The Making of Biblical Womanhood, Beth Allison Barr
The Making of Biblical Womanhood, Beth Allison Barr
16 Rating(s)
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The Making of Biblical Womanhood
How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth

Author: Beth Allison Barr

Narrator: Sarah Zimmerman

Unabridged: 7 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/20/2021

Synopsis

Biblical womanhood—the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers—pervades North American Christianity. From choices about careers to roles in local churches to relationship dynamics, this belief shapes the everyday lives of evangelical women. Yet biblical womanhood isn't biblical, says Baylor University historian Beth Allison Barr. It was born in a series of clearly definable historical moments.

This book moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history—ancient, medieval, and modern—to show that this belief is not divinely ordained but a product of human civilization that continues to creep into the church. Barr's historical insights provide context for contemporary teachings about women's roles in the church and help move the conversation forward.

Interweaving her story as a Baptist pastor's wife, Barr sheds light on the #ChurchToo movement and abuse scandals in Southern Baptist circles and the broader evangelical world, helping listeners understand why biblical womanhood is more about human power structures than the message of Christ.

About Beth Allison Barr

Beth Allison Barr is associate professor of history and associate dean of the Graduate School at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she specializes in medieval history, women's history, and church history. She is the president of the Conference on Faith and History and is a member of Christians for Biblical Equality. Barr has written for Christianity Today, the Washington Post, and Religion News Service, and is a regular contributor to The Anxious Bench, the popular Patheos website on Christian history.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Josh

The Making of Biblical Womanhood will kill Christian evangelical patriarchy, if we let it. Unfortunately, the very premise of Beth Allison Barr’s incisive work is that we won’t—or, at least, we haven’t—in nearly two thousand years of New Testament church history. Barr goes beyond a theological discu......more

Goodreads review by Traci

Huzzah! I cannot tell you how many books I read on theology and church history, knowing I can't recommend them to the majority of my friends. They could understand them but wouldn't take the time to do so. On the other hand, I read books that lean angry or cynical. The tone can feel disrespectful, w......more

Goodreads review by Sharon

Wow! Thought provoking while making me want to scream! Beth Allison Barr has a PhD and is a historian and professor at Baylor University. She is also a mother and pastor's wife. She has done a tremendous job thoroughly researching the biblical view of women and how it has changed (or not changed) ove......more

Goodreads review by Dorothy

This is a searing indictment of the church as it pertains to how religious leaders have misused Scripture to subordinate women. Barr's historical expertise coupled with the many examples of women who served as leaders/teachers in the 1st century church expose the misogyny that fuels rigid complement......more

Goodreads review by Josh

3.5* Where this book is good, it is really good. Where it is bad, it is really not that bad. It has lots of info to digest and many points worth considering no matter where you fall on the issue of complementarianism/egalitarianism. Barr is a historian, and she pays the closest and most careful atte......more

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