Gender Roles and the People of God

June 1, 2017

This brisk survey by Mathews (Marriage Made in Eden) proves that Christian hierarchies have distorted the complementarian image of gendered creation, one that was always part of God's intended purpose and not a concession to human sinfulness. The author admits, "this book began as classroom lectures in a course called 'Women and Church Leadership.' " The book reads as such, with its 13 chapters concluding with questions for discussion and reflection. According to Mathews's interpretation of Genesis, gender is an element of being created in God's image, and male and female are to be ezer kenegdo, or helpers to each other, subservient only in response to the other's needs. Her major point of analytical assessment is the heavily referenced Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, a work she finds resolutely committed to a patriarchal, gender-based hierarchy--arguments the author dismisses as misogynistic and ideological. However, her own judgments on female church leadership probably speak more directly to Protestant perspectives. VERDICT An accessible feminist overview of historical patriarchy in Scripture and the church.--SC

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