Slaves, Women and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis by William J. Webb

Aug 23, 2012 Adam Omelianchuk rated it 3 of 5 stars

More like 3.5 stars...

Perhaps the most interesting and most controversial book on biblical interpretation published in the last ten years is William J. Webb’s Slaves, Women & Homosexuals. The austere title signals to the reader three subjects that have been the most debated in the last 200 years. And for good reason: all who make up those people groups have been marginalized and oppressed under those who supposedly hold the authority of scripture.

Webb takes seriously the intuitions of the m...more

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Sep 04, 2008 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bible

William Webb proposes a redemptive-movement hermeneutic as the best way to interpret scripture, using it to investigate issues controversial in the contemporary church regarding women and homosexuals. He lays out 18 criteria, ranging from persuasive to inconclusive, on how to analyze scripture.

His argument is that all scripture comes to particular culture; the question is what principles transcend cultures. In regards women, he shows that though some of the passages of scripture seem archaic to...more William Webb proposes a redemptive-movement hermeneutic as the best way to interpret scripture, using it to investigate issues controversial in the contemporary church regarding women and homosexuals. He lays out 18 criteria, ranging from persuasive to inconclusive, on how to analyze scripture.

His argument is that all scripture comes to particular culture; the question is what principles transcend cultures. In regards women, he shows that though some of the passages of scripture seem archaic to us, in their context these passages lifted women up from where they were to a higher plane. He then argues that to be faithful to scripture is not to stop here, but to follow the pointers in scripture to their logical conclusion which is complementary egalitarianism: men and women are different (they complement one another), but are equal in their service to society and the church. Or, to get right to the point, women can serve in the church in any way men can.

In regards to homosexual we find that while the ancient cultures were very accepting of homosexual practice scripture moves counter-culturally to condemn these practices. There are no pointers to an ultimate acceptance of homosexuality, as there were with women's issues. His conclusion is that the church is correct in not condoning homosexual practice.

Some will say that Webb is on a slippery slope by arguing that the texts on women are cultural. But he persuasively shows that all interpreters of the Bible admit some things are cultural. For example, no Christians use scripture's acceptance of slavery to argue for slavery, no Christians give their firstborn double inheritance, and we do not greet with a holy kiss. The question to tackle is which parts of scripture are cultural and which transcend. Perhaps it is a slippery slope, but it is a slope that all who interpret scripture are forced to live on.

Overall I found this book liberating and challenging. Coming from a church that does not allow women to be pastors, this is something I have wrestled with. Webb's arguments give the reader a lot to chew on and cannot be ignored. I recommend this book to anyone who desires to understand the Bible's teachings on women and homosexuals.(less)

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May 07, 2013 Paul Mullen rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book because it seemed to show up on the reading lists of a lot of folks in their 20s and early 30s. I wanted to know what they were reading.

The basic dilemma of the book is this: How should one decide which texts in the Bible provide culturally informed guidance for life, and which are transcendent and apply to all cultures at all times?

Webb's argument is this: If you start with the premise that the key message of God is redemption, then one can look for a redemptive theme or movem...more

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Aug 03, 2011 James Korsmo rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really appreciated this book! I think it is fair to say that hermeneutics, and specifically hermeneutics as it relates to cultural anaylsis, is one of the most pressing issues facing the church today. How we understand Scripture to relate to its original culture and how we appropriate it in our own culture is one of the issues that is driving our current era of church history. How we understand issues such as those surrounding women and homosexuals are very live and important questions in our...more I really appreciated this book! I think it is fair to say that hermeneutics, and specifically hermeneutics as it relates to cultural anaylsis, is one of the most pressing issues facing the church today. How we understand Scripture to relate to its original culture and how we appropriate it in our own culture is one of the issues that is driving our current era of church history. How we understand issues such as those surrounding women and homosexuals are very live and important questions in our day. And this is why I commend William Webb's book as highly as I possibly can. He addresses these issues by carefully probing the underlying hermeneutical questions with thoroughness and and an irenic and humble spirit.

Webb begins by laying out the Christian's challenge with regard to these issues, "It is necessar for Christians to challenge their culture where it departs from kingdom values; it is equally necessary for them to identify with their culture on all other matters" (22, italics in original). This is difficult because though Scripture contains both culture-bound and transcultural elements, these would have been nearly indistinguishable to its original readers. The challenge, then, is to live out the spirit of the text without being too inseparably bound to the "isolated words." For Webb, this means undertaking a "redemptive-movement hermeneutic" as opposed to a "static" hermeneutic.

A redemptive-movement hermeneutic seeks to assess the "movement" of a text relative to its original cultural setting. It then moves into our own day and seeks to retain the same direction of movement relative to our current culture in places where our cultural setting has gone beyond that of the original culture. An explicit component of this assessment is that the Bible doesn't only contain an "ultimate" ethic, but often contains provisions, laws, and instructions that entail only a "partially realized" ethic. It is worth taking a second to look at the reasons Webb outlines for this to be so, because I don't think this concept is one most readers of Scripture consciously ascribe to. Webb asserts that God often inspired a "partially realized" ethic (1) for pastoral reasons, to stretch his people as far as they could go without snapping; (2) for padagogical reasons, to help people move from the known to a foreseeable future with enough continuity so they can find their way; (3) for evangelistic reasons, thus reform was intended to better social structures without being so radical as to jeopardize other aspects of the Christian mission; (4) to sustain competing values, such as upholding temporary values in pursuit of associated goods, such as slavery in service of social welfare or patriarchy in service to gender differentiation; and (5) for soteriological resons, to to deal with a fallen and sinful humanity to whom reform does not come easiliy and move us in a process of progressive sanctification.

Throughout the book, Webb sustains an argument that, taking the presence of elements of both an ultimate and a provisional ethic within Scripture (and he certainly acknowledges the presence of an ultimate ethic in Scripture), we must undertake careful cultural analysis to determine what components of Scripture are culture-bound and which are transcultural. Once this is done, we seek to uphold the transcultural components and seek to live out the culture-bound components through a process of "redemptive movement" where we seek to follow the redemptive spirit within the text by reapplying that same spirit to our own culture. Let's follow a similar flow to Webb's own argument to flesh this out a bit.

Webb argues that the neutral example of slavery provides an important case study for understanding how a redemptive movement hermeneutic works. The culture of the Ancient Near East and of the Greco-Roman world upheld a structure of slavery. The Bible, written within this culture, reflects this setting, in that it assumes the general structure of slavery. There are no explicit texts or passages that speak directly to the need for the abolition of slavery (except perhaps for Gal 3:28 and parallels); there are, on the flip side, though, many texts that assume that slavery exists. But many of these texts reflect a "redemptive movement," that is, they demonstrate a limited but real movement away from the worst abuses of slavery toward better and more equal treatment of slaves. This movement, when coupled with the ultimate ethic in Scripture that acknowledges the equality of all people before God and the need to love neighbor as self, points toward the need for further movement beyond the movement accomplished in the OT or NT. Thus, as we live out the spirit of these texts, we appreciate our different cultural setting and seek to move closer to the unrealized ultimate ethic of abolition of slavery, and even beyond this toward fuller workplace and economic justice.

Webb takes this same process of analysis into his discussion of texts surrounding women. In that cultural analysis, through the use of eighteen different criteria, he assesses the culture-bound components of patriarchy, relating to economic, social, and practical concerns. This analysis includes a careful exposition of the pertinent New Testament texts in their cultural settings, as well as a thorough discussion of the relation between the testaments on this point, and especially of the role played by Genesis texts in the discussion. He then couples this with an investigation of the ultimate ethic present in scripture, and concludes that the Bible moves toward a complementary egalitarianism or an ultra-soft patriarchy.

The third issue Webb looks at throughout the book is that of homosexuality. This is important in two respects. First, it is important because it is a vital issue in its own right, and second, because it is often related either positively or negatively to discussion of issues regarding women, usually to rhetorical effect. Thus, importantly, Webb demonstrates that the two issues, both needing careful cultural analysis, demonstrate opposite movements within Scripture. Whereas the patriarchy texts evidence a positive movement toward egalitarianism, the homosexual texts consistently demonstrate an absolute movement away from freedom to complete prohibition, and this movement is to be carried over into our own culture, albeit slightly modified.

William Webb's book is often cited and quoted in studies surrounding these important and divisive issues, and this is with good reason. I wish I had read this book years ago, and have deeply appreciated his hermeneutical insights. He shows how to recognize a redemptive movement in Scripture that acknowledges and appreciates the spirit of the text without being too bound to the "isolated words," by which he means the words taken in isolation from their cultural and canonical context. He demonstrates a genuine faithfulness to Scripture and an intense pursuit of God's truth and God's desire for our lives here in the in-between time, while also demonstrating how to carefully move beyond the bare words of Scripture in those cases when it is bound to its cultural setting. I look forward to appropriating his insights in future study. I must say that I also deeply appreciated his humble and irenic tone. He openly acknowledged the areas of greatest weakness in his own case (even writing a "What If I Am Wrong?" chapter to lay bare and discuss these weaknesses and their bearing on his case), and also sought to acknowledge the strengths of his opponents positions and demonstrated charitable readings of opposing views. All the same, I think he also admirably shows the promise of careful cultural analysis for faithful application of Scripture, in a convincing assessment of the issues surrounding both homosexuality and women. I also hope at the very least that this book dismantles the arguments often bandied about that those who favor women in ministry are on the slippery slope to accepting homosexuality or that those who accept women in ministry must make this subsequent move, as Webb demonstrates how this is clearly not so.

In all, this book is a landmark study of hermeneutics especially as it bears on these important issues, and is a must read for those on all sides of these pressing discussions. Do not miss this book, and do not delay.(less)

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Jun 16, 2009 Brett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bible-general, theology

In this profound work, Webb raises the essential question of biblical studies: how do we apply the text? Application, as it were, is often a matter of understanding culture, both of the original audience and of the modern reader. Through a series of 18 criteria (e.g. preliminary movement, seed ideas, and breakouts), Webb constructs a “hermeneutic of cultural analysis” – a method for understanding the place and influence of culture in the original text. Often times, these criteria point to the tr...more

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Apr 09, 2009 Winn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just can't bring myself to give 5 stars to a book on hermeneutics - I don't consider myself that much of a braniac (and I don't give 5 stars to too much anyway - 4 stars is pretty fabulous for me - and my wife Miska has issues with me on this already, so don't start...). Still, if we are comparing apples to apples, of all the like-genre books I've read (and there have been more than a few stemming back to college and seminary), this may be the most formative to date. I got bogged down a bit ab...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Joel Wentz rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is far and away the most balanced perspective I have read regarding the contentious issues of homosexuality and women's leadership in the church, and I have read quite a few. Webb still draws some hard lines and does come to firm conclusions, but he gives EVERY other perspective a fair look, including major reformed thinkers (Piper, Grudem) and the socially liberal views on Christian sexual ethics. His explanation of the "redemptive-movement" hermeneutic is fantastic, and no matter whe...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book. He forces readers to think through their presuppositions concerning scripture. Unfortunately he does not take his arguments far enough at times. One should also consider this book to be more WOMEN and slaves (with a hint of homosexuality) as the book is really about the place of women. It is clear he has thought though this issue more than any of the others and he often uses slavery as only a neutral example to help make the point he is about to make. Even by the autho...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biblical-studies, theology, sexuality

I am constantly referring people to this book and referencing it. Webb coins the term “redemptive movement hermeneutic” to talk about the movement of the text towards a greater ethic. He uses slavery texts as a neutral point in the argument, as almost all of of us can agree today that slavery is wrong, while Scripture seemingly condones it.

A closer look reveals that the Bible always pushed the surrounding culture on towards a greater ethic regarding slavery. While other cultures were free to rap...more I am constantly referring people to this book and referencing it. Webb coins the term “redemptive movement hermeneutic” to talk about the movement of the text towards a greater ethic. He uses slavery texts as a neutral point in the argument, as almost all of of us can agree today that slavery is wrong, while Scripture seemingly condones it.

A closer look reveals that the Bible always pushed the surrounding culture on towards a greater ethic regarding slavery. While other cultures were free to rape and pillage female slaves, the Israelites were instructed that if they took a slave as a wife (slept with her) then she would have the same protection and status of being a wife. Granted, when looking at that through 21st century lenses, it still appears crude because the Bible still condoned taking female slaves as wives. But for the culture and context in which those instructions were given, this better treatment of slaves was radical, indeed this instruction was already very difficult for the culture to understand and accept in this historical context. It’s easy for us to impose our modern values on ancient cultures and judge them, but doing so fails to acknowledge our own biases.

So on and on in the Old and New Testaments, we see the Bible pushing towards better treatment of slaves, with Paul even urging Philemon to free his runaway slave Onesimus. We also see numerous passages discouraging people from becoming slaves and encouraging people to seek freedom. Thus the “redemptive movement” of the text pushes us on toward a greater ethic regarding slavery, namely the freedom of slaves and abolishment of human slavery.

In regards to women in society and in the faith, we see a similar redemptive movement in the Old & New Testaments. We see women being acknowledged for military conquests and obedience to the LORD in the Old Testament, and the acknowledgement of female prophets and a greatly elevated social status in the New Testament. The surrounding culture saw this as radical and suppressed women, while Scripture pushed the culture forward towards the better treatment of women. Women were the first witnesses of Christ’s empty tomb, and women have been included in the visible sign and seal of the new covenant, baptism (previously only men were included in the visible sign and seal of the old covenant: circumcision, see Colossians 2:9-12). The redemptive movement of the text is thus the greater elevation of women’s status in society and in the Church.

Now let’s look at homosexuality. Both the Old and New Testament denounce homosexuality as an abominable practice. If the surrounding culture shared this view, then we could begin looking for clues that God was pushing for better treatment of and eventually acknowledgement and tolerance of the homosexual lifestyle. But this isn’t the case. The surrounding culture was fairly open to homosexuality, yet the Bible still opposed it in both Testaments. Thus the redemptive movement is against the grain of culture; the Bible continues to affirm that homosexual behavior is sinful. If we were to continue that movement today, then we must also stand against the grain of culture and continue to confess that homosexual behavior is sinful.

This "redemptive movement" approach to the text on these three issues is very enlightening and helpful. Webb did a great job writing this book and his research is outstanding. He goes through all the texts of contention and explains them in detail, the book is worth it for this alone. The practical examples and plain logic he uses is refreshing, and makes his point very well. Read it and learn more.(less)

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Feb 12, 2013 Gary Fields rated it 3 of 5 stars

Confession, I only read parts of this book as it pertained to a class I was taking.

Webb puts forth what he calls a "redemptive movement hermeneutic." It can be summarized in the XYZ model where:

X = the culture at the time the Bible/book of the Bible was written in.

Y = the actual text of the Bible.

Z = the sense of morality that God wants man to achieve.

This can be illustrated by the topic of slavery. Part of the mosaic law said that if man beat a slave to death the slave owner was to be punis...more

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Apr 04, 2009 leighcia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished, christianity

Through the examination of three controversial issues in the church historically and/or currently, Webb provides a framework for “the hermeneutics involved in distinguishing that which is merely cultural in Scripture from that which is timeless." He presents a set of 18 or so criteria that can help us determine how scripture texts apply to our current context. He explains each of the criteria and then assesses the three controversial issues in his title in light of those criteria. While his fina...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology

In this book Webb proposes a specific hermeneutic (method of interpreting the bible) that he calls the redemptive-movement hermeneutic. He then uses three topics--slavery, women, and homosexuality--as his case studies for his hermeneutic.

Before I write much more I want to admit that I haven’t studied much in terms of hermeneutics so I can only take what he says at face value (not in comparison to other hermeneutical methods). Second I humbly come with the following pre-formed opinions about the...more In this book Webb proposes a specific hermeneutic (method of interpreting the bible) that he calls the redemptive-movement hermeneutic. He then uses three topics--slavery, women, and homosexuality--as his case studies for his hermeneutic.

Before I write much more I want to admit that I haven’t studied much in terms of hermeneutics so I can only take what he says at face value (not in comparison to other hermeneutical methods). Second I humbly come with the following pre-formed opinions about the 3 case studies, (1)Slavery is wrong and not part of God’s original design, (2) women are equal to men in standing before God and in authority to lead in the church through all the gifts of the Spirit, (3) Homosexuality is a sin. In this I am already in basic agreement with Webb’s conclusions, so I felt that I should state that from the get go.

The book is divided into three sections and a conclusion. The first section outlines Webb’s hermeneutic, the second and third sections proceed, point by point, through his different criteria (biblical and extra-biblical respectively) and ending with a conclusion.
Webb’s basic premise is that we as Christians know that we need to understand the Bible in its cultural context, but have not developed a systematic way of approaching it. There are very few people who interpret the Bible without assuming at least some of it is culturally-bound (e.g. stoning adulterers, slaves submitting to even harsh masters, head coverings for women, cooking a goat in his mother’s milk). His question is, how do we understand what is a cultural versus transcultural (e.g. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, ten commandments, etc.). He proposes that we can understand all scripture as redemptive. Throughout history God, Jesus and the Apostles are calling God’s people closer to holiness and correct living, and calling people in a way that was prophetic in that era. With that premise, Webb asks us to look at scriptural commands and compare them to the surrounding society, how was he calling his people to be set apart and what direction does that point in? In He then sets up 18 different criteria to help tease that apart.

He then launches into the 18 criteria using Slavery (which is allowed in the bible but most of the Christian world agrees is probably not within God’s design) as his neutral case study and then using the same framework to look at the role of women in the church and relating to men and the case of homosexuality. Regarding women, he makes the case that the underlying spirit of the text moves us towards what he calls either a complementary egalitarianism or soft-patriarchalism (the primary difference is that in the second, a special place of honor should be given to men, otherwise men and women should be equal). Regarding homosexuality, he shows that God always called his people (OT and NT) to stand against the prevailing cultures which accepted homosexual behavior and so the underlying spirit of the text does not move us towards accepting homosexuality.

I initially picked up this book because I would identify with Webb as a complementary egalitarian (women being equal in power and authority under God while acknowledging the interdependence of men and women as different). Because of that, I was being challenged that if I were to accept that position, I would have to move away from understanding homosexuality as a sin (which continues to be my position). I appreciated Webb’s understanding of the bible in context and while I’m sure not all would agree with his assessments it is a worthwhile read. He focuses primarily on the topic of women, primarily because less is said about homosexuality in the bible. I do feel like he dismissed some of the more recent scientific and psychological studies on homosexuality (he is first and foremost a theologian).
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in biblical interpretation and especially looking for a thoughtful perspective on two hot-button issues of our day. I don’t find all of his criteria to be equally compelling and sometimes he is a little too glib in his arguments. However, I found his perspective a helpful foundation for doing good application of the bible that is both contextual and at the same time originating in the Bible.
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Mar 05, 2013 Jelle de Jong rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, library

Especially the first part of the book is thought provoking. After the first chapters he starts to apply his line of thinking to the questions of slavery, homosexuality and the place of women. In my opinion in the later chapters he goes to far to prove his point. He even made a list of good point, mediocre points and weak points. Which is an honost way of defending your hypothese, but doesn't make for nice reading. The further you go, the weaker the points get. No applauding big bang at the end,...more Especially the first part of the book is thought provoking. After the first chapters he starts to apply his line of thinking to the questions of slavery, homosexuality and the place of women. In my opinion in the later chapters he goes to far to prove his point. He even made a list of good point, mediocre points and weak points. Which is an honost way of defending your hypothese, but doesn't make for nice reading. The further you go, the weaker the points get. No applauding big bang at the end, but just a squib.returnreturnHe states that we should read (some parts) of the bible as an indicator to figure out in which way we should head to make for a better understanding of the will of God. We shouldn't read the laws of the bible as static. He then gives several criteria how we can figure out in which way a given text is pointing and if we should or should not bring the application of the text any further. Should we give women the same place in the church as men, because the text gives the women a little bit better place in the church than in the surrounding world, or should we stick to the text because its statement is finalreturnThis goes much further than: "You should figure out what the writer intended to say with this text. And to do that you should figure out the context of the text." Which is the way I have learned to read the bible. In this 'context'-way of reading, you only try to understand what the underlying principle of the text is. You move up the abstraction ladder (to quote William Web). For example: the text about slavery should now be read as texts about employee and employer.returnWilliam Webb opposes this line of thinking. He says that God expresses Himself in ways so that his people may understand. Therefore there are several reasons why He doesn't always tell what it should be like in the end, the ultimate goal. William Webb explains what this reasons good be. returnI still think it is a bit far fetched at times, but given the bible and his laws as it is, I think Webb's way of reading it, is the best and easiest way to keep the bible intellectualy believable. At least for me.; G8 boek(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bible, religious-studies

This is a comprehensive book on the theology of civil rights. It posits that there is a Redemptive Movement Hermeneutic within scripture and that hermeneutic is applied to slavery (a neutral settled issue), feminism (a current debate within the church), and homosexuality (a current debate within the church).

The Redemptive Movement Hermeneutic says that there is a contemporary culture of the text in question, Ancient Near Eastern culture for the Old Testament and Greco-Roman culture for the New T...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Edward rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion-and-theology

I enjoyed the methods that this author uses but I do not agree with some of his conclusions. Webb’s criteria attempt to guide us in discussing and learning what practices or teachings in the Bible are cultural--and therefore not applicable to our lives as Christians today--and which are transcultural--and therefore applicable. I believe the criteria he has laid forth are good and useful for all those who wish to study the Bible and then apply the teachings to our lives today. However, as my wife...more I enjoyed the methods that this author uses but I do not agree with some of his conclusions. Webb’s criteria attempt to guide us in discussing and learning what practices or teachings in the Bible are cultural--and therefore not applicable to our lives as Christians today--and which are transcultural--and therefore applicable. I believe the criteria he has laid forth are good and useful for all those who wish to study the Bible and then apply the teachings to our lives today. However, as my wife pointed out, his inability (in our opinion) to apply some of the criteria objectively leaves his credibility a little shaken.

I believe that some of Webb’s conclusions reached using his criteria are biased because he believes that patriarchy is a thing of the past. For example, he dismisses the idea of created order (and thus man is to be a head over woman) based on parallelisms with the practice of primogeniture (the right of the first-born child, specifically the first-born son).

Webb concludes that primogeniture was a cultural practice in the past and that we don't really practice that today, so it isn't transcultural. And since the doctrine of created order is parallel to that of primogeniture, then created order is also cultural and therefore should not be practiced today. Thus this is one reason that Paul's prohibition of women teaching men in public should not be followed anymore. Here's my problem with that logic: to the best of my knowledge, all ancient cultures practiced some form of primogeniture and some cultures today still practice it. That would seem to me that primogeniture wasn't just something that was cultural to the Israelites; and if this is a transcultural practice then we should follow to some extent.

Now, a similar argument could be made about worshiping multiple gods...many (if not all) ancient cultures worshiped multiple gods (and some still do today) so therefore it’s transcultural and we should follow it to some extent today. But here’s the main difference: God forbids the worship of other gods, therefore, whether this is transcultural or not, it’s not something Christians should do. However, God does not explicitly (or implicitly) tell us not to practice primogeniture, yet Webb decides this is not something we should practice.

In Webb’s evaluation of the slave texts, we find a similar pattern and I agree with his reasoning that slavery is a practice that should be done away with even though many ancient cultures practiced it. But here is a difference between the slave texts and primogeniture concept: slavery is inherently contrary to God’s command to love one another for we cannot love someone if we own him and we cannot love someone if we treat her like property to be abused any way we want; however, when the first-born son takes his responsibility properly and conducts himself with the commands of God in mind, there will be no abuse of siblings, kinfolk, or children; i.e. there is no contradiction between practicing primo-geniture and following God’s commands. Admittedly, no one performs his duties as the first-born perfectly because of sinful human nature, but is that a reason to discard primogeniture? No, of course not! So Webb’s discarding of primogeniture is based merely on his use of this as a parallel to created order and thus created order can be tossed since primogeniture can be tossed.

This and other inconsistencies with applying the criteria can cause the reader to discard the entire book but I think that would be a mistake. Take what is good and discard what is bad: take the criteria that Webb lays out and discard his biased applications. The other applications are still useful for learning how to apply the criteria in order to gain a fuller understanding of the Bible.
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May 19, 2011 reneamac rated it 5 of 5 stars

I chose to give this 5 stars because the main premise --- that the best way to interpret the Bible is through a "trajectory of redemption" --- is revolutionary. However, allow me to give you an insider's tip. You can skip chapters 5 and 6. Chapter 5 is called "Moderately Persuasive Criteria" and 6 is "Inconclusive Criteria." Skip these 85 cumbersome pages, and enjoy the rest of this highly helpful book.

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Sep 19, 2011 Joseph Sverker added it

Shelves: gender-and-queer-stuff, theology

Webb is clear about his stand point already in the Preface, but that does not mean that he would not do a very honest job in exploring the different possible readings. He portrays, in my view, the opposing standpoint fairly and includes, as far as I know, the strongest argument from the pro-homosexuality side. The book is somewhat unimaginative in terms of its structure, he goes through criteria by criteria and issue by issue very systematically. It wins in clarity but looses somewhat in enjoyme...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Jeni rated it 5 of 5 stars

I found this to be an excellent, thought-provoking look at how to apply ancient Scriptures to our modern culture. Rather than be one man's opinion on the three topics in the title, it is rather a look at 18 criteria that help the reader to determine whether a passage is meant to be set in the culture it was written, or if it is "trans-cultural," meaning that the principle was "universal" in scope and just as relevant today as when it was written. It was a very interesting read, although somewhat...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Dustin Bagby rated it 5 of 5 stars

I didn't know it was possible for a hermeneutics book to be a page-turner! Whether you agree with Webb's criteria and conclusions or not, it would be a great mistake for a thinking Christian NOT to read and wrestle with what he has written in regard to the role of women in the church and homosexuality. An impressive, well-researched and thought-provoking book that is hugely important if you are in church leadership.

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Aug 22, 2009 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another challenging book from the egalitarian perspective. Exhaustive (and exhausting!). Articulates a redemptive-movement hermeneutic that is worth consideration, but is not without problems and raises a considerable amount of questions.

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May 30, 2011 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pretty challenging read on hermeneutics. Compares hermeneutical approach to slave texts, then women, and finally homosexual texts. Argues for a "redemptive movement" interpretation of Scripture as opposed to a "static" hermeneutic. We no longer try to justify slavery by Bible, recognizing freedom as redemptively closer to God's ideal for humanity. At the other end, homosexuality in no way expresses a redemptive improvement, despite many attempts to argue it does. Women's issues fall somewhere in...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Tom Heil rated it 4 of 5 stars

A must read for anyone wrestling with how the Bible intersects culture, especially with women's roles and homosexuality.

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Oct 08, 2012 Noah Stepro Stepro rated it 5 of 5 stars

Best book on the subjects-will inform how you read scripture even outside of these subjects

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Jan 14, 2009 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars

Webb's redemptive movement hermeneutic is compelling and well thought out.

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Oct 25, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joey Mavity brought me here. ;)

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Jul 27, 2011 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Actually, surprisingly interesting

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Jun 02, 2008 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent, intellectually stimulating read by theologian William Webb. It shows the positive trajectory in the Bible for women and slaves (an argument for equality), though this same trajectory is missing when it comes to homosexuality.

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Apr 26, 2011 Carl Holmes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good Book. A Little hard to grasp at times, but it leads to good discussion and understanding when trying to interpret the old testament with new testament eyes.

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Aug 14, 2007 Julie Morgan added it

certainly meaty... and such a good approach to applying scripture. reading and discussing with others was a wonderful way to delve into the world of hermenutics!

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Sep 01, 2012 Brantley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: hermeneutics, ethics

Modified review from class assignment coming soon

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title link	preview: Slaves, Women and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis
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Slaves, Women and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis

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