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From Genesis to Junia: An Honest Search for What the Bible Really Says About Women in Leadership
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26304 pages, Paperback
Expected publication March 3, 2026
274 people want to read
About the author
Preston Sprinkle
20 books182 followersPreston Sprinkle (PhD, Aberdeen) is a teacher, speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. He has written several books including People to Be Loved, Living in a Gray World, Charis, and Erasing Hell, which he co-authored with Francis Chan. Preston has held faculty positions at Nottingham University, Cedarville University, and Eternity Bible College. He and his family live in Boise, Idaho, and he currently helps pastors and leaders engage the LGBTQ conversation with thoughtfulness and grace.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 5, 2026
Advanced Copy! An intellectually honest, accessible, and deeply thorough examination of the biblical theology surrounding women in church leadership. Sprinkle is one of my favorite scholars because of the way he navigates controversial topics with nuance, confidence, clarity, and intellectual integrity. We need this type of book for so many issues the church has been debating and talking past one another about. If you want to take a big step towards understanding what the Bible says about the egalitarian complimentarian divide, read this book!
January 4, 2026
Thankful for the advance copy of this book!
Dr. Preston Sprinkle has finally finished his long awaited study on the question of women in church leadership. I kept myself from peeking at the final section where he “lands the plane” and clearly articulates his own position, but as I neared the end of the book, I had a sense of where he was headed. I deeply appreciated the confidence with which he presented his conclusion. I was inspired by his clarity.
Sprinkle carries the reader through thorough scholarship and exegesis, and footnotes every question, doubt, and additional opposing viewpoint. He’s fair and charitable, but also firm. He challenges problematic interpretations on both sides of the debate and doesn’t settle with easy answers. ‘From Genesis to Junia’ is not only exceptionally researched, but accessible and readable. You’ll definitely want to pick up a copy for yourself and your church!
Dr. Preston Sprinkle has finally finished his long awaited study on the question of women in church leadership. I kept myself from peeking at the final section where he “lands the plane” and clearly articulates his own position, but as I neared the end of the book, I had a sense of where he was headed. I deeply appreciated the confidence with which he presented his conclusion. I was inspired by his clarity.
Sprinkle carries the reader through thorough scholarship and exegesis, and footnotes every question, doubt, and additional opposing viewpoint. He’s fair and charitable, but also firm. He challenges problematic interpretations on both sides of the debate and doesn’t settle with easy answers. ‘From Genesis to Junia’ is not only exceptionally researched, but accessible and readable. You’ll definitely want to pick up a copy for yourself and your church!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
(Pre-release copy received from publisher) This book is the best of both world: extremely readable, but also full of academic footnotes, resources for further study, and in depth exegetical research. My favorite, thought-provoking line is, "If Priscilla was never mentioned and all these glowing descriptions were applied only to Aquila, would anyone doubt that he was a leader?" I'm very appreciative of Sprinkle's honest and humble approach and his extreme careful handling of difficult and confusing subjects. He "steelmans" every opposing argument and gives credit where it is due. This book is a gift to the modern church. "Let all with ears to hear, let them hear."
January 23, 2026
Incredibly readable for such a dense and complex topic. It takes a lot of skills to condense years of research and skilled argument into such a compact book. I’m looking forward to a re-read when I get the paper copy.
December 23, 2025
Dr Sprinkle gives an in-depth and scholarly look at the debate over women in church leadership. His book is detailed and still very accessible. He outlines the strongest arguments for his conclusion while being generous to and not belittling different interpretations. Whether this is your first book on women in leadership or your tenth, I highly recommend it.
January 12, 2026
I was graciously given an early copy of Sprinkle’s “From Genesis to Junia”, and it is a must-read for anyone interested in what the bible says about women in church leadership. Whether you are a novice, a student, or a leader, this book is meant for you. The book is incredibly readable. Even if you have never taken a biblical course, never read an academic article, and never heard of the word αὐθεντεῖν, you will be able to understand this book.
However, despite its aim at the layperson, it does not compromise on being academically thorough. The discussion of Greek phrases, especially κέφαλε (head), αὐθεντεῖν (domineer/have authority over), and the syntax of Romans 16:7, display an unwavering commitment to direct engagement with the primary sources. Sprinkle engages with all of the data on these points, bringing up many instances as examples. Surprisingly, these sections don’t become inaccessible to non-academics, but retain the readability that characterizes the book as a whole.
The heart of this book is in Chapter 4. Inspired by Michelle Lee-Barnwell’s recent book, Sprinkle argues that we must understand leadership in a uniquely Christian way before we seek to examine who are “leaders” in the New Testament. This understanding takes cues from Jesus in Mark 10, where Jesus comes close to defining Christian leadership. For Jesus, greater is “the one who serves” than “the one who is at the table”. Christian leadership is primarily identified by service, not hierarchical dominance, in contrast to the secular understanding of authority in that time.
“In Jesus’ kingdom, it's the ‘servant,’ the ‘slave,’ and the one who ‘serves’ who are ‘great among you’—not the one who acts like a pagan ruler wielding power over peoples”. This Christian understanding of leadership allows Sprinkle to sidestep the pitfalls common to both Complementarion and Egalitarians. Arguing that while women are nowhere called elders, overseers, or pastors, they are described with terms of service, which are indicative of leadership in a Christian understanding.
Sprinkle “lands the plane” by examining 3 passages that are often taken to exclude women from church leadership; 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Corinthians 14, and 1 Timothy 2-3. These chapters offer persuasive interpretations of these passages, examining common interpretations by modern day scholars on both sides of the debate. His examination of 1 Timothy 2 is masterful, persuasively examining the meaning of αὐθεντεῖν, Paul’s usage of Genesis, and the enigmatic 1 Tim 2:15, in ways that, again, are academically thorough yet immensely easy to understand.
As an added bonus, he spends some time investigating the possible background of the Artemis cult, showing just how many parallels there are between Paul’s opposition through the pastoral epistles and the Artemis cult stationed in Ephesus during Paul’s time. While he does not base his exegesis on this background, he does conclude that it is the most likely candidate.
“From Genesis to Junia” is a fresh examination of the biblical data, written and researched without a conclusion in mind. Sprinkle engages with primary sources and academic studies, bringing the reader along for the ride of his own journey. This will quickly become a go-to book for interested lay-readers, while requiring engagement by those most attuned to the debate.
However, despite its aim at the layperson, it does not compromise on being academically thorough. The discussion of Greek phrases, especially κέφαλε (head), αὐθεντεῖν (domineer/have authority over), and the syntax of Romans 16:7, display an unwavering commitment to direct engagement with the primary sources. Sprinkle engages with all of the data on these points, bringing up many instances as examples. Surprisingly, these sections don’t become inaccessible to non-academics, but retain the readability that characterizes the book as a whole.
The heart of this book is in Chapter 4. Inspired by Michelle Lee-Barnwell’s recent book, Sprinkle argues that we must understand leadership in a uniquely Christian way before we seek to examine who are “leaders” in the New Testament. This understanding takes cues from Jesus in Mark 10, where Jesus comes close to defining Christian leadership. For Jesus, greater is “the one who serves” than “the one who is at the table”. Christian leadership is primarily identified by service, not hierarchical dominance, in contrast to the secular understanding of authority in that time.
“In Jesus’ kingdom, it's the ‘servant,’ the ‘slave,’ and the one who ‘serves’ who are ‘great among you’—not the one who acts like a pagan ruler wielding power over peoples”. This Christian understanding of leadership allows Sprinkle to sidestep the pitfalls common to both Complementarion and Egalitarians. Arguing that while women are nowhere called elders, overseers, or pastors, they are described with terms of service, which are indicative of leadership in a Christian understanding.
Sprinkle “lands the plane” by examining 3 passages that are often taken to exclude women from church leadership; 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Corinthians 14, and 1 Timothy 2-3. These chapters offer persuasive interpretations of these passages, examining common interpretations by modern day scholars on both sides of the debate. His examination of 1 Timothy 2 is masterful, persuasively examining the meaning of αὐθεντεῖν, Paul’s usage of Genesis, and the enigmatic 1 Tim 2:15, in ways that, again, are academically thorough yet immensely easy to understand.
As an added bonus, he spends some time investigating the possible background of the Artemis cult, showing just how many parallels there are between Paul’s opposition through the pastoral epistles and the Artemis cult stationed in Ephesus during Paul’s time. While he does not base his exegesis on this background, he does conclude that it is the most likely candidate.
“From Genesis to Junia” is a fresh examination of the biblical data, written and researched without a conclusion in mind. Sprinkle engages with primary sources and academic studies, bringing the reader along for the ride of his own journey. This will quickly become a go-to book for interested lay-readers, while requiring engagement by those most attuned to the debate.
January 20, 2026
This book is approachable in a couple of ways. First, the writing is easy to understand and accessible. Second, it does not take a left-lane/right-lane stance that you can sometimes find in books or conversations on divisive topics.
Redefining Christian leadership could and should be revolutionary for this next season of the Church.
Personally, I have waited 30 years to read this, so I was thrilled to receive an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
One of my favorite things was how he would take a certain scripture, describe the best complementarian stance, and the best egalitarian stance, then either highlight the most compelling parts of one or the other and talk about the most compelling pushback. You will find yourself seeing reason on both sides. And that is the most valuable thing to actually open up and view the topic holistically rather than landing in a camp and viewing all interpretations party-line.
But that means it isn’t the perfect book to find a one sentence mic-drop rebuttal to the “other side.” I believe you will settle in a conclusion—but it won’t be with the irrational volatility that some books give you where you walk away, thinking “yeah, the other side are heretics! And I’m the only true believer in the world!”
Redefining Christian leadership could and should be revolutionary for this next season of the Church.
Personally, I have waited 30 years to read this, so I was thrilled to receive an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
One of my favorite things was how he would take a certain scripture, describe the best complementarian stance, and the best egalitarian stance, then either highlight the most compelling parts of one or the other and talk about the most compelling pushback. You will find yourself seeing reason on both sides. And that is the most valuable thing to actually open up and view the topic holistically rather than landing in a camp and viewing all interpretations party-line.
But that means it isn’t the perfect book to find a one sentence mic-drop rebuttal to the “other side.” I believe you will settle in a conclusion—but it won’t be with the irrational volatility that some books give you where you walk away, thinking “yeah, the other side are heretics! And I’m the only true believer in the world!”
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I have enjoyed all of Preston Sprinkle’s work and he was a significant influence in moving me towards nonviolence His books are always very accessible, but that sometimes leave me feeling the need for more. I didn’t feel that way with this book. While there is so much more to dig into, I felt like this book was extremely thorough while maintaining Dr. Sprinkle’s characteristic accessibility.
For anyone considering this book, note that this work focuses exclusively on hermeneutics. There are other great works out there that would compliment this one well which deal with the early church and archaeological evidence. I know the early church was the tipping point for me with nonviolence, and books like Mary and Early Christian Women provide evidence beyond the hermeneutical as to patriarchy and complementarianism at least being a challenged view, if not non-normative. It seems like a very similar trend with violence, the state, and women developed and it’s helpful to dig into that.
For anyone considering this book, note that this work focuses exclusively on hermeneutics. There are other great works out there that would compliment this one well which deal with the early church and archaeological evidence. I know the early church was the tipping point for me with nonviolence, and books like Mary and Early Christian Women provide evidence beyond the hermeneutical as to patriarchy and complementarianism at least being a challenged view, if not non-normative. It seems like a very similar trend with violence, the state, and women developed and it’s helpful to dig into that.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received a copy from the publisher for review.
I was intrigued by the title as a woman in leadership in ministry. I wanted to see what this book had to offer, especially since it did a deep dive into 1 Corinthians 11, Romans 16, and 1 Timothy 2. I have never read from Preston Sprinkle before, so getting into his writing wasn't too hard. I appreciated his insight a bit, and looking at women such as Junia and Phoebe.
I appreciated that he wrote this book with the layperson in mind and not just used theological terms to write this book. He didn't go heavy on the jargon, but kept it engaging for the reader. He is respectful and never demeaning in his writing.
This book is like a bridge-builder for women in leadership, and I truly enjoyed it. Some areas I didn't agree with, but I still found this to be a great intellectual and easy read for any woman or person to read and glean from. Glad I gave it a go. Plan to re-read it at a slower pace and take my time annotating it.
I was intrigued by the title as a woman in leadership in ministry. I wanted to see what this book had to offer, especially since it did a deep dive into 1 Corinthians 11, Romans 16, and 1 Timothy 2. I have never read from Preston Sprinkle before, so getting into his writing wasn't too hard. I appreciated his insight a bit, and looking at women such as Junia and Phoebe.
I appreciated that he wrote this book with the layperson in mind and not just used theological terms to write this book. He didn't go heavy on the jargon, but kept it engaging for the reader. He is respectful and never demeaning in his writing.
This book is like a bridge-builder for women in leadership, and I truly enjoyed it. Some areas I didn't agree with, but I still found this to be a great intellectual and easy read for any woman or person to read and glean from. Glad I gave it a go. Plan to re-read it at a slower pace and take my time annotating it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received a copy from the publisher for review.
I was intrigued by the title as a woman in leadership in ministry. I wanted to see what this book had to offer, especially since it did a deep dive into 1 Corinthians 11, Romans 16, and 1 Timothy 2. I have never read from Preston Sprinkle before, so getting into his writing wasn't too hard. I appreciated his insight a bit, and looking at women such as Junia and Phoebe.
I appreciated that he wrote this book with the layperson in mind and not just used theological terms to write this book. He didn't go heavy on the jargon, but kept it engaging for the reader. He is respectful and never demeaning in his writing.
This book is like a bridge-builder for women in leadership, and I truly enjoyed it. Some areas I didn't agree with, but I still found this to be a great intellectual and easy read for any woman or person to read and glean from. Glad I gave it a go. Plan to re-read it at a slower pace and take my time annotating it.
I was intrigued by the title as a woman in leadership in ministry. I wanted to see what this book had to offer, especially since it did a deep dive into 1 Corinthians 11, Romans 16, and 1 Timothy 2. I have never read from Preston Sprinkle before, so getting into his writing wasn't too hard. I appreciated his insight a bit, and looking at women such as Junia and Phoebe.
I appreciated that he wrote this book with the layperson in mind and not just used theological terms to write this book. He didn't go heavy on the jargon, but kept it engaging for the reader. He is respectful and never demeaning in his writing.
This book is like a bridge-builder for women in leadership, and I truly enjoyed it. Some areas I didn't agree with, but I still found this to be a great intellectual and easy read for any woman or person to read and glean from. Glad I gave it a go. Plan to re-read it at a slower pace and take my time annotating it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was excited to receive an ARC of this book from the publisher, and it fully lived up to my expectations. Dr. Preston Sprinkle treats the subject of women in ministry with intellectual honesty, humility, and a deep commitment to understanding scripture as it was intended to be understood. I very much appreciated his approach, not limiting his study to the tricky passages, but diving into the depth and breadth of the biblical story and what it has to offer on the subject. He presents fair representations of both sides of the debate, and his work is heavily footnoted and academically rigorous, yet still very approachable and understandable for those of us who are not academics. His ending paragraphs are powerful - they gave me chills - but even if you don't reach the same conclusions he does, this book will deepen your understanding of scripture and, hopefully, your faith and your connection to God. Highly recommended.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received a digital copy of the book by being one of the first 2o0 people to preorder. My interest in this topic stems from current conversations in my church regarding the topic of women in ministry. This is far from the first book I've read on the subject, but it was approachable and also showed the complexity of Scripture on this topic. People are very concerned about "where you land," and I have to say, the one thing that I cannot see is the perspective that "it's just so clear." While I learned so much and value all the searching of scripture, I am still at the same place I started. Where do I land? It is not that simple. But I will for sure be recommending this book to others (and may even purchase a few extra copies that I can pass along to those who tell me "it's just so clear.")
Review of advance copy received from Author
I have read more than a dozen books on this subject, and Sprinkle does an exceptional job guiding the reader through the exegetical challenges surrounding both complementarianism and egalitarianism. He engages the issues fairly, honestly, and thoughtfully, without getting bogged down in unnecessary academic detail. The book strikes a strong balance between readability and scholarship, and I found it consistently easy to follow.
I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore what the Bible teaches about women and leadership.
I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore what the Bible teaches about women and leadership.
January 19, 2026
(I read an advance copy of this book.) Preston does an outstanding job of walking the reader slowly through each passage and through each part of his arguments. One cannot help but admire the journey, even if one finds points of disagreement along the way. This book will likely become one of my favorite resources to share with people seeking to discern the Biblical witness on this issue, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was SO excited to get my hands on the advanced readers copy. I’ve been anxiously awaiting Preston’s book since I first heard him mention it on his podcast. I greatly respect Preston’s integrity, authenticity, and humility in all of his work—and this book is no different.
Currently reading
January 20, 2026I just received my Advanced Reader Copy of this long awaited book ... I will admit I skipped to the end to see where he landed!
Looking forward to reading Preston's journey. Stay tuned ...
Looking forward to reading Preston's journey. Stay tuned ...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews