Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology )
Overview
In Finally Feminist, John Stackhouse proposes a way forward by affirming both the patriarchal and the feminist (or complementarian and egalitarian) reading of Scripture. He argues that these emphases exist side by side in the Bible. He then provides biblical, theological, and practical arguments for his own understanding: Equality is the biblical ideal, but patriarchy is allowed and regulated by a God who has larger kingdom purposes in mind. Stackhouse then tests his understanding by exposing it to the objections of other theories and concludes with two appendixes that tease out some practical implications.
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- Presents a fresh set of evangelical perspectives on gender
- Proposes the idea that patriarchal and feminist roles exist side by side in Scripture
- Provides biblical, theological, and practical arguments of easy understanding
- Toward a New Paradigm
- The Paradigm
- Responses to Arguments
Top Highlights
“God depicts his own relationship with Israel, and then Christ’s with the church, in terms of a patriarchal marriage of non-equals.” (Page 37)
“Jesus does indeed welcome women into his circle of disciples—but not his inner circle.” (Page 37)
“second principle is that some things matter more than others.” (Page 38)
“in this book, feminist and egalitarian are synonyms” (Page 17)
This is a clear and engaging articulation of a fresh set of evangelical perspectives on gender. Full of intriguing theological and exegetical suggestions and written with disarming frankness, Stackhouse’s book seeks to stimulate good argument and counterargument, and it surely deserves to be debated long and hard.
—John Webster, professor, St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews
This book is remarkable not only for its wisdom about gender relations but also for the method Stackhouse employs for reading difficult biblical texts. His strategy is to start with the big question: How does God act, as depicted throughout the Bible? He then asks what conclusions we can draw for understanding God’s purposes in gender relations. He has an answer that speaks to both sides of this thorny debate.
—Nancey Murphy, professor of Christian philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary
John G. Stackhouse Jr. (PhD, University of Chicago) is Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology and Culture at Regent College. He is the author or editor of 11 books, including Making the Best of It: Following Christ in the Real World. He is a former president of the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association.