The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth -- Beth Allison Barr, Paperback

USA Today Bestseller

Christianity Today 2022 Book Award Finalist (History & Biography)

Foreword INDIES 2021 Finalist for Religion

"A powerful work of skillful research and personal insight."--Publishers Weekly

Biblical womanhood--the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers--pervades North American Christianity. From choices about careers to roles in local churches to relationship dynamics, this belief shapes the everyday lives of evangelical women. Yet biblical womanhood isn't biblical, says Baylor University historian Beth Allison Barr. It arose from a series of clearly definable historical moments.

This book moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history--ancient, medieval, and modern--to show that this belief is not divinely ordained but a product of human civilization that continues to creep into the church. Barr's historical insights provide context for contemporary teachings about women's roles in the church and help move the conversation forward.

Interweaving her story as a Baptist pastor's wife, Barr sheds light on the #ChurchToo movement and abuse scandals in Southern Baptist circles and the broader evangelical world, helping readers understand why biblical womanhood is more about human power structures than the message of Christ.

Author: Beth Allison Barr
Publisher: Brazos Press
Published: 04/20/2021
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781587434709

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/18/2021
Publishers Weekly 01/25/2021 pg. 66

About the Author
Beth Allison Barr (PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is professor of history and associate dean of the Graduate School at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she specializes in medieval history, women's history, and church history. She is the president of the Conference on Faith and History and is a member of Christians for Biblical Equality. Barr has written for Christianity Today, the Washington Post, and Religion News Service, and is a regular contributor to The Anxious Bench, the popular Patheos website on Christian history.