One of the negative aspects of my culture, the Jesus Movement, was it's treatment of women. I took in these ideas, and looking through the scriptures, came to the only conclusion one could from the text in front of us: women should obey their husbands, and should not lead or teach over men. At least, coming from the background I do believing that one should follow the scriptures.
I then joined up with InterVarsity at Occidental College, at the time, one of only two IV chapters in the US with it's staff headed by a woman. Now suddenly I had to deal with these issues- there really wasn't another option for a strong Christian group on our small campus. Was it OK for me to attend these services? What if I listened and didn't apply what the pastor said? Well, of course, much of what she said was good and helpful. Perhaps it was OK to listen, but it was not me sinning, but her? After all, God speaks through non-believers- how much more could he instruct me through a woman?
I wanted to believe that women could teach and lead just as easily as men, at the same level as men; that they were more than just "spiritually equal"; that they didn't have to obey their husbands. It all sounded really nice. But unfortunately, it was not what the Bible said- and we can't simply follow truths we would like and ignore parts of the Bible we don't like.
Then I came across this book. I have not personally had a conversion experience, having grown up in the church, coming to Christ more in a Markian manner than Johanian. But this book initiated my conversion experience, at least as in regards to issues of women. At the time, cultural arguments had little weight with me- after all, how could we have any degree of certainty as to what the original culture was like? Even if so, how could we know that the same issues in that original culture, and subsequent directives, did not also apply to us?
Bristow lays out his argument looking at the original Greek, which was exactly what I needed to hear. And I think what a lot of other people in my situation need to hear. Sure, he also puts out cultural reasons as to why Paul said what he did, in different ways, to the churches in Corinth, Ephesus, et. al. But he also shows quite convincingly and clearly how in the original Greek Paul was actually arguing for something more liberal than the liberal feminist movement of today, but his words got radically misinterpreted through the misogynist eyes of the early Church Fathers. This is not to detract from those Fathers or impute to them some sort of overt attempt at distortion- they were people of their time, and read what they read through the lenses of everything they knew- they could not do otherwise.
But Bristow shows how Paul was freed by the Holy Spirit to see something greater than that which he grew up with. The Feminist Movement comes up short- it argues only for freedom for women. A good thing, but a sadly pitiful thing in comparison to what could be. For Paul advocates that men and women should be in *mutual* submission to each other, mutually loving and giving up their lives to each other. When one thinks about it, kind of makes sense, with the example that Christ already laid out.
Bristow goes further to demonstrate how, with all these other women running around in leadership mentioned in Acts and at the end of Romans and other Pauline letters, whom Paul clearly supports, it would be quite incongruous for Paul to then advocate that women should not be in leadership. And when there is no clear directive for a woman to obey in all of the Old Testament, why then does Paul suddenly advocate a greater restriction under Christ- this, from the great preacher of Freedom under Christ. Bristow answers this by looking at the culture and the Greek text, to demonstrate that, in fact, Paul does *not* advocate greater restrictions for women, or that they should not be in leadership. Rather, he calls for the opposite approach, and emancipation for women.
The one caveat I would have in regards to this book would be credentials- I would love to know what Bristow's background and credentials are, and they are listed nowhere in the book.
After reading this book, I came to understand that, while women are trapped in a sphere of influence under traditional interpretations of women's roles, so are men. I had been trapped into a belief that I had to be in authority in regards to women, and that I could not learn from them. And that sphere, while appearing to be freedom, is just as tight. This book was the first step in leading me to a heart's desire that men and women, brothers and sisters, might know the true gender reconciliation that Christ has to offer through redemption, and not revocation, of the curse.
