Books about Women in the Church, for Regular People
Recommended reading for the curious and the opinionated.
Though this Substack newsletter is new, I’ve been writing for many years. If you found me recently, welcome!1 I’m a book nerd—family lore tells me I came home in tears after my first day of Kindergarten. My mother, alarmed, asked me what happened and I cried, “They didn’t teach me how to read!”
I lost no time remedying the situation, and I’ve been a bookworm ever since. My love of reading morphed into a penchant for writing, which led to authoring books and reviewing others’ books. Which brings me to my purpose today—sharing a few books I’ve found informative to the dialogue surrounding women in church leadership.
The Third Rail of Theology?
Google “women in the church” or “women in ministry leadership,” or some variation of those phrases, and you’ll get a glimpse of the vitriolic debate that has raged in certain church circles over the last forty years or so. Those who dare to touch this “third rail” of theological studies often come away scorched.
Dr. Sue Edwards, now Professor Emeritus of Educational Ministries and Leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary, and I have written six books together over the last twenty-three years. All have centered around women’s ministry in the church. But our most recent one explored “the issue” of women, and our significant research yielded a stack of worthy resources. Which books address the topic through exegesis, history, cultural backgrounds, and original biblical languages? Let’s dive in.
40 Questions about Women in Ministry
In 40 Questions about Women in Ministry, Sue Edwards and I summarize the dominant teachings from both sides of the argument related to what the Bible says about women in leadership. We do our best not to offer our own opinions as to which answer is the better one. Instead, we set up the issues underlying each question, then share the prevailing—and sometimes historical—interpretations by scholars on both sides.
“What sides?” you may ask. Great question. If you are familiar with the debate over what the Bible has to say about women in church leadership, you will recognize the terms complementarian and egalitarian. If those don't ring a bell, no worries—we recommend different terms anyway.
We invite you to see how scholars arrive at their conclusions and equip you to study the issues for yourselves. This award-winning book has been used by church staff and study groups, some of whom have been re-examining their stances on women's participation in church. Though we do get into the theological weeds as necessary, we worked hard to make the content accessible to all levels of readers. If the topic of women in church (and home) has ever come up in your circles, chances are good you’ve been asking some of the forty questions we address.
Nobody’s Mother
What does a Greek goddess have to do with Christian women? In Nobody's Mother, Dr. Sandra Glahn offers a thorough investigation of Artemis, the goddess of Ephesus who held an outsized role in the life of the first-century Roman Empire. Glahn evaluates literature, inscriptions, biblical references, and art as she seeks to understand 1 Timothy 2:15, the “women shall be saved through childbearing...” verse that no one—until now—has been able to satisfactorily explain. Letting original sources reveal the nature of Artemis's influence on the culture in which the earliest Christians lived, Glahn argues that Paul (the writer of 1 Timothy) was demonstrating how Jesus was better than Artemis. Her final chapter applies her findings to the biblical text and offers comfort to women who have felt sidelined by Paul's apparent limitations. Y'all, it's good. IVP readers voted it their favorite in the Arts & Humanities category, and it was a finalist in the Biblical Studies category for Christianity Today's Books of the Year award.
Tell Her Story
Often the conversation about women in ministry begins with teaching passages in Paul’s New Testament letters. But in Tell Her Story, Dr. Nijay Gupta invites us into the stories of women with whom Paul actually worked. Gupta addresses common misconceptions surrounding the culture of first-century Rome and the lives of women within it. He then focuses on the women who led early churches as seen in New Testament writings. As readers get to know women like Phoebe, Priscilla, Junia, Nympha, and others, we see how women participated and led in the first house churches, and how they were welcomed by the men who also led. You won't see Romans 16 the same after reading this book!
Icons of Christ
Theology professor Dr. William G. Witt argues in support of women's ordination to vocational Christian service. The genius in Icons is that both Protestant and Catholic theologies are addressed. Did you know that opponents of women's ordination in Catholicism argue their position from a completely different reasoning than their Protestant counterparts? Protestants focus on keeping Bible teaching under male authority, while Catholics are happy to give women authority with the Word as long as they do not attempt to represent a male Christ presiding over the Eucharist (the Table). Fascinating! A very scholarly work, Icons likely will be a mainstay in seminary classrooms.
Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Light from the Biblical Texts
Andrew Bartlett approaches the third rail of theological studies not as a theologian but as a lawyer. Or, more accurately, a barrister—he's an acclaimed Queen's Counsel (QC) practicing in England. His legal background comes into play as he examines primary scholars on both ends of the spectrum, comparing and contrasting their methodology and conclusions. His genius lies in his clarity. He’s organized, which helps readers keep track of complex texts and concepts and understand the foundational differences between the opposing sides. Primarily he contrasts Wayne Grudem (complementarian) with Philip Payne (egalitarian), two leading voices on opposite sides of the issue. Readers will appreciate Bartlett’s logical and practical approach.
If you’ve read widely on the topic of women in church leadership, what other titles do you recommend?
About book links: some titles will be linked to my Amazon affiliate account, which sends me a tiny percentage of purchase totals at no cost to you.
And if you are family, friend, or longtime follower, my apologies. You may have seen some of this already. 🤷🏻♀️
Nobody’s Mother and Icons of Christ are both so good! I also recommend Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James, Why Not Women by Cunningham and Hamilton, and the Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight. Westfall and Peppiatt have also been great!
I would also highly recommend Lucy Peppiatt’s ‘Rediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women’. In it, Dr Peppiatt resists both the usual ‘complementarian’ and ‘egalitarian’ tropes and instead offers a third way: mutualism. I very good read.