Customer Reviews

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I've read a few of the other reviews here, and I frankly can't agree with the negative sentiments. Whether or not a person has a complementarian perspective, this book is still very informative and well written. It is not intended to be a book that is read from its beginning to its conclusion (although I did). Instead, it serves more as a reference volume, addressing various issues of men and women in marriage and in ministry. There are five sections that comprise this work.

The first section is an overview that moves rather quickly and sets the stage for the sections to follow. Exegetical and theological in nature, the second section is very meticulous and may be boring to some readers. The third section addresses male/female issues in church history, biology, psychology, sociology and law. After establishing a strong basis of support, the fourth section proceeds to apply the ways in which men and women can complement one another today in the the church, in the home, and in society. The fifth section briefly summarizes and comments upon the many points that have been made.

I recommend this title as a REFERENCE book. Reading it from cover to cover will prove challenging, much like trying to read an encyclopedia. Still, this work is a classic. I know of no other book on the market that provides such a strong, comprehensive explanation of the complementarian position.

For the pastor or teacher who is dealing with the issues surrounding the roles of men and women in marriage and in ministry, this book is a MUST READ.

Reading many of the negative reviews, I couldn't help but think that the reviewers couldn't have read the words written. I did expect that there would have been some contrary views expressed but the antagonistic response of many Christian readers was surprising. I also wondered what kind of reviews would be given by the female elders at our church???
I found the book quite easy to read. I have found both Grudem and Piper lucid writers and I enjoy the challenge of following their arguments.
In relation to the central issue of Sexual Complementarity and differing roles within sexually-differentiated equal beings created in the image of God with the same opportunities for salvation, I believe the work is compelling.
As a Male, I was convicted again of Adam's failure to defend Eve in Genesis 3:1 and not compel the Serpent to direct his questions to him as God had given him the command before Eve was created.
This same weakness in the male version of Man is still evident in Churches where men defer to women to take on roles that they should take themselves.
The pastor's heart of Dr Piper is evident in seeking to find a Biblical Answer to the child's question: "Dad, what does it mean to be a man and not a woman?" I am mindful that the need to answer this question is more pressing now in 2006 then it was in 1988 when they published the Danver Statement.
There is excellent exegesis throughout and I am more comfortable with accepting the full counsel of God in Scripture and seek a rational explanation of seemingly contradictory statements than the argument to set aside the controversial sections referred to in this book.

Ah the joys of this Christian debate.
I only want to mention a few things. First, read this book if you are (1) a seminary student, (2) a pastor dealing with this issue in your ministry, and (3) interested in a variety of well written articles on this debate.
If you are looking for easy answers, this is not the book for you.
Second, I took a class with Grudem in seminary on this particular issue, and suffice it to say I am still working on this issue. It is important to say here that he does truly care about women and that this book is an out growth of that concern. I don't think anything said in this book does otherwise (regardless if you disagree with the views presented).
However, I would suggest that you would also read books on the other side of the issue. Even the four views book on this topic.
Be informed of all the positions' points so that you truly sort out what is your stance.

To anyone who is reading these reviews without having an already established position on the roles of men an women, I would strongly encourage you to read this book. It is a thurough hermeneuticly solid and Biblical exigisis of the numerous texts of Scripture that speak to this issue. Each chapter is written by a different NT Greek scholar and deals solely with one of the texts that lend information to the isssue of gender roles. the book is extremely scholarly written,and to my knowledge these has been no rebuttal written to it. It stands unchallenged.
What saddens me however, is reading the various reviews on the book. PROOF-TEXTING (like quoting "there is neither male no female in Christ" without giving it's context and meaning) dishonors God's Word! I have failed to see any negative reviews that in any way engage the arguments of the book. NONE!! I only have read people who quote a verse on two out of context and then proceed to condiscendingly attack the complimentarian view as a whole. I would encourage any open minded readers to see through this type of propoganda and read the book for themselves

Lastly I would like to disprove the false argument proosed by many reviewers that equality and subservience are contradictory notions. Here Go's....

1. Jesus is fully God and completely equal with God and in no way inferior to Him (Phil 2:6)

2. Jesus is submissive (Luke 22:42) and obedient to God The Father, who is "Greater" (John 14:28)position and authority.

In this way, male and female genders and gender roles reflect the image of God. Within the trinity itself there is complete equality but yet their is a clear authority structure. God the Fathers sends His Son, and They in turn send the Holy Spirit. This proves that the concept of total equality and of subservience are not multuly exclusive.

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (Edited By John Piper and Wayne Grudem) is essential reading to help you form your own position in what may be one of the most important debates in the church at the current time- how to respond to feminism.

What I like about the book is it doesnt simply assume that a 1950s view is correct. Instead, examining from all kinds of angles the book attempts to do what it says on the tin. Preaching a view that says women and men are complementary to each other the book is the best yet to aim to construct a biblical view of this thorny issue.

You may not agree with everything you read here, but you must hear these arguments and respond to them if you aim to be true to the bible in your view of the role of men and women. Honest christians may well disagree on this subject, but the rabid femminism described so ably in "The feminist Mistake" will take no prisoners and we must construct a robust philosophy on this issue that will stand.

If you're going to study the evangelical Christian controversy of the role of women in the home and in the church, then you have to read this book. It is the magnum opus of those who believe that God created men to be (and excluded women from being) the primarily authority in both church and home. This book will give you solid understanding here, even if you disagree (as I do).

Its most significant negative is length. The authors appear to persuade primarily by the sheer size of the book, because once you read it you'll see much of the argumentation repeated among different authors. What I realized after reading this book are the following 5 points. Their argument for pre-fall male headship is weak; their arguments against God's uses of women in the New Testament are weak; they disregard the equality of spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 4, and Rom. 12.; they disregard the anti-discrimination of Gal. 3:28; and they disregard the co-authority and co-equality of Gen. 1:26-27.

Still, to solidify one's belief in the equality and freedom of roles for all humans and to be able to argue with someone who doesn't, this book is good reading.

As an evangelical Pastor, I was most impressed with the various authors' faithful representation of the Biblical position. Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood is an excellent resource for any Christian who truly desires to adopt a God honoring attitude toward gender roles. Each contributor affirms the universal truth of male leadership in the home, church and community, while at the same time affirming the value of women. One feminist author has referred to this book as a form of right-wing hate literature. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those men who seek to apply what is written here, cannot help but bless the women who know them. Far from being an insult to womankind, Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood is a long overdue (yet loving) response to feminists in the evangelical Christian community. I could hardly regard it with higher esteem. Please read this collection of hermeneutic genious, paying special attention to the essays of the Godly women who made their brave stand for the singular truth of God's Word.

Very thorough,careful exegesis. It really convicted me and changed my mind on a few points. Regardless of your stand on these issues this is THE place to go to explore them more deeply. That is why it was teh book of the year with CT even though the entire editorial staff (except one) disagreed with its conclusions.

For anyone interested in the debate on the roles of men and women, this book is a must-read. This is the definitive answer of the complementarian position, which believes that men and women, while created equally in the image of God, are endowed by God with different gifts and roles that complement each other. These are rooted in creation. (The opposing view, the egalitarian position, asserts that such distinctions are cultural fabrications). The book is long but does not demand a front to back reading. Each article stands on its own, representing a different perspective and specified context or field of study. I think the book is excellent and decisively settles the issue.

The kind of equality that evangelical femininist teach is NOT BIBLICAL.God`s equality shows us that men and woman are equal but OUR ROLES ARE DIFFERENT.God may not see us as male and female,but he sure expects us to recognize the difference.Many in the church won`t except that but they are not seeking truth.They will actaully criticize those trying to teach the truth.John Piper doesn`t need to resort to longwinding twistings of the scriptures;HE CAN SEE HIS ARGUEMENT LAID OUT,WORD FOR WORD IN THE BIBLE.We need more books like this to combat the sad state of affairs in the Church today.