Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism

All Christians should read this book,

Reading many of the negative reviews, I couldn't help but think that the reviewers couldn't have read the words written. I did expect that there would have been some contrary views expressed but the antagonistic response of many Christian readers was surprising. I also wondered what kind of reviews would be given by the female elders at our church??? I found the book quite easy to read. I have found both Grudem and Piper lucid writers and I enjoy the challenge of following their arguments. In relation to the central issue of Sexual Complementarity and differing roles within sexually-differentiated equal beings created in the image of God with the same opportunities for salvation, I believe the work is compelling. As a Male, I was convicted again of Adam's failure to defend Eve in Genesis 3:1 and not compel the Serpent to direct his questions to him as God had given him the command before Eve was created. This same weakness in the male version of Man is still evident in Churches where men defer to women to take on roles that they should take themselves. The pastor's heart of Dr Piper is evident in seeking to find a Biblical Answer to the child's question: "Dad, what does it mean to be a man and not a woman?" I am mindful that the need to answer this question is more pressing now in 2006 then it was in 1988 when they published the Danver Statement. There is excellent exegesis throughout and I am more comfortable with accepting the full counsel of God in Scripture and seek a rational explanation of seemingly contradictory statements than the argument to set aside the controversial sections referred to in this book.

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (Edited By John Piper and Wayne Grudem) is essential reading to help you form your own position in what may be one of the most important debates in the church at the current time- how to respond to feminism. What I like about the book is it doesnt simply assume that a 1950s view is correct. Instead, examining from all kinds of angles the book attempts to do what it says on the tin. Preaching a view that says women and men are complementary to each other the book is the best yet to aim to construct a biblical view of this thorny issue. You may not agree with everything you read here, but you must hear these arguments and respond to them if you aim to be true to the bible in your view of the role of men and women. Honest christians may well disagree on this subject, but the rabid femminism described so ably in "The feminist Mistake" will take no prisoners and we must construct a robust philosophy on this issue that will stand.

To anyone who is reading these reviews without having an already established position on the roles of men an women, I would strongly encourage you to read this book. It is a thurough hermeneuticly solid and Biblical exigisis of the numerous texts of Scripture that speak to this issue. Each chapter is written by a different NT Greek scholar and deals solely with one of the texts that lend information to the isssue of gender roles. the book is extremely scholarly written,and to my knowledge these has been no rebuttal written to it. It stands unchallenged. What saddens me however, is reading the various reviews on the book. PROOF-TEXTING (like quoting "there is neither male no female in Christ" without giving it's context and meaning) dishonors God's Word! I have failed to see any negative reviews that in any way engage the arguments of the book. NONE!! I only have read people who quote a verse on two out of context and then proceed to condiscendingly attack the complimentarian view as a whole. I would encourage any open minded readers to see through this type of propoganda and read the book for themselves Lastly I would like to disprove the false argument proosed by many reviewers that equality and subservience are contradictory notions. Here Go's....1. Jesus is fully God and completely equal with God and in no way inferior to Him (Phil 2:6)2. Jesus is submissive (Luke 22:42) and obedient to God The Father, who is "Greater" (John 14:28)position and authority. In this way, male and female genders and gender roles reflect the image of God. Within the trinity itself there is complete equality but yet their is a clear authority structure. God the Fathers sends His Son, and They in turn send the Holy Spirit. This proves that the concept of total equality and of subservience are not multuly exclusive.

Ah the joys of this Christian debate. I only want to mention a few things. First, read this book if you are (1) a seminary student, (2) a pastor dealing with this issue in your ministry, and (3) interested in a variety of well written articles on this debate. If you are looking for easy answers, this is not the book for you.Second, I took a class with Grudem in seminary on this particular issue, and suffice it to say I am still working on this issue. It is important to say here that he does truly care about women and that this book is an out growth of that concern. I don't think anything said in this book does otherwise (regardless if you disagree with the views presented). However, I would suggest that you would also read books on the other side of the issue. Even the four views book on this topic.Be informed of all the positions' points so that you truly sort out what is your stance.

I've read a few of the other reviews here, and I frankly can't agree with the negative sentiments. Whether or not a person has a complementarian perspective, this book is still very informative and well written. It is not intended to be a book that is read from its beginning to its conclusion (although I did). Instead, it serves more as a reference volume, addressing various issues of men and women in marriage and in ministry. There are five sections that comprise this work.The first section is an overview that moves rather quickly and sets the stage for the sections to follow. Exegetical and theological in nature, the second section is very meticulous and may be boring to some readers. The third section addresses male/female issues in church history, biology, psychology, sociology and law. After establishing a strong basis of support, the fourth section proceeds to apply the ways in which men and women can complement one another today in the the church, in the home, and in society. The fifth section briefly summarizes and comments upon the many points that have been made.I recommend this title as a REFERENCE book. Reading it from cover to cover will prove challenging, much like trying to read an encyclopedia. Still, this work is a classic. I know of no other book on the market that provides such a strong, comprehensive explanation of the complementarian position.For the pastor or teacher who is dealing with the issues surrounding the roles of men and women in marriage and in ministry, this book is a MUST READ.