“Biblical womanhood,” a concept most North American evangelical Christians are familiar with, is the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers.

But “biblical womanhood” isn’t biblical. Full stop.

That’s what Beth Allison Barr, Baylor University historian and Baptist pastor’s wife, aims to prove in her book: The Making of Biblical Womanhood.

Barr takes us through church history—ancient, medieval, and modern—as step by step what we know as “biblical womanhood” is shaped. She demonstrates how Complementarianism (a theological view that men and women have different but complementary roles in marriage, family life, and religious leadership), rather than being divinely ordained, is just thinly veiled patriarchy. She asserts that these concepts are products of the culture seeping into the church and distorting God’s unified vision for humanity. Barr skillfully and kindly unravels the messages that many churches spout as “God’s Will” and demonstrates that contrary to evangelical beliefs, Christians throughout history have not agreed what is God’s Will for women in ministry.

Woven among historical insights and research, Barr shares her very personal stories as a Baptist pastor’s wife, who was pushed and pulled in two different directions: what her scholarship clearly showed and what her church was teaching. She also shares the many ways that patriarchy in the church has led to harm and sheds a light on the #ChurchToo movement.

Reading this produced two warring emotions in me: fury and hope.

On the one hand, reading about how men have systemically oppressed women in the church throughout history was not fun. It reminded me of my very present day, very personal experiences with sexism in the evangelical church. Simultaneously, reading about the many, many rebellious women of our past was inspiring and encouraging. These women stretched their morsels of power and found ways to share God’s Word even when all odds were against them.

I am not a new student to this subject. I have read other books touching on similar points such as Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey, A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Inspired by Rachel Held Evans, and Shameless by Nadia Bolz-Weber. Yet, this book had so much more to teach me, especially in the realm of church history. It was not the easiest read, but it was much more digestible than a lot of typical academic history books. Barr weaves in her personal anecdotes with ease, giving us a lifeline to hang onto through the denser historical accounts.

Who would enjoy this book?

I’d say if you’re interested in studying church history and women in the church, then definitely pick this up. I may recommend a book that’s slightly more digestible if this if your first time engaging with these topics. However, I will say that Barr is well-researched and very convincing. Though, be reminded that this isn’t a theological essay. It’s a careful collection and examination of history.

Evangelicals looking to dip their toes into a more (dare I say) feminist perspective, you will be in good hands here. Barr is still an evangelical and still loves the Baptist faith and church. In fact, Christians who are more progressive or liberal may wish Barr had taken a firmer stance on some theological issues. Instead, she writes her conclusions as both a historian and a longtime Baptist (even when these things are in tension). Ultimately, she guides her readers toward a more complete understanding of church history.

This book is an excellent, important read. I’m thrilled to have read it and will encourage my students to read it as well. It doesn’t exactly fit the needs for my specific class regarding gender and language, but I will certainly be recommending it and sharing it with friends and through social media outlets as well. Barr’s writing is excellent—strong and scholarly, yet engaging and enjoyable at the same time.

This is a great book and very timely for 2021 - we ordered a copy because of high interest and think it will do well with patrons.

A compelling read with a message I thoroughly endorse. After reading this, I am convinced that complementarianism is patriarchy and I can no longer make distinctions between the two.

Barr's main premise is that evangelicals think that by holding onto traditional gender roles, they are not conforming to the secular world--that they are "in the world but not of it". Barr's background as a historian of the Medieval time period informs her argument that traditional gender roles are rooted in secular culture, not theology. The Bible paints a different picture of female church leaders, teachers, and preachers in history than what we hear in contemporary evangelical theology.

The book takes a historical rather than theological perspective since its written by a historian. At times, I got bored and skimmed through large sections of Medieval church history, wanting to get to the theological implications of that history. The book is strongest when Barr focuses on how the roles of women have changed and evolved over time and how our theological interpretations and understandings of women's roles have evolved over time. It was less interesting to me when it focused on people throughout history, yet I understand that this is Barr's expertise.

Many books have been written about this issue from both sides of theology, and the uniqueness of this author's voice and perspective does lie in her background as a historian. Her exposition of history supports her thesis that the subordination of women is not evangelical, but secular, and was appropriated by evangelicals, who claimed that it was "gospel truth" rather than just historian and cultural. The insistence that patriarchy is biblical maintains the power differential between men and women in the Church. The subjugation of women continues to give complementarians their power.

This book has a powerful message with the potential to shatter evangelical's tightly-held beliefs in "biblically gender roles". I hope it succeeds.

For 40 years, Beth Allison Barr believed “biblical womanhood” meant “God designed women primarily to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers,” she writes in the introduction of her book, “The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth.” But Barr’s training as a historian (she’s associate professor of history and associate dean of the Graduate School at Baylor University) convinced her otherwise. She shares her experiences as a Southern Baptist and pastor’s wife, combined with the history and impact of complementarian beliefs, in her book, which releases in April.

Read the rest of our coverage at Religion News Service at the link below.

Dr. Barr has accomplished what so often eludes academics: she has written a highly accessible, intellectually rigorous piece of scholarship. By interweaving her own memoir with the history of patriarchal oppression, she has crafted an empathetic guide to understanding both the past and its impact on us in the present.

This is an excellent piece of theological and historical analysis about the idea of "biblical womanhood" and how it came to be. I had already come to a number of similar conclusions about patriarchy and its role in conservative Christianity; but these opinions had been formed mostly from personal experience and intuition. I greatly appreciate now having Barr's research to fortify my positions, especially given how accessible this book is to the layperson. Highly recommended.

I was really fascinated by the premise of Barr's book as someone who grew up in the middle of the Bible Belt but in a liberal household, who majored in religious studies in college, and who has devoured the work of Rachel Held Evans, Sarah Bessey, and Nadia Bolz-Weber, all women who are firmly rejecting the idea of patriarchy within the church. I really enjoyed Barr's perspective as someone who spent so much of her life living a complementarian lifestyle and submitting to the patriarchal ideas of the church, the SBC specifically. I don't know how many people who really need to hear this message will be willing to read this book, but it's really well written and compelling. I learned so much, and appreciated the way Barr wove her personal narrative through her research and perspective as a historian.

My thanks to NetGalley and Brazos Press for an advance reader's copy.

This book is SO IMPORTANT.

I grew up in an Evangelical Free church and the description Barr provides of how Evangelical women think of themselves is SPOT ON. We’re taught that it’s our divinely appointed nature that calls us to be submissive homemakers. But this book shows the various ways that the evangelical understanding of womanhood has been skewed - both intentionally and unintentionally - to reach a complementarian structure between genders rather than an egalitarian structure (which Barr argues is a truer reading within historical context).

The three key areas that I found to be most impactful were: 1. Barr’s analysis of commonly misunderstood and misused Pauline texts to show the inconsistencies in content and style which are easy to miss without historical context, 2. The history of women teaching, being deacons, missionaries, etc before the reformation and the way that history has been erased, and 3. The intentional effort to exclude gender inclusive language in the ESV translation of the bible - the accepted translation in all the churches I’ve attended - though gender inclusive language would be an equally valid translation. Barr also points out how the evangelical belief of biblical inerrancy compounds these issues.

Given how pervasive evangelical Christianity is in the US, and how harmful the ideas of complementarianism can be to Women AND Men, this is a very important book. It is well presented and argued, and I think everyone who has ever been a Christian should check it out.

I received a free E-ARC copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So much goes wrong when we forget our history. Ignorance is the cause of so many problems. I love how Barr’s book brings the past into the future to show us how certain things aren’t always as straight forward as we’ve been led to believe. That patriarchy has always been around in different degrees and is a cultural construction, not a biblical one. Today that patriarchy is hidden in the name complementarianism.

This book has introduced me to history of the church that I had never heard before, where women were actually praised for following God’s calling no matter where it took them. I was surprised to learn that most church histories where written by pastors and not historians. Not a great idea really because their education and focus is different. I loved how Barr (an actually historian) was able to show us that, while we are so anxious about setting down rules for women in the church today, the earlier churches were concerned about more important issues like making sure we have a right view of the Trinity and bringing people to Christ.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It makes you question why you believe the things that you do. Is it because someone said “this is the way and no other” or is it really what the Bible says? Barr points out that Christianity brought freedom to the women in the Roman world because it was a radical change from their culturally oppressive (patriarchal) lifestyle. Are women in today’s church less free? If so, we really have to question our interpretation of what it really means to be a “biblical woman”.

This book caught me off guard. Going into reading I would’ve stated that I have been developing a far more egalitarian view over the past few years but, while reading, I was forced to acknowledge different points of complementarianism which I hadn’t realized I still held. I continued to read, and I wrestled with the history the author was presenting, and I felt uncomfortable with what was written on more than a few occasions. Frankly, I’m still mulling over much of the information and struggling with the views of headship that I’ve always been taught and how it squares with the Biblical teaching.

The book covers many of the same Bible verses which are often explored in the complementarian/egalitarian debate, but it presents the egalitarian argument in a much stronger way than I’ve normally seen it done. You are also walked through Christian history and presented with a history which you’re not often made aware of: A history in which women have played a much larger role than you find in the history books, and you’re left questioning the motivations behind why it’s not presented. Regardless of where you stand on this debate, this is a book which needs to be engaged with. I think one of the best things about this book is that, even when you’re being presented with information which you may not be comfortable with, you don’t really feel attacked, even though the case is presented passionately.

Often when engaging in this debate there is the temptation to react in fear and pride but I feel that The Making of Biblical Womanhood will engage with you in a way that allows you to not get defensive, if you go into it willing to hear and engage.

Huzzah! I cannot tell you how many books I read on theology and church history, knowing I can't recommend them to the majority of my friends. They could understand them but wouldn't take the time to do so.

On the other hand, I read books that lean angry or cynical. The tone can feel disrespectful, which may get the point across but can leave my heart-that-aches-for-unity hurting. We can't come together if we alienate one another.

Beth (of course your name is Beth), thank you for guiding women in a way that we can all read and enjoy. I learned so much from your story, from your professional insight, and from your lengthy list of references.

Perhaps the highest compliment I can give, I'd recommend this book to anyone.

Honestly, where do I start? This book is so necessary for the evangelical church. As much as Bible literacy is an issue in the church so is historical and contextual literacy of our faith, traditions, and beliefs. This book will make you recon with your beliefs and when you read it, and you can either dig in your heels or examine yourself and the structures in place around you.

Women leading is a mark of church history, not some version of feminism trying to invade the church. It is clear throughout scripture, yet where do we learn about it when we learn about church history? We don't because women have been written out of the historical narrative and, to a degree, scripture as well.

There are so many issues that Bible scholars and church leaders want us to believe are unique to our time because feminism, but the truth is there is nothing new under the sun. Gender inclusive language along with women pastors and teachers have been around since medieval times and even before. What the evangelical church has turned to since the Reformation is a focus on family (no pun intended) and gender roles laid out in complementarianism. Biblical womanhood has become gospel truth not necessarily because it's true but because women's role in the home and church is now a marker of one's stance on inerrancy of the Bible and thus Christian orthodoxy. All of this has done a disservice to women and men in our churches because it has been laid upon patriarchal structures to keep women out of power and out of leadership which deprives the church of their gifts.

I hope that those who disagree with Barr will still read her book because this issue is too pervasive to ignore. Whether you are egalitarian or remain in complementarianism, there is truth and history to be learned form Dr. Barr that can be applied in your context. Whatever you choose, do not hold women back from serving the church well and in ways that mirror strong female leadership and service present in scripture.

I'll leave you with the words she leaves her readers with, "Go be free."

#EndChristianPatriarchy

I want every Christian I know to read this book. I want to hand it to all the women who've walked away from the church because of misogyny and patriarchy. Beth Allison Barr has given us a gift - there is such freedom in these pages. As I read it, I was sending quotes and screenshots to my friends because I was so excited by what I was reading. Barr pulls no punches and is unafraid to go after conservative evangelicalism's sacred cows. As she says at the end of the book, "Complementarianism is patriarchy, and patriarchy is about power. Neither have ever been about Jesus."

If you like this topic, you will find this book very interesting to read about the history and about changes in culture, The author talks about the past and the present in the culture about womanhood, and church. I recommend you to read also other books that support the other point of views that support what she smashes, I think is important to get different opinions and listen to a different point of views. Thank you for this opportunity to read this material.

I've always questioned the role of women in the church, but I never had a good source to turn to for historical context. Look no more, this book does just that. The author does an excellent job explaining the history, culture, and context as they apply to when key Biblical passages were written that related to women and the church. Not only did this book give me some data and clarity to start drawing my own conclusions, but it opens the door for others to do the same.

Beth Allison Barr, in "The Making of Biblical Womanhood", details the history of Christianity and a woman's expected position in this belief system. Having read a book with a similar title, I expected the same humor and personal stories as before. However, this book is more of a serious thesis about how woman have risen above their station throughout history. Barr even makes the assertion that what is known as "biblical womanhood" is not actually biblical at all. It was easy to tell that this book had been well researched, but it was a little too serious for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

What an incredible book! Part narrative theology, part medieval study of women, part egalitarian theology. Barr's voice and honesty about the past push readers to truly consider how the "complementarian" view of Christian's is actually worldly patriarchy wrapped in a priestly robe. The witness of history is clear: women shouldn't be dismissed and deserve an equal place wherever they are: at home, in a boardroom, teaching, preaching, or otherwise. I haven't ever read a study on medieval Christianity before, but Barr makes me want to read more. THANK YOU, for sharing your story and this reality about women in the Church.

Beth Allison Barr masterfully synthesizes the stories of women throughout church history to show how the Evangelical idea of "Biblical Womanhood" was born. She mainly focuses on three time periods: the early church, the medieval era (her area of expertise), and the 20th century to the present.

Barr's examples of women in ministry in the early church (and modern attempts to minimize, dismiss, or deflect from that work) will not be news to those who have been studying the debate over complementarianism. However, the work of these women in the biblical texts is so marginalized in conservative evangelicalism that Barr's treatment of the texts is vital to the conversation.

Barr often gives examples of medieval perceptions of Biblical figures and saints, demonstrating the comfortability of medieval thinkers relative to modern evangelicals regarding women's roles. However, she does not offer sufficient commentary on the veracity of legendary accounts or the validity of conflating Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene, for example.

Barr's argument is bolstered by her explanation of how the Protestant Reformation created a "cult of domesticity", leading the removal of women from ministry roles and public work and shoehorning them into wifehood and motherhood. Barr's examples of women in ministry post-Reformation (despite consistent efforts to suppress them) show how remarkably new the "orthodox" teaching of complementarity is to church history. By shedding light on how conservative evangelicals created the doctrine of inerrancy and resurrected Arianism in order to suppress the status of women in the church, Barr effectively hammers the final nail in the coffin of 'biblical womanhood'.

This book should be required reading for anyone in the evangelical sphere who has been led to believe that complementarianism is biblically faithful and has been the dominant teaching through church history. Patriarchy by any other name is still sin, and Christ's people should not lag behind the world in eradicating it.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for honest review. Let me just say, this is an amazing book. First of all, the combination of personal story with clear, easy to follow historical research makes this a compelling read. I didn't want to put it down - but had to, in order to process the impactful words Beth Allison Barr has written here.

The way she paints a picture of patriarchy and complimentarianism becoming accepted as gospel truth in much of the modern church is moving and powerful. I am very familiar with this debate and much of its history, yet I learned a lot in this book - particularly about the role women played in the medieval church and the way Bible translations have been shaped and impact our understanding of the role of women.

I have already talked to several people about this book and all I can say is - you HAVE to read this. So good.