Annotated Bibliography for Gender-Related Books in 2007

In this issue of the journal we profile some of the most significant gender-related books 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

Ensor, John. Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007.

John Ensor provides a needed guide for initiating and building relationships that is deeply rooted in biblical complementarianism. He argues persuasively that the innate differences in men and women should profoundly affect the way they conduct themselves before marriage as well as after. Men must squash timidity as they initiate romantic relationships while women should affirm and joyfully respond to demonstrated leadership. Purposeful pursuit of marriage, rather than the alternatives offered by the modern dating culture, will establish the proper foundations for a Christ-honoring home. For a more detailed consideration, readers should consult the review by James Dew in this issue of JBMW.

Lesniewski, Linda. Connecting Women: A Relational Guide for Leaders in Women's Ministry. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007.

Because of the different responsibilities given to men and women in New Testament church leadership (Titus 2:2-5), Linda Lesniewski emphasizes the vital place of women ministering to other women in the church. She describes the components of a healthy women's ministry and sets forth a practical guide to beginning and developing a thriving ministry to women.

Taylor, Arden. Family Matters: A Biblical Perspective from Dating Fears to Twilight Years. Canton, GA: Riverstone Group, 2007.

Arden Taylor offers an overview and biblical foundation for issues related to marriage and family. With great clarity and concision, the volume tackles both the obstacles to and principles for a home centered on God's plan for the family. Taylor suggests that for marriages to be biblically structured, they must meet the mandate for husbands to lead sacrificially and wives to follow joyfully instead of following the ideology of a feminist society.

Complementarian/Egalitarian

Husbands, Mark, and Timothy Larson, eds. Women, Ministry, and the Gospel. Exploring New Paradigms. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2007.

Its essays coming as the fruition of the 2005 Wheaton Theology Conference, this volume seeks to offer fresh, more nuanced perspectives on the gender debate. As the lone contributor arguing for a complementarian view of church structure, Jim Hamilton suggests that women should be fully embraced in ministries not limited to men in Scripture, namely those involving teaching and authority over men. The other essays include the following: I. Howard Marshall offers a traditional egalitarian exegesis of 1 Timothy 2 by focusing on the sociohistorical setting of the passage. Lynn Cohick explores five typologies that attempt to explain 1 Cor 11:2-16, opting for an approach similar to William Webb's "redemptive movement" hermeneutic. Egalitarian Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen argues that evidence offered by the social sciences on gender differences is often flawed because of uncertainty concerning nature/nurture, questionable statistical significance, and lack of cross-cultural control. In other contributions, Rebecca Idestrom looks at Deborah as a model for ministry, Frederick Long argues for inclusion of women based on New Testament gifts lists and the Acts fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32, Mark Husbands suggests that genderedness has been "hidden with Christ" in the ordering of the church, Margaret Kim Peterson questions the distinction of public and private realms of work and ministry, Cheryl Sanders traces the participation of women in Pentecostal/Holiness movements, and Timothy Larsen argues that egalitarianism has historically been a legitimate evangelical option. The book concludes with three chapters from Henri Blocher, Sarah Sumner, and Timothy George suggesting new ways forward for ministry and dialogue between egalitarians and complementarians. While these essays and the volume as a whole offer some profitable suggestions for a Christ-like approach to
a sometimes contentious debate, the reader is left to question whether, in fact, new paradigms offer any new answers to the question of whether God has indeed given specific roles to men and women in the home and church.

Egalitarian

Barton, Ruth Haley. Longing for More: A Woman's Path to Transformation in Christ. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2007.

Ruth Haley Barton urges women to embrace their freedom in shedding fear and inhibitions as they move toward transformation in Christ. Christ, she suggests, broke "man-made" regulations regarding gender and modeled God's attitude toward women which is "summed up in Galatians 3:27-28" (71-72). In keeping with an individualistic focus on Scripture reading, women who are truly free will, according to Barton, accept their role of allowing God to meet their own individual needs.

Bell, Rob. Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.

Rob Bell shows that human sexuality is inextricably linked to the cosmic mystery revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sadly, Bell misunderstands precisely the way in which Scripture connects the two-in the husband and wife's demonstration of the archetypal headship/submission structure of Christ and His church (Eph 5:22-33). Instead, he argues for an egalitarian model of mutual submission in which a husband and wife each has equal authority over the other.

Davidson, Richard M. Flame of Yahweh: Sexuality in the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007.

Richard M. Davidson's massive study of sexuality in the Old Testament devotes its first two chapters to questions about gender in creation and fall. Davidson rejects a complementarian interpretation of both, arguing that the first chapter of Genesis establishes unequivocal equality between men and women. He responds to five complementarian arguments from the creation narrative that support a hierarchical structure of gender, not seeing details such as Adam's prior creation and his naming of Eve as compelling support for male headship. Likewise, Davidson rejects the view that the fall narrative shows Eve's usurpation of Adam's authority or that God affirms headship/submission in his judgment pronouncements. He also includes an afterword in the book that tries to show that the views he espouses are compatible with the New Testament authors and can be synthesized into a biblical theology of sexuality.

Eckert, Min Gaines. Stronger Than You Think: Becoming Whole Without Having To Be Perfect. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2007.

Suggesting that women suffer from brokenness resulting from deep-seated pain, Kim Gaines Eckert contends that a desire for wholeness rather than perfection is at the heart of women's struggles. In addition to other cultural expectations imposed on women, she argues, the church's prohibition of women from leadership has served as an impetus to perpetuate brokenness rather than healing. Besides the problematic egalitarian assumptions of the author, she grounds her emphasis on brokenness and wholeness in modern psychotherapy rather than explicitly biblical categories of sanctification and discipleship.

Gray, Jeanette. Unleashing Women in the Church: Preparing Servant Leaders to Serve the Church. St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart, 2007.

Jeanette Gray seeks to raise up a new generation of women leaders in the church. Although cautioning that women must serve humbly within their socio-cultural setting, she argues for an egalitarian church leadership structure that is based on giftedness and character rather than limitations due to gender. She includes two appendices that trace historical approaches to the place of women in church leadership and interpretations of disputed Scripture passages related to gender.

Larsen, Timothy, and Daniel J. Treier. The Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2007.

According to the editors, "This Companion offers an up-to-date articulation of evangelical theology that is both faithful to historic evangelical convictions and in dialogue with contemporary intellectual contexts and concerns" (i). The following entry is not a consideration of the entire volume, but only chapter 11 by Elaine Storkey entitled "Evangelical Theology and Gender" (161-76). Storkey- an egalitarian scholar- notes that some evangelical theologians "have entered into dialogue with feminist theology," expressing "faithfulness to evangelical orthodoxy and openness to theological exploration on God and gender." Among others, however, "the debate has become stuck within an obsession with male-female roles" (163). She discusses the debate among complementarians and egalitarians and insists that "there are serious problems with both the methodology and the exegetical assumptions behind the urge to find the true characteristics of 'biblical manhood and womanhood' and replicate these in our Christian communities today" (166). Storkey contends that "our understanding of gender is inextricably influenced by our ideas of human identity" and advocates a recovery of "human identity as relational rather than some substance with an essence or nature." Such a recovery "changes the focus of the gender debate" (168) and owes much to a renewal in Trinitarian theology, particularly discussions of the "relational trinity" (169). Storkey notes that not all evangelicals "have seen in the Trinity the vision for gender interrelatedness and equality" (170). She critiques those who maintain Scriptural support for eternal functional subordination within the Trinity. According to Storkey, (1) this view is "unknown" in church history until the last few decades; (2) Christ's submission to the Father "was, like his humanity, part of his earthly life"; (3) the "idea of subordination" in the Godhead (and among humans) has to do with views of power and authority at odds with the New Testament; and (4) this "eternal subordinationist view" is a heresy dating back to Arius (171). Storkey concludes with a section on the gender of God, arguing that language about God must "ultimately point away from gender and to the fundamental truth of divine love" (172).

Thompson, John L. Reading the Bible with the Dead: What You Can Learn from the History of Exegesis That You Can't Learn from Exegesis Alone. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.

John L. Thompson's goal is to provide "a digest of the history of the interpretation of some passages and issues that ought to be of great interest to readers and hearers today" (8). In each chapter, he considers a difficult biblical text or a thematic cluster of texts- to include texts of violence and abuse, texts that address domestic relations (particularly divorce), and texts that bear on the role of women in the church (specifically 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 3). Thompson provides a survey of how pre-critical (patristic, medieval, and Refomation era) commentators interpreted these texts and topics. "Although many may assume that they know where these venerable male commentators were likely to come down on issues still contested today," Thompson writes, "there was considerable dissent and diversity of opinion" (8). Regarding 1 Tim 2:12, for example, Thompson notes the survey of the history of interpretation by Daniel Doriani (from the first edition of Women in the Church: A Fresh Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 [Baker, 1995]). While Doriani demonstrates that 1 Tim 2:12 has almost always been defended as teaching "the subordination of women," Thomson contends, it does not address how those commentators reached this conclusion (181). Despite the conviction of precritical commentators that 1 Tim 2:12 dictated "the exclusive right of men to teach and rule the church," they "wrestled with the details of these passages, which did not fall neatly in place." They "were usually wise enough to recognize that Paul's teachings and arguments were not handled well if reduced to simple formulas with simplistic prooftexts that brooked no opposition, exceptions, or contextualization'' (182).

Non-Evangelical

Boden, Alison L. Women's Rights and Religious Practice Claims in Conflict. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

Alison L. Boden examines obstacles to women's rights in Islam, Hindu, and Christian traditions. She argues that women's rights and religious freedom often conflict, resulting in women whose lives suffer as the result of the privatization of religious authority.

Browning, Don S. Equality and the Family: A Fundamental, Practical, Theology of Children, Mothers, and Fathers in Modern Societies. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.

Don S. Browning's essays show how the family can be used as case study for an inter-disciplinary approach to practical theology. Browning interacts with law, social sciences, ethics, biology, and biblical studies to argue for a "pro-family" and "pro-marriage" egalitarianism.

Buchanan, Andrea J., and Miriam Peskowitz. The Daring Book for Girls. New York: Collins, 2007.

While HarperCollins initially had no plans to publish a girl's version of The Dangerous Book for Boys (see below), this stance was apparently shortlived. The authors acknowledge that the book for boys was the inspiration for their own. It seems, then, that the first book's popularity was the real impetus for this version. Thus, The Daring Book for Girls lacks a clear purpose, as is evident when one compares the introductions to the two books. This is not to say that the girl's version is without merit; there is both fun and learning here. Girls will learn classic games and various crafts. They will receive advice on letter writing and public speaking. They will read about history, weather, social studies, and the outdoors. However, topics dealing with anything tied to domesticity and motherhood are virtually absent. And the advice on boys, in an attempt to emphasize the "common ground" between boys and girls, sends the message that all differences between them are purely illusory. The Dangerous book for Boys sought to capitalize on the differences between boys and girls and to champion what has become a passe view of gender. The Daring Book for Girls-though inspired by the former-cannot, ultimately, bring itself to do the same.

Iggulden, Conn, and Hal Iggulden. The Dangerous Book, for Boys. New York: Collins, 2007.

Released in Britain in 2006, this book by brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden experienced runaway sales. The American edition, released in 2007, also became a bestseller. Written for boys, the book is a collection of short stories, facts, projects, and- in a word- adventure. Boys will learn about dinosaurs, astronomy, and navigation. They will relive Robert Scott's South Pole expedition, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Golden Age of Piracy. But they will also be active. Boys will learn how to make a battery, a bow and arrow, and a water bomb. They will discover "five knots every boy should know," how to create secret ink, and how to build a tree house. There's even sections on poems every boy should know, books every boy should read, and advice about girls. In an age of video games and cell phones, the authors believe "there still must be a place for knots, tree houses, and stories of incredible courage" (xi). It's the kind of book the Iggulden brothers wish they had when they were boys. They happily write it now because "these things are important still and we wish we knew them better" (xi). Boys will resonate with this book. It will appeal to their natural sense of adventure and keep them (and their dads!) busy for hours, as they read stories of courage and satisfy their curiosity.

Jacobs, Mignon R. Gender, Power, and Persuasion: The Genesis Narratives and Contemporary Portraits. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007.

Mignon R. Jacobs applies a critical reading of several Genesis narratives to the question of male-female interaction. She looks at the interaction of status and persuasion in the ancient world to gain insight into modern male-male, male-female, and female-female relationships, arguing that persuasion is a product of preconceived beliefs about relational identity, regardless of gender. Preconceptions such as male superiority, she argues, engender many abuses in both ancient and modern societies.

Penner, Todd, and Caroline Vander Stichele, eds. Mapping Gender in Ancient Religious Discourses. Boston: Brill, 2007.

The contributors to this collection of essays examine views of gender from a variety of ancient sources- Jewish, Christian, and Greco-Roman- at the intersection of socio-historical settings and religion.

Roberts, Christopher Chenault. Creation and Covenant: The Sign Significance of Sexual Difference in the Moral Theology of Marriage. New York: T. & T. Clark, 2007.

Christopher Chenault Roberts surveys church history regarding the theological significance of sexual difference in marriage. Keeping the debates over homosexual marriage in the background of his thought, he suggests that revisionist proposals that deemphasize the significance of gender have not yet overcome the more-coherent traditional view passing through Augustine, Luther, Barth, and others.

Rooke, Deborah W., ed. A Question of Sex? Gender and Difference in the Hebrew Bible and Beyond. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2007.

This collection of essays reconsiders the social construct of gender and marriage in ancient Israel based on a reading of the Hebrew Bible, archaeological evidence, and post-biblical literature.

Sax, Leonard. Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. New York: Basic Books, 2007.

As a result of his experience as a family physician and research psychologist, Sax contends that more and more of today's young males are "adrift"- disengaging from school, not pursuing vocation, and opting out of real-world pursuits. Sax contributes to the subject by identifying what he believes are the five factors driving this problem: changes at school, video games, medications for ADHD, endocrine disruptors, and the devaluation of masculinity. For a more detailed consideration, readers should consult the review of Boys Adrift by Christopher Cowan in this issue of JBMW.

Schwartz, Matthew B., and Kalman J. Kaplan. The Fruit of Her Hands: A Psychology of Biblical Woman. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 2007.

The authors attempt to differentiate the biblical view of women from the Greek-influenced Western model characterized by an underlying sense of inferiority and lack of individual identity. As opposed to this "female Oedipus complex," Schwartz and Kaplan argue, biblical women found purpose in their sense of divine purpose, empowering them to develop as an individual human being as well as partner in various relationships and roles

Shalit, Wendy. Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Self-Respect and Find It's Not Bad to Be Good. New York: Random House, 2007.

Wendy Shalit's first book, A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue (Simon & Schuster, 1999), was a bold cultural critique of female sexual promiscuity and a re-affirmation of modesty, innocence, and mystery. In her follow-up title, Shalit, who is Jewish and conservative in her faith, continues the critique while highlighting the youth-led rebellion against the status quo. Today's teenage girls have learned quickly that looking sexy is one of the most important things they can do. Young women are expected to take a cavalier attitude toward sex; a girl who is not sexually active is "repressed." However, rather than bringing freedom, Shalit contends, today's "bad girl" image has led to oppression and the undermining of girls. Going against the grain of the now normative "badness" and the Girls Gone Wild mentality, a modesty revolution is underway. Shalit draws on her personal interviews with girls and young women and thousands of email exchanges. Many girls long for new role models, and Shalit presents several hopeful accounts of girls and young women- many of them Christians- who are championing sexual modesty in their own contexts. Parents (especially of girls) will find this an insightful evaluation of our sexually permissive culture and the modesty reformation that (hopefully) is underway.

Witte Jr., John, M. Christian Green, and Amy Wheeler, eds. The Eyual-Regard Family and Its Friendly Critics: Don Browning and the Practical Theological Ethics of the Family. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 2007.

This volume is a compilation of ten essays that examine the work of Don Browning. From the perspectives of a spectrum of academic disciplines- though all basically sympathetic to his position- the contributors seeks to interact with and build upon Browning's proposals for an "equalregard" family.

Undeclared

Cohen, Richard. Gay Children, Straight Parents: A Plan for Family Healing. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2007.

Richard Cohen lays out a plan of reconciliation and recovery for families trying to cope with children living a homosexual lifestyle. Significantly, Cohen argues that ultimate causality for homosexual attraction lies not with biology but with gender identity warped during improper development. Whether or not one agrees with every detail of the author's step-by-step plan, the book serves as a helpful reminder of the important place of Christian parents in raising masculine sons and feminine daughters.

Davis, John E. Extreme Pursuit: Winning the Race for the Heart of Your Son. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2007.

John E. Davis warns parents that teenage boys long to do extraordinary things and are engaging in unprecedented levels of extreme actions. He maintains that relational connectedness to young men is key to channeling their changing hormones and thought patterns into productive actions. While Davis recognizes many of the desires and needs of teenage boys seeking to become men and provides some practical advice for parents pursuing relation ships with their sons, he seems to assume an antiauthoritative father-son relationship rather than a hierarchal discipleship structure.

George, Denise. What Women Wish Pastors Knew: Understanding the Hopes, Hurts, Needs, and Dreams of Women in the Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.

Trying to help pastors understand and care for women, Denise George offers the results of asking women from over thirty denominations across the country the question: "What do you wish your pastor knew?" George arranges the responses topically under the categories of personal experience, faith, family life, perceptions of pastors, and perceptions of church. The responses vary widely and do so especially in regard to the question of women in church leadership.

Jones, Stanton L., and Mark A. Yarhouse. Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation. Inter Varsity: Downers Grove, 2007.

The authors report the findings of their study, which questions commonly held assumptions regarding sexual orientation in the field of psychology- that sexual orientation cannot he changed and that attempting to do so is harmful. Jones and Yarhouse follow a large representative sample of people seeking to change their sexual orientation through various ministries of Exodus International and persuasively argue that change is indeed possible and not harmful.