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66 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great writing (for the most part), poor editing, March 30, 2002
This review is from: Two Views on Women in Ministry (Paperback)
As with previous "Counterpoints" books, this book is very technical, and the authors make much use of the original Greek and Hebrew biblical texts. The good parts of this book are very good -- meriting 5 stars easily for their coverage of the subject. Specifically, the essays by Keener and Belleville (promoting equality of roles in the church) and Schreiner (promoting male authority) are very well-researched and well-written. Anyone wanting a current understanding of the debate on gender roles in the church would do well to read the book for these essays alone. I only give this book 3 stars, though, for 3 main reasons:
(1) The 4th essay, by Ann Bowman, really doesn't fit with the format of the book. She writes very compellingly on how women are equal to men before God, how women are equally called to serve in ministry, and how women are equally gifted with the same spiritual gifts. What she does NOT cover, though, is the specific roles that the Bible deems appropriate for women (which is what I thought the book was supposed to be about). In short, she spends all but about 7 pages writing on what everybody else would agree on anyway. She does a good job of establishing the equal value of women in the church, but contributes almost nothing to the discussion of what leadership roles they should occupy. (2) The format of the book is different from earlier Counterpoints volumes, in that the authors do not respond to each other's articles. The editors simply ask each of the writers a series of questions after each essay, and then comment on each position. Gone are what I thought were some of the most insightful portions of previous Counterpoints books -- seeing writers POINT OUT THE WEAKNESSES of the other writers' positions. To resolve the controversy on women in ministry leadership, both sides need to interact with each other, rather than just each side stating its case. (3) The final appendix, by editor Craig Blomberg, was well-intentioned but inappropriately placed. He states that his goal is to point out a 3rd alternative that combines the strengths of the other 2 views. But what ensues is an essay that is largely traditionalist / hierarchicalist in nature, and only in the last few pages briefly describes what may be a mediating view. Since this essay is presented last, and without any subsequent comment or review, it appears to the reader as "the definitive word" on the subject. But Blomberg's ideas are far from definitive. He summarily promotes some heriarchicalist positions, and summarily dismisses other egalitarian positions without always adequately defending why. It is a well-written essay, but I think it belongs more in the center of the book (or as a 3rd alternative of a book titled "Three Views of Women in Ministry"), so that those who might not agree with him could respond and comment. The structure of the book, as it is now, suggests that Blomberg has listened to both sides of the evidence and come up with the "correct" position. But I found myself questioning his conclusions numerous times because he did not adequately defend them. My recommendation: Buy this book if you're interested in the topic of women in minsitry, but read it through and either take notes on it or underline the significant parts. Then go back later and re-read your notes or underlined parts, in a different order than how they are presented. (i.e., read the appendix first, then ch.3-4, then ch.1-2). This will keep the structure of the book from influencing you as much, enabling you to evaluate your own position on the basis of the biblical evidence alone.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Light than Heat, June 23, 2005
This review is from: Two Views on Women in Ministry (Paperback)
The best introduction to the debate over women in ministry is by far and away Craig L. Blomberg's and James R. Beck's Two Views On Women In Ministry. Edited by two men, each conservative seminary professors (Denver Seminary) represent the opposing viewpoints, and call upon one man and one woman to each put forth an essay arguing for and against women in ministry. Craig Keener and Linda Belleville defend the Egalitarian position (allowing) while Tom Schreiner and Ann Bowman defend the Complementarian position (barring).
The most exegetically dense essay comes from Belleville in that she answers Wayne Grudem's "6 questions" in his Open Letter to Egalitarians satisfactorily. She also makes many key distinctions between being "pro-mutuality" and "pro-gay" that undermine the charge that accepting women as pastors will eventually lead to accepting practicing accepting homosexual persons as pastors (hence validating their lifestyles). Schreiner returns the favor with an equally strong essay-probably the most well written-building his prohibiting views off of a broader base of gender roles he believes are spelled out more clearly in the Genesis record and the teachings on marriage. He then finishes it off with cogent interpretations of the classic prohibiting texts such as 1 Timothy 2:11-15, 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, and 14:34-35. Keener, draws upon his voluminous wealth of extra-biblical historical literature showing how each instance of the prohibiting texts is plausibly culture bound, and the main point of his essay is establishing criteria that is able to determine what is culture-bound and what not. Though, he does not develop this in detail, he brings to light many women in the Bible that had influential ministry roles that transcend the idea that the Bible permits some ministry to women, but not all. Bowman's essay was the weakest in my view in that it did not put forth much of an exegetical argument (except an interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:11-13) pertaining to women in ministry, but mostly focused on the nature of ministry in general. She, however, argued that almost all ministries-even some pastoral positions-are open to women except for the nebulous concept of a "senior pastor."
Blomberg, perhaps sensing a misbalance in the essays, concludes with an attempt at a mediating position called "Neither Hierarchalist nor Egalitarian" which, though biased towards a complementarian view, takes a broad look at the issues and polarities in the controversy and admits that there is much ambiguity and unsolved problems left to explore. His essay finishes the book nicely showing holes that egalitarians often fail to recognize, yet he also fairly shows that they haven't been adequately filled by the Complementarians either.
All in all, I heartily recommend this very irenic and approachable book that generates much more light than heat on a very threatening and unapproachable issue. One will be left, after finishing the book, thinking that egalitarians do in fact argue biblically rather than culturally, and that complementarians do in fact love and cherish women and their ministries rather than denigrating them.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
From Heresy to Honesty about Women in Ministry, May 21, 2001
This review is from: Two Views on Women in Ministry (Paperback)
I applaud Beck and Blomberg and the four contributors to this well-researched, provocative, and honest discussion of the role of women in ministry. The high caliber scholarship combined with an irenic spirit on a volatile topic brings the discussion to a new level of openness and respect. The contributors help defuse the ugliness in the discussion that prevailed when this topic surfaced in earnest in the evangelical community. Neither view (egalitarian and complementarian) is "heretical" because scholars/pastors on both sides are seeking to honestly deal with the Scriptures, cultural realities, and contemporary applications. TWO VIEWS OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY presents the important and significant impact women have made in the unfolding of God's redemptive purposes. Yet, the central issue is whether the hotly debated texts from Paul (in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14, and 1 Timothy 2) are ad hoc directives, i.e., applicable only to the specific problems in Corinth and Ephesus at the time Paul wrote, or timeless directives that apply to all women in all cultures in all ages. I think this book compels the extremist proponents of each view to move to an honest, biblical middle where significant progress can be made. Zondervan is to be commended for this excellent presentation of a serious subject facing the evangelical community.
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