The Making of Biblical Womanhood

This is such a valuable book and I am so glad I read it. I highly recommend it for anyone who either wants to learn more about the historical origins of the idea of “biblical womanhood” or who is reexamining what they may have been taught about it. It is well written (from the perspective of a historian / professor who knows her stuff), well-cited and thoroughly thought-provoking.

Here's the issue - I agree with most of the conclusions this author arrives at. Women should be teachers, women are not second-tier (and it's never taught that in the Bible), women are partners with their husbands, not “lower than”. The issue I have with this book is that the author thinks her genius that has uncovered these deeply hidden secrets - my girl, you just went to a toxic church. This is not a well-researched essay about Biblical Womanhood, but a memoir highlighting the flaws in the American church today.

The entire second chapter argues that “perhaps” Biblical text is misunderstood as a whole - nope, you just need to learn context before diving into scripture. Understanding the basic context that Paul and Peter wrote in their letters to various churches will completely change the way you read those passages. These men did not think women should be silent, and there's not some massive conspiracy from biblical translators to undermine women. You just need to get better teachers and pastors in your life.

If you grew up in a very “traditional” church or maybe left a toxic church, this might be a helpful book to reframe your mindset around feminity and patriarchy, but if you are in a healthy church, you probably already know all of this from regular Sunday services or perhaps just from observing how healthy Christians treat the women around them.

What this book really did for me is realizing how toxic Christianity has become so normal and loud. None of the things that happened to Barr in her church was justified or Christ-like in any way. I can't help but wonder if there's more to her stories or if her political views and past experiences tainted her view of this “research”. Overall, it's a skip for me.