Gender Roles and the People of God: Rethinking What We Were Taught about Men and Women in the Church

Most women in the church don't aspire to "lord it" over men, nor do they want to scramble for position. Instead, they want to be accepted as full participants in God's work, sharing in kingdom tasks in ways that use their gifts appropriately.In Gender Roles and the People of God, author, radio host, and professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Alice Mathews surveys the roles women have played in the Bible and throughout church history, demonstrating both the inspiring contributions of women and the many hurdles that have been placed in their path. Along the way, she investigates the difficult passages often used to preclude women from certain areas of service, pointing to better and more faithful understandings of those verses.Encouraging and hopeful, Mathews aims for an "egalitarian complementarity" in which men and women use all of their gifts in the church together, in partnership, for the glory of God. Review While many books have simply focused on key biblical texts, Gender Roles and the People of God also explores other issues that add to the complexity of the subject, including modern cultural and theological developments that shape the way people read ancient texts and think about God and gender. This book is certain to help many Christians wrestling with gender issues. -- Roy E. Ciampa, manager for biblical scholarship and integrated training, Nida Institute for Biblical ScholarshipIt is a pleasure to endorse Dr. Alice Mathews?s book. It is a tender, compassionate explanation of the teaching of Scripture on this delicate subject. Her desire is to be fair to what our Lord has taught in his Word, not to win an argument. I urge Christ?s church to center its thinking on this topic with Alice?s firm base on Scripture rather than numerous alternative routes that are often used to discuss this topic. -- Walter C. Kaiser Jr., president emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryIn this book, Dr. Alice Mathews harvests a lifetime of serious scholarship and practical ministry experience in the church and academy to make a cogent case---biblical, historical, theological, and practical---for the liberation and employment of the spiritual gifts of all God?s gifted and called people, both women and men. I recommend her work with enthusiasm and confidence and would like to see it in the hands of every seminary student in the country. -- Dr. John Jefferson Davis, professor of systematic theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryA concise, cogent, and convincing treatment of gender roles for God?s people. Alice Mathews has confidently walked onto the historical turf of biblical theology, looked her opposition straight in the eye, and with grace-filled clarity of heart and mind boldly challenged outdated presuppositions, defended a God-honoring position of gender roles, and walked off the playing field victoriously. I delight in this incredible ezer-kenegdo woman of God. -- Stephen A. Macchia, founder and president of Leadership Transformations, director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and author of Broken and WholeRegardless of your position on the gender roles issue, this book will challenge your thinking and provide fresh perspectives on this important issue in the church. Dr. Mathews has inspired countless women to live out their spiritual gifts over the years. For the kingdom?s sake, we should read and examine what she so carefully offers in this important book. -- Evan Morgan, senior vice president of global ministry efforts, Our Daily Bread MinistriesAlice Mathews helps the entire church rethink the concept of gender and gender roles with fresh biblical, historical, theological, and cultural insights. She releases us from our natural binary impulses to reconsider our God-given human responsibilities as people loved and created by God. This is a timely book for those battling in traditional gender wars. -- Matthew D. Kim, assistant