The Bible Vs. Biblical Womanhood: How God's Word Consistently Affirms Gender Equality

Publisher Description

A biblical defence of egalitarianism that relies on Scripture to affirm gender equality in the eyes of God.

"Biblical womanhood" is the idea that the Bible teaches God-ordained male leadership and female submission in the home and subordination in the church. Some say this hierarchy of authority is sufficiently evidenced by examples of male leadership (and lack of female leadership) in the Bible: the first human was male, Israel's official priests were male, most authors of Scripture were male, Jesus was male and chose twelve male Apostles. God is addressed as Father. Wives are commanded to submit to their husbands.

In The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood, New Testament scholar Philip B. Payne argues that the very Bible passages that are often believed to teach male headship and female subordination actually teach gender equality. He demonstrates that the Bible does not endorse gender hierarchy but instead emphasises:

• The Holy Spirit gifting all believers for ministry
• The oneness of the body of Christ (the church) and the priesthood of all believers
• Humility, service, and mutual submission required of all believers
• Freedom and willingness to relinquish freedom in order to spread the gospel

These concepts are examined in 14 Bible passages throughout the Old and New Testaments, using careful exploration of Greek and Hebrew word meanings, historical and cultural context, and examples from Scripture. Payne defends his position by providing detailed answers to common objections at the end of each chapter.

The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood is for those struggling to reconcile the Bible's seemingly contradictory teachings about man and woman. Readers will come away with greater confidence in the reliability of Scripture's consistent, harmonious message of gender equality.

ENDORSEMENTS:

'Philip Payne does the job of a careful exegete in explaining the difference between a biblical view of women in God's purposes and an artificial and alien view listing all the things that women purportedly cannot do by jaundiced modern interpreters. Payne has done the hard slog of a detailed reading of the text and he's got the receipts for how his rivals have misspent their efforts in treating the Bible as a mirror of their own patriarchal subculture. Payne is arresting as he is persuasive!' – Rev. Dr. Michael F. Bird (Ph.D University of Queensland) is Academic Dean and Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia

'No scholar of the New Testament and church has spent more energy in examining and explicating the role of women in leadership and teaching and preaching than Phil Payne. His scholarship is well-known and impeccably fair-minded. This book judiciously and pastorally unravels the tight threads woven by complementarians and weaves them into a fresh, new tapestry that is both biblical and pastoral. It will be for me the go-to book for lay folks who need a response to the complementarians.' – Scot McKnight, Chair of New Testament, Northern Seminary, Jesus Creed

'A compelling and highly readable case for the full equality of women and men. This remarkable book presents the best in New Testament scholarship for non-specialists.' – Harold Netland, Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Intercultural Studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Philip Barton Payne (PhD, Cambridge) has served with his wife Nancy for the Evangelical Free Church Mission in Japan for seven years. He has taught New Testament studies at Cambridge, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Gordon-Conwell, Bethel, and Fuller, and is known for his studies on textual criticism, the parables of Jesus, and Paul's teachings on women.