehner, readers should consult the review of his article by James Hamilton in this issue of JBMW.
Tracy, Steven R. "Clergy Responses to Domestic Violence." Priscilla Papers 21, no. 2 (2007): 9-16.
Tracy argues that clergy can and often do exacerbate the problem of domestic violence by asking women to submit to abusive husbands, not condemning the practice from the pulpit, minimizing its significance, and failing to separate women from abusive men. Positively, he suggests that clergy educate themselves on the problem of abuse, condemn it from the pulpit, seek help from "professional" counselors, hold abusers fully responsible for their actions, and protect abused women and children.
Tracy, Steven R. "Patriarchy and Domestic Violence: Challenging Common Misconceptions." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50, no. 3 (2007): 573-94.
After showing the fact of domestic abuse as a problem in the United States, Tracy seeks to clarify erroneous beliefs about the causal connections between patriarchy and abuse. According to Tracy, the feminist view that sees patriarchy as the ultimate root cause of abuse fails to account for the complexity of the issue as well as studies that show that men who regularly attend conservative, patriarchal churches are the least likely to abuse women. The opposite error, he argues, is to see no causal relationship at all between patriarchy and abuse. Tracy concludes by issuing three challenges to
complementarians and egalitarians, calling on each side to address the issue with clarity and to avoid mischaracterization of opposing arguments.
Yamauchi, Edwin M. "Scripture as Talisman, Specimen, and Dragoman." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50, no. 1 (2007): 3-30.
In describing the biblical-theological methodology of conservative evangelicals, Yamauchi details some of the recent developments in the gender debate. While claiming allegiance to neither side, he compares the "redemptive movement" hermeneutic of egalitarian William Webb with the writings of complementarian Wayne Grudem.
Non-Evangelical
Anderson-Rajkumar, Evangeline. "Practicing Gender Justice as a Faith Mandate in India." Studies in World Christianity 13, no. 1 (2007): 33-52.
For Indian women to claim their rightful place in church leadership, the author contends, gender justice must precede both theology and ministry because of belief in a God who is gender-just.
Bateye, Bolaji Olukemi. "Forging Identities: Women as Participants and Leaders in the Church among the Yoruba." Studies in World Christianity 13, no. 1 (2007): 1-12.
Bateye observes that the rise of Pentecostalism in Africa has given occasion for women to take leadership roles in the church. The female leaders of this new generation of churches have emphasized the place of women in Jesus' ministry, the ontological equality of women to men, and that problematic Pauline texts are culturally specific and non-binding on the contemporary church.
Makoro, Thelma. "The Political Emancipation of Women in South Africa and the Challenge to Leadership in the Churches." Studies in World Christianity 13, no. 1 (2007): 53-66.
Makoro argues that a culture of male dominance in Southern Africa has led to the exclusion of women from pastoral leadership. She contends for women's "emancipation" in church leadership using sociopolitical, rather than biblical, rationale. Furthermore, Makoro suggests that denying women leadership positions in the church classifies as "abuse and dehumanisation of women" (56).
Wall, John. "Fatherhood, Childism, and the Creation of Society." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 75, no. 1 (2007): 52-76.
Wall critiques the "soft" patriarchy advocated by sociologist Bradford Wilcox in Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands. Wall instead argues for a child-centered, egalitarian "progressive familism" that sees cultivating a child's creative participation in society as the ultimate end of fatherhood. He criticizes the emphasis that soft patriarchalists place on subjective, therapeutic expressiveness in the home while justifying a strict segregation of public/private spheres. (See also the response by Wilcox in the same volume.)
