Women in the Church: Moving Toward Equality

by Lesly F. Massey

Overview

The status of women in the church is one of the most hotly debated issues of our time. Some Protestant churches have either abandoned or radically modified their interpretations of Biblical passages to allow women to take leadership roles and to accommodate social change. Other churches believe that certain passages forbid women to take leadership roles, even though equality between the sexes was taught by Jesus Christ and demonstrated in the early Christian community. This work examines the nature of the current controversies concerning women in the church and traces the status of women through 2,000 years of church history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786467792
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	05/28/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	221
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.45(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Lesly F. Massey is an adjunct professor of religion at Amberton University. He has been a missionary in South Africa and worked in Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua and various countries in Africa. He also conducts workshops with churches on gender equality.

Table of Contents

Foreword Rev. Christine Tata 1

Introduction 3

Abbreviations 7

1 Women in the Life and Ministry of Jesus 9

2 Women in the Earliest Christian Community 21

3 Solutions to Transitional Problems 48

4 Reversion to Patriarchal Models 65

5 The Course of Church Tradition 79

6 Alexander Campbell and the American Restoration Movement 110

7 The Anti-Slavery Movement and Modern Feminism 125

8 Churches and Divergent Paths 140

9 The Continuing Theological Dilemma 164

10 Strategy for Change 181

Bibliography 195

Index 209

Editorial Reviews

recommended”—Choice; “clearly written, well documented...covers some 2000 years of church history”—Library Journal; “required reading”—NWSA Journal; “succinctly traces the history of the role of women in the Christian church”—Reference & Research Book News; “This carefully researched study shows clearly how patriarchal models and attitudes in Christian churches stem from social and historical conditions rather than from the message of the gospel itself, which is in fact profoundly opposed to them. Only when women will become equal participants in all roles of service and leadership in the churches will the true spirit of the gospel be realized in full. I hope this thought-provoking book will inspire readers to work toward making this lofty aim come true.”—Professor Ursula King, University of Bristol, England. “This is a compassionate exploration of a complex and sensitive subject. Even in liberal or progressive churches, ordained women struggle with the chasm between the church’s egalitarian vision and patriarchal past. As a woman ordained in 1993, when fully half of seminarians in my denomination were female, my colleagues and I were continually faced with the resistance and anxiety of well-meaning people of faith. Massey provides an accessible survey of how this resistance is figured in American Christianity, and offers sensible and sensitive strategies for hope and change. Dr. Massey writes for the evangelical and conservative Christian, but he speaks to anyone concerned with how church will live if it does not live for justice.”—Reverend Christine Tata, United Church of Christ, Dallas. “Will we continue to use only half our available human resources for spreading the gospel? Dr. Massey’s book challenges us to embrace the equal role women are called to play in doing kingdom work. His approach is thoroughly biblical, wisely contemporary, and thoughtfully Christian. This is a helpful tool for evangelical, conservative Christians who are searching for answers about the role of women in the church.”—Reverend Dawn Darwin Weaks, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Rowlett, Texas.

From the Publisher

recommended

Choice

Massey, a Disciples of Christ pastor who teaches religion at Amberton University, here reviews the status and roles of women in the church while also surveying the subject's complex historical development in a biblical context. More than 700 titles are currently in print on this much-debated topic. This book distinguishes itself from others by urging conservative groups in a very balanced way to consider widening ministry for women. Clearly written, well documented, and scholarly in approach, it covers some 2000 years of church history, including women in the time of Jesus, solutions to transitional problems, patriarchal models, Alexander Campbell and the American Restoration movement of the 19th century, antislavery, modern feminism, and perspectives on the current stances that various denominations have taken in light of contemporary understanding of equality and justice. This publication is appropriate for academic, women's studies, and seminary collections. Anna M. Donnelly, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

required reading

NWSA Journal