evangelical feminismIn light of the recent discussion on femininity and culture, I recommend Wayne Grudem’s Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth. It has everything to do with the recent discussion on the matter and will prove a valuable resource. In fact, with 856 pages spanning commentary, appendices, and indexes, there is not a more thorough, current treatment of the subject available.

Many years ago, I read through Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism, which is a compilation of essays by several authors, including two favorites—John Piper and Elisabeth Elliot. Since that initial groundbreaking work, evangelical feminists have found new arguments to bring to the table, and this work now addresses those points– 118 arguments to be exact.

In the first two chapters, Grudem makes the case using Scripture for a complementarian view of men and women; that is, that men and women are equal in value and personhood, but different in roles in marriage and the church. The rest of the book answers every evangelical feminist argument on the subject with great detail, fairness, and scholarship. (And if he skipped any, there is even a website to find updates on those arguments as well.) While the book is more aptly called a “work,” it is accessible to the layperson while maintaining its scholarship. It is readable, enjoyable, and usable. By that I mean, the subject headings are so well organized that the reader can skip, fast forward, and rewind with ease.

To give you a taste of what’s in the book, here’s a look at some interesting topics:

  • Curious about the often-cited Deborah argument? Grudem addresses this in chapter 4. (He doesn’t forget about Priscilla and Apollos; that’s in the following chapter.)
  • Since women could prophesy in the New Testament, doesn’t this imply that they could also teach God’s Word and be pastors or elders? The answer is found in chapter 7.3.
  • How can we determine which moral commands of Scripture are culturally relative? Read the additional note to chapter 9.
  • Hey, what about the “priesthood of all believers?” Check out chapter 10.
  • Bonus commentary: Is evangelical feminism the new path to liberalism? Maybe and maybe not. See chapter 13.

    • On a personal note, my husband teaches a class on Systematic Theology employing Wayne Grudem’s text on the subject by the same name. Since we’re nowhere near eschatology and several years have already gone by, it could be said of Grudem that if nothing else, he is thorough. However, after reading Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth, I’d have to add that he is “right on,” gifted, and gutsy as well.