Book review: Discovering Biblical Equality

Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy by Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merril Groothuis (Eds). (2004). Intervarsity Press.

This book provides an excellent and comprehensive overview of discussions around women in ministry in the church, and explores a whole range of issues – historical, biblical, theological and practical. The editors sought to write a book that positively explained biblical equality and that fostered dialogue with people who might disagree. It also seeks to encourage women and men in their gifting for ministry, marriage and friendships, without hierarchy. It certainly accomplishes all of these aims. It takes each of the bible passages that are used to speak out against equality and thoroughly yet accessibly seeks to help the reader understand them in their intended context. In addition to the in-depth bible studies, the book also offers discussion around wider historical and sociological backgrounds. In addition, the reader is encouraged to discus and debate what this means in practice for our churches today, closing wih an encouragement toward reconciliation between people on opposite sides of the ‘schism’.

This is a refreshing book which engages in dialogue with the reader. It is definitely a book to add to the bookcase as you will keep referring back to it. And it is a book to recommend widely to friends and colleagues, especially those who might simply never have heard the arguments in favor of  biblical gender equality. I highly recommend it.

You can buy this book from IndieBound or AbeBooks.

Book review by Alice Hague