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Women and the Word of God: A Response to Biblical Feminism
Women and the Word of A Response to Biblical Feminism
270 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1978
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April 16, 2009
This book is an old friend. I have recently dusted it off to read again after recommending it to a friend who will be married this year. The contemplation of a Christian woman living single or living in marriage brings always questions – what does it mean to submit? do single women submit? if so, to whom? are women to submit to all men or just their husbands? if you submit are you inferior? are women inferior to men? did God restrict women from preaching or was that just Paul who was reflecting the cultural times?
The author, Susan Foh, wrote this book in response to Biblical feminism. Biblical feminists agree that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, however they reject those passages in the Bible where they see irreconcilable contradictions regarding the Bible's teaching on women. These contradictions include cultural elements which portray women as inferior, thus limiting them from complete participation in the church – inferiority of Eve because she was created second, inferiority of women because they are prohibited from becoming pastors, to name a few. Biblical feminists have tried to prove from scripture that these elements were never meant to be propagated as scripture, and thus should be rejected. However by rejecting passages they personally do not like, human reason is set forth as the final authority and judge of “what is scripture” and “what is not scripture”.
I will not be able to review every aspect of this book, because it is detailed and thorough. So I will summarize the portions that I learned most from, and were most significant to me. It is important to know that I first read this book when I was single and working outside my home as I made a living for myself in the work world. Subsequent readings have been after my marriage (working outside our home, then working inside our home) before and after children were added to our family.
The most significant portions of the book for me wer the linking of the Genesis 3 passage (the judgments pronounced on Adam and Eve after the fall) and the Ephesians 5 passage (commands to the wife to submit to her husband, commands to the husband to love his wife).
In Genesis 3: 16b, the judgment against Eve after she sinned against God says “Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Interestingly enough, the word “desire” is the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 4:7b where God is speaking to Cain after he has killed his brother Abel. God tells Cain “its (sin's) desire is for you (Cain), but you must master it.” Eve somehow desires her husband, and sin desires to control Cain.
Quoting the author in the chapter “What the Old Testament Says About Women”,
“So after the fall, the husband no longer rules easily; he must fight for headship. The woman's desire is to control her husband, to usurp his divinely appointed headship. And he must master her, if he can. Sin has corrupted both the willing submission of the wife and the loving headship of the husband. And so, the rule of love founded in paradise is replaced by struggle, tyranny, domination, and manipulation.”
And a bit later on,
“As Cain did not rule over sin (Genesis 4:7b), so not every husband rules his wife. Wives have desires contrary to their husbands' and often have no desire (sexual or psychological) for their husbands. But wives do have a desire, whether overt or covert, conscious or unconscious, to control or manipulate their husbands.”
Then the passage in Ephesians 5: 22 - 33, where wives are commanded to submit to their husbands (v 22) and husbands are commanded to love their wives (v25). I had always wondered, why is the wife not told to love her husband too, and why isn't the man told specifically to submit to their wife also since in Ephesians 5:21 it tells believers“submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God”? The answer to these questions has to do with the judgments back in Genesis 3. If you remember, women were told that “ your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you “ (Genesis 3:16b). Before the fall, it was easy for a woman to accept the headship of her husband. After the fall, submitting to her husband would be one of the hardest things she would do, because she would be fighting the sin nature she had to control or manipulate her husband. So in Ephesians 5, the wife is commanded to DO that hardest of things.... submit to her husband!
In Genesis 3: 17 – 19 God explained to Adam that his judgment would have to do with the struggle to work and make a living. Before the fall, it was easy for the man to work and also love and cherish his wife. After the fall, taking time out from his busy and hectic work schedule would be one of the hardest things he would do, because he would be so busy fighting his sin nature which leads him to focus on work above all else. God then instructs the husband in Ephesians 5 to DO that hardest of all things.... love his wife! So what is hardest now for the man is to take time aside and cherish and love his wife. He is so busy struggling with work and finding his fulfillment there, that often he neglects to nurture and care for his wife. So in both cases, God explains the commands he gives in Ephesians 5 in light of the judgments of Genesis 3. The wife is not told to love her husband, because she has that more naturally in her nature. But in obeying God's command to submit to her husband, she will fight against the “desire that sin has for her, and will master it”.
This was hugely important to me, because it explained submission to the creation order God had established, and also explained some of the differences between what God wants women to do and what God wants men to do and how the fall and sin messed that up. Sin separates husband from wife and puts strife between them. Obedience to God's commands restores the right relationship between husband and wife, and allows both husband and wife to indeed fight against sin's desire to have mastery over them. This becomes a life long struggle because you cannot just do it once and have it over and done with. And it is impossible to do in your own strength. God tells us the result of our sin (Genesis 3), then tells us what we must do to live in obedience (Ephesians 5), and then enables us through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to DO what is hardest for us. But DOING that hard work does not mean recasting it in terms we like better (rejecting Paul because he was a cultural bigot against women), or rejecting what God has put in place (the creation order).
Another huge issue for me was the assumed inferiority of women simply because Eve was created second after Adam and told that her function was to help him. The author shone a blazing light of truth on this issue by reminding me that Jesus himself came to “serve”, to be humble, to love others more than himself such that he died for them. Jesus submitted himself to the will of God the Father. So to submit is not an act of inferiority, but is actually an act of great humility. A wife who submits to her husband willingly puts herself in a position of great vulnerability. Husbands are not Jesus, and will not always treat their wives as Jesus would treat them. So the wife may be treated unfairly. But God honors obedience, so wives are told without exception or excuse to submit to the authority of their husbands. To put this submission in the same light as the way Jesus submitted to God the Father was a great joy for me. Jesus was in no way inferior or a doormat because he submitted. And wives are in no way inferior either when they willingly submit themselves to the authority God has placed over them in their husbands.
Wow. I could go on. This book just has so many wonderful things in it, but I will leave it as these. In summary (and adding a few items that I did not have time to go over),
1)men and women are in the image of God in exactly the same way. God created Man in two sexes in his image. Both male Man and female Man are in God's image. So men and women are equal as persons, and men and women should treat one another with kindness and respect, as persons made in the image of God.
2)Wives are to submit to their husbands, and woman are not to teach or exercise authority over men in the church. This subordination to her husband and in the church is NOT BASED ON MERIT OR LACK OF IT. It is based on God's appointment. So while God has created men and women equally in personhood, God has ordained a difference in function.
3)God has ascribed HONOR to the place of subordination. Jesus himself was not ashamed to take the form of a servant and humble himself. It is pride and rebellion against God that moves Christian women to refuse to fulfill their positions in marriage and the church. This rebellion is part of the judgment in Genesis 3:16.
4)It is God alone who decides what justice is. Justice is defined by God's word, and not by human reason. Therefore, it is just and fair that women cannot be elders in the church, even though an equal partnership of the sexes in marriage and in the church may seem like a better idea to many persons.
I would recommend this book with 10 stars if 10 stars were available. This book helped me understand and articulate a Biblically grounded position about women as Christians – whether single, widowed, divorced, married, working outside the home or inside, with children or without. We are Christians first and foremost. God created us with great care and love to be women. With the creation of Adam and Eve came an order (Adam first, Eve second), and with that creation order came differing roles. To live within the roles God has established in the creation order brings great peace and joy. To kick against the goads of the creation order, to reject that God can choose how he has ordered things, and to fight against obedience is to live in strife and anger and frustration.
Women, there is still forbidden fruit today, just as there was in the garden. That fruit is role interchangeability in marriage and in the church. I'm glad the author has written to show Christian women that, like Eve, they are being tempted with half truths (such as subordination implies inferiority) and are being told that God (or the Bible or the church) is depriving them of something quite arbitrary. Let us with the Psalmist resist this temptation and say,
“Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psa 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.“
The author, Susan Foh, wrote this book in response to Biblical feminism. Biblical feminists agree that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, however they reject those passages in the Bible where they see irreconcilable contradictions regarding the Bible's teaching on women. These contradictions include cultural elements which portray women as inferior, thus limiting them from complete participation in the church – inferiority of Eve because she was created second, inferiority of women because they are prohibited from becoming pastors, to name a few. Biblical feminists have tried to prove from scripture that these elements were never meant to be propagated as scripture, and thus should be rejected. However by rejecting passages they personally do not like, human reason is set forth as the final authority and judge of “what is scripture” and “what is not scripture”.
I will not be able to review every aspect of this book, because it is detailed and thorough. So I will summarize the portions that I learned most from, and were most significant to me. It is important to know that I first read this book when I was single and working outside my home as I made a living for myself in the work world. Subsequent readings have been after my marriage (working outside our home, then working inside our home) before and after children were added to our family.
The most significant portions of the book for me wer the linking of the Genesis 3 passage (the judgments pronounced on Adam and Eve after the fall) and the Ephesians 5 passage (commands to the wife to submit to her husband, commands to the husband to love his wife).
In Genesis 3: 16b, the judgment against Eve after she sinned against God says “Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Interestingly enough, the word “desire” is the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 4:7b where God is speaking to Cain after he has killed his brother Abel. God tells Cain “its (sin's) desire is for you (Cain), but you must master it.” Eve somehow desires her husband, and sin desires to control Cain.
Quoting the author in the chapter “What the Old Testament Says About Women”,
“So after the fall, the husband no longer rules easily; he must fight for headship. The woman's desire is to control her husband, to usurp his divinely appointed headship. And he must master her, if he can. Sin has corrupted both the willing submission of the wife and the loving headship of the husband. And so, the rule of love founded in paradise is replaced by struggle, tyranny, domination, and manipulation.”
And a bit later on,
“As Cain did not rule over sin (Genesis 4:7b), so not every husband rules his wife. Wives have desires contrary to their husbands' and often have no desire (sexual or psychological) for their husbands. But wives do have a desire, whether overt or covert, conscious or unconscious, to control or manipulate their husbands.”
Then the passage in Ephesians 5: 22 - 33, where wives are commanded to submit to their husbands (v 22) and husbands are commanded to love their wives (v25). I had always wondered, why is the wife not told to love her husband too, and why isn't the man told specifically to submit to their wife also since in Ephesians 5:21 it tells believers“submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God”? The answer to these questions has to do with the judgments back in Genesis 3. If you remember, women were told that “ your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you “ (Genesis 3:16b). Before the fall, it was easy for a woman to accept the headship of her husband. After the fall, submitting to her husband would be one of the hardest things she would do, because she would be fighting the sin nature she had to control or manipulate her husband. So in Ephesians 5, the wife is commanded to DO that hardest of things.... submit to her husband!
In Genesis 3: 17 – 19 God explained to Adam that his judgment would have to do with the struggle to work and make a living. Before the fall, it was easy for the man to work and also love and cherish his wife. After the fall, taking time out from his busy and hectic work schedule would be one of the hardest things he would do, because he would be so busy fighting his sin nature which leads him to focus on work above all else. God then instructs the husband in Ephesians 5 to DO that hardest of all things.... love his wife! So what is hardest now for the man is to take time aside and cherish and love his wife. He is so busy struggling with work and finding his fulfillment there, that often he neglects to nurture and care for his wife. So in both cases, God explains the commands he gives in Ephesians 5 in light of the judgments of Genesis 3. The wife is not told to love her husband, because she has that more naturally in her nature. But in obeying God's command to submit to her husband, she will fight against the “desire that sin has for her, and will master it”.
This was hugely important to me, because it explained submission to the creation order God had established, and also explained some of the differences between what God wants women to do and what God wants men to do and how the fall and sin messed that up. Sin separates husband from wife and puts strife between them. Obedience to God's commands restores the right relationship between husband and wife, and allows both husband and wife to indeed fight against sin's desire to have mastery over them. This becomes a life long struggle because you cannot just do it once and have it over and done with. And it is impossible to do in your own strength. God tells us the result of our sin (Genesis 3), then tells us what we must do to live in obedience (Ephesians 5), and then enables us through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to DO what is hardest for us. But DOING that hard work does not mean recasting it in terms we like better (rejecting Paul because he was a cultural bigot against women), or rejecting what God has put in place (the creation order).
Another huge issue for me was the assumed inferiority of women simply because Eve was created second after Adam and told that her function was to help him. The author shone a blazing light of truth on this issue by reminding me that Jesus himself came to “serve”, to be humble, to love others more than himself such that he died for them. Jesus submitted himself to the will of God the Father. So to submit is not an act of inferiority, but is actually an act of great humility. A wife who submits to her husband willingly puts herself in a position of great vulnerability. Husbands are not Jesus, and will not always treat their wives as Jesus would treat them. So the wife may be treated unfairly. But God honors obedience, so wives are told without exception or excuse to submit to the authority of their husbands. To put this submission in the same light as the way Jesus submitted to God the Father was a great joy for me. Jesus was in no way inferior or a doormat because he submitted. And wives are in no way inferior either when they willingly submit themselves to the authority God has placed over them in their husbands.
Wow. I could go on. This book just has so many wonderful things in it, but I will leave it as these. In summary (and adding a few items that I did not have time to go over),
1)men and women are in the image of God in exactly the same way. God created Man in two sexes in his image. Both male Man and female Man are in God's image. So men and women are equal as persons, and men and women should treat one another with kindness and respect, as persons made in the image of God.
2)Wives are to submit to their husbands, and woman are not to teach or exercise authority over men in the church. This subordination to her husband and in the church is NOT BASED ON MERIT OR LACK OF IT. It is based on God's appointment. So while God has created men and women equally in personhood, God has ordained a difference in function.
3)God has ascribed HONOR to the place of subordination. Jesus himself was not ashamed to take the form of a servant and humble himself. It is pride and rebellion against God that moves Christian women to refuse to fulfill their positions in marriage and the church. This rebellion is part of the judgment in Genesis 3:16.
4)It is God alone who decides what justice is. Justice is defined by God's word, and not by human reason. Therefore, it is just and fair that women cannot be elders in the church, even though an equal partnership of the sexes in marriage and in the church may seem like a better idea to many persons.
I would recommend this book with 10 stars if 10 stars were available. This book helped me understand and articulate a Biblically grounded position about women as Christians – whether single, widowed, divorced, married, working outside the home or inside, with children or without. We are Christians first and foremost. God created us with great care and love to be women. With the creation of Adam and Eve came an order (Adam first, Eve second), and with that creation order came differing roles. To live within the roles God has established in the creation order brings great peace and joy. To kick against the goads of the creation order, to reject that God can choose how he has ordered things, and to fight against obedience is to live in strife and anger and frustration.
Women, there is still forbidden fruit today, just as there was in the garden. That fruit is role interchangeability in marriage and in the church. I'm glad the author has written to show Christian women that, like Eve, they are being tempted with half truths (such as subordination implies inferiority) and are being told that God (or the Bible or the church) is depriving them of something quite arbitrary. Let us with the Psalmist resist this temptation and say,
“Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psa 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.“
March 18, 2023
A very well-researched book that engages critically with egalitarianism, headship and roles of men and women in the church. Foh deftly shows why many of the arguments of the ‘Biblical feminist’ group are based on poor exegisis of Biblical texts, and offers a balanced interpretation of male-female roles. Her section on Women in the Old Testament gave me lots of new things to think about, and, whilst I don’t quite agree with her on her view of head coverings, she has provided much for future consideration. She is very clear on how submission does not mean inequality, and how it must not be abused. Ultimately she shows us that God’s Word and God’s plans for men and women are good.
I think this is a very important book; it goes a bit deeper than some others I have read on the subject, and provides lots of material for discussion. It’s helpful to see how to engage with the claims of biblical feminists - both in seeing what they have got right, and what they have got wrong.
I was slightly disappointed that the section on head coverings wasn’t more conclusive; it seemed to end with ‘this needs further examination’; but perhaps that is a good thing, forcing us to do the text work ourselves rather than just relying on the author.
I think this is a very important book; it goes a bit deeper than some others I have read on the subject, and provides lots of material for discussion. It’s helpful to see how to engage with the claims of biblical feminists - both in seeing what they have got right, and what they have got wrong.
I was slightly disappointed that the section on head coverings wasn’t more conclusive; it seemed to end with ‘this needs further examination’; but perhaps that is a good thing, forcing us to do the text work ourselves rather than just relying on the author.
July 1, 2023
A DETAILED CRITIQUE OF THE ‘FEMINIST’ POSITION OF CHRISTIANS
Author Susan T. Foh wrote in the Introduction to this 1979 book, “Before speaking to a Sunday School class… I was asked if I was for or against women… The questioner was asking an inappropriate question… that expresses the popular approach to the so-called woman question. The position ‘for’ women means women can do anything men can do, all possible distinctions are to be erased. ‘Against’ women means women are restricted to a second grade status. Neither position is biblical… But the Bible … prescribes what is best for women. The difference between the feminist viewpoint and the biblical viewpoint is the difference between ‘ALL’ we’re meant to be and all we’re ‘MEANT’ to be.” (Pg. 1)
She continues, “Deculturalization is a part of the biblical feminists’ hermeneutic; they think that since the Bible was written in a patriarchal culture, the biblical writers are prejudiced … against women’s rights… this view exalts human reason, by which man then determines what is and what is not God’s authoritative word… The question arises whether biblical feminists have been prejudiced by the thoughts and values of our own culture… which is increasingly secularistic in spirit… Are not biblical feminists themselves guilty of culturally determined interpretation?” (Pg. 2-3)
She asserts, “Biblical feminists … extract a few principles and say the rest is invalid because it is only the result of social conditioning…. Such a hermeneutic denies what Scripture says about itself.. Any general idea of thrust that does not allow room for the particulars of Scripture is not valid.” (Pg. 29)
She argues, “The biblical feminists try to support their hermeneutic by appealing to cases in which ‘deculturalization’ has already been accomplished, namely … slavery… Slavery is a … difficult and complicated case… Slavery in biblical times was not limited to one race of people, nor was race the basis for slavery… Biblical feminists make two assumptions: (1) although slavery is not openly condemned… the New Testament implies that … slavery is intrinsically evil; and (2) [the New Testament’s] logical consequences… including the abolition of slavery, are effected… Both … assumptions can be challenged. Is slavery intrinsically evil?... Although the Bible does not renounce slavery or state that it should be abolished, the Bible does not insist on the continuation of slavery. There is no ‘There shalt be slavery.’ �� Slavery is not commanded by God; it is only regulated by God… Slavery could be an acceptable state if Paul’s injunctions were followed…” (Pg. 30-35)
She says of Genesis 1:27, “‘male and female’ elucidates ‘them.’ … The most conclusive evidence for not associating ‘male and female’ with the image of God is other biblical material… in the New Testament… No connection with the male-female relationship is made… the only relationship in view is person-God.” (Pg. 55)
She notes, “Many consider the Hebrew wife one of her husband’s possessions [Ex 20:17]… However, this verse does not prove that wives are chattel… the word ‘house’ refers to the whole household, and the wife is a member of the household, so she is mentioned… Husbands are not listed … because the husband is the head of his wife, and she is thereby represented in and by him.” (Pg. 71)
She acknowledges, “There is no doubt that Jesus’ treatment of women was a radical break with the status quo. In first century Palestine, the men… did not speak to women in public. Jesus not only talked with women, he healed them… and he called on them to their faith… In Luke 10:38-42… Jesus defended a woman’s right to learn about the gospel against any who would deny her religious education…. The first priority… is to hear and obey Jesus’ word… Perhaps the most startling aspect of Jesus’ relationship with women is the band of women [Lk 8:1-4] who followed him wherever he went… In short, Jesus relates to women as human beings of worth.” (Pg. 90-92)
She notes, “Phoebe is called ‘deacon’ (servant) and ‘patroness’… Priscilla and Aquila are ‘fellow workers’; Mary worked hard among the congregation… It is clear that women participated in the spread of the gospel… But the exact nature of the ‘patroness,’ ‘deacon’ and ‘fellow worker’ is not stated in the New Testament… Does the New Testament teach that the office of deacon was open to women? The biblical data are scanty and inconclusive, but seem to be better explained if female deacons existed.” (Pg. 94-95) Later, she adds, “Phoebe… was a deacon and a patron and perhaps administrator… Phoebe is an example of what women can do in the church, but she does not aid the case for the ordination of women to the ministry.” (Pg. 241)
She observed, “[1 Cor 11:2-16] seems to allow women to pray and prophecy aloud, and [1 Cor 14:34-35] seems to command complete silence on the part of women in church. How can these two passages be reconciled?... The most reasonable theory is that the silence in 1 Corinthians 145L34-35 does not include praying and prophesying. The silence commanded of women is not absolute but qualified by the context.” (Pg. 119)
She says, “Headship is not the prerogative of gods only. God has given certain groups of people authority over other groups of people.” (Pg. 135) She continues, “The context of Galatians 3:28 is faith in contrast to law as the means of salvation… the emphasis is … the Christian’s relation to God; men and women have the same relation to God through Christ… The point … is not equality in Christ, but oneness in Christ…. One note of warning must be sounded against the social implications of Gal 3:28. The biblical feminists affirm that Galatians 3:28 does not tend to remove biological distinctives between male and female… However, there are trends in society moving in the direction of unisex… With the ‘advances’ in medicine, the removal of biological differences may be surgically possible in the future…” (Pg. 140-141)
She asks, “Why did God choose the man and not the woman to be head of the race? Why did God choose to reveal himself in masculine imagery? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are not given in Scripture… Perhaps the only answer we can expect at this point is: ‘But who are you… to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me thus?’ [Rom 9:20]” (Pg. 160)
She explains, “The concept of submission as an attitude frees wives from a constant dv to find active, concrete ways to show their husbands submission… The Bible does not give a detailed, play-by-play description of what should go on in a marriage… By omitting the details, God recognizes and allows individuality (and cultural changes)…” (Pg. 185)
She asks, “Can women be evangelists? The biblical data is scarce, but what there is suggests a negative answer… The main function of the evangelist would be authoritative teaching or preaching. He also has the authority to baptize.” (Pg. 255)
She concludes, “Christian women… are being tempted with half truths… and are being told that God… is depriving them of something quite arbitrarily…. And like Eve, Christian women are guilty of sinning against their creator by discussing with other creatures whether or not God’s law is fair. Let us resist temptation…” (Pg. 261)
This book will be of keen interest to Christians seeking critiques of the Biblical feminist position.
Author Susan T. Foh wrote in the Introduction to this 1979 book, “Before speaking to a Sunday School class… I was asked if I was for or against women… The questioner was asking an inappropriate question… that expresses the popular approach to the so-called woman question. The position ‘for’ women means women can do anything men can do, all possible distinctions are to be erased. ‘Against’ women means women are restricted to a second grade status. Neither position is biblical… But the Bible … prescribes what is best for women. The difference between the feminist viewpoint and the biblical viewpoint is the difference between ‘ALL’ we’re meant to be and all we’re ‘MEANT’ to be.” (Pg. 1)
She continues, “Deculturalization is a part of the biblical feminists’ hermeneutic; they think that since the Bible was written in a patriarchal culture, the biblical writers are prejudiced … against women’s rights… this view exalts human reason, by which man then determines what is and what is not God’s authoritative word… The question arises whether biblical feminists have been prejudiced by the thoughts and values of our own culture… which is increasingly secularistic in spirit… Are not biblical feminists themselves guilty of culturally determined interpretation?” (Pg. 2-3)
She asserts, “Biblical feminists … extract a few principles and say the rest is invalid because it is only the result of social conditioning…. Such a hermeneutic denies what Scripture says about itself.. Any general idea of thrust that does not allow room for the particulars of Scripture is not valid.” (Pg. 29)
She argues, “The biblical feminists try to support their hermeneutic by appealing to cases in which ‘deculturalization’ has already been accomplished, namely … slavery… Slavery is a … difficult and complicated case… Slavery in biblical times was not limited to one race of people, nor was race the basis for slavery… Biblical feminists make two assumptions: (1) although slavery is not openly condemned… the New Testament implies that … slavery is intrinsically evil; and (2) [the New Testament’s] logical consequences… including the abolition of slavery, are effected… Both … assumptions can be challenged. Is slavery intrinsically evil?... Although the Bible does not renounce slavery or state that it should be abolished, the Bible does not insist on the continuation of slavery. There is no ‘There shalt be slavery.’ �� Slavery is not commanded by God; it is only regulated by God… Slavery could be an acceptable state if Paul’s injunctions were followed…” (Pg. 30-35)
She says of Genesis 1:27, “‘male and female’ elucidates ‘them.’ … The most conclusive evidence for not associating ‘male and female’ with the image of God is other biblical material… in the New Testament… No connection with the male-female relationship is made… the only relationship in view is person-God.” (Pg. 55)
She notes, “Many consider the Hebrew wife one of her husband’s possessions [Ex 20:17]… However, this verse does not prove that wives are chattel… the word ‘house’ refers to the whole household, and the wife is a member of the household, so she is mentioned… Husbands are not listed … because the husband is the head of his wife, and she is thereby represented in and by him.” (Pg. 71)
She acknowledges, “There is no doubt that Jesus’ treatment of women was a radical break with the status quo. In first century Palestine, the men… did not speak to women in public. Jesus not only talked with women, he healed them… and he called on them to their faith… In Luke 10:38-42… Jesus defended a woman’s right to learn about the gospel against any who would deny her religious education…. The first priority… is to hear and obey Jesus’ word… Perhaps the most startling aspect of Jesus’ relationship with women is the band of women [Lk 8:1-4] who followed him wherever he went… In short, Jesus relates to women as human beings of worth.” (Pg. 90-92)
She notes, “Phoebe is called ‘deacon’ (servant) and ‘patroness’… Priscilla and Aquila are ‘fellow workers’; Mary worked hard among the congregation… It is clear that women participated in the spread of the gospel… But the exact nature of the ‘patroness,’ ‘deacon’ and ‘fellow worker’ is not stated in the New Testament… Does the New Testament teach that the office of deacon was open to women? The biblical data are scanty and inconclusive, but seem to be better explained if female deacons existed.” (Pg. 94-95) Later, she adds, “Phoebe… was a deacon and a patron and perhaps administrator… Phoebe is an example of what women can do in the church, but she does not aid the case for the ordination of women to the ministry.” (Pg. 241)
She observed, “[1 Cor 11:2-16] seems to allow women to pray and prophecy aloud, and [1 Cor 14:34-35] seems to command complete silence on the part of women in church. How can these two passages be reconciled?... The most reasonable theory is that the silence in 1 Corinthians 145L34-35 does not include praying and prophesying. The silence commanded of women is not absolute but qualified by the context.” (Pg. 119)
She says, “Headship is not the prerogative of gods only. God has given certain groups of people authority over other groups of people.” (Pg. 135) She continues, “The context of Galatians 3:28 is faith in contrast to law as the means of salvation… the emphasis is … the Christian’s relation to God; men and women have the same relation to God through Christ… The point … is not equality in Christ, but oneness in Christ…. One note of warning must be sounded against the social implications of Gal 3:28. The biblical feminists affirm that Galatians 3:28 does not tend to remove biological distinctives between male and female… However, there are trends in society moving in the direction of unisex… With the ‘advances’ in medicine, the removal of biological differences may be surgically possible in the future…” (Pg. 140-141)
She asks, “Why did God choose the man and not the woman to be head of the race? Why did God choose to reveal himself in masculine imagery? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are not given in Scripture… Perhaps the only answer we can expect at this point is: ‘But who are you… to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me thus?’ [Rom 9:20]” (Pg. 160)
She explains, “The concept of submission as an attitude frees wives from a constant dv to find active, concrete ways to show their husbands submission… The Bible does not give a detailed, play-by-play description of what should go on in a marriage… By omitting the details, God recognizes and allows individuality (and cultural changes)…” (Pg. 185)
She asks, “Can women be evangelists? The biblical data is scarce, but what there is suggests a negative answer… The main function of the evangelist would be authoritative teaching or preaching. He also has the authority to baptize.” (Pg. 255)
She concludes, “Christian women… are being tempted with half truths… and are being told that God… is depriving them of something quite arbitrarily…. And like Eve, Christian women are guilty of sinning against their creator by discussing with other creatures whether or not God’s law is fair. Let us resist temptation…” (Pg. 261)
This book will be of keen interest to Christians seeking critiques of the Biblical feminist position.
September 5, 2011
Susan Foh's assessment of egalitarian thought remains as sharp and biblical today as a generation ago.
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