Authors: Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky
Publisher: Baker Books
288 pages
Purchase from: Eden (£13.43)
In recent years shocking scandals of abuse, pastoral malpractice, and immorality have rocked the evangelical church on both sides of the Atlantic. Every loving parent will want to do everything they can to protect their children from these dangers. This book says that parents should choose their church based upon ‘evidence-based teachings’ where statistical studies guide choices. By the end of the book, you are in no doubt that the authors want mothers to leave their current churches in search of ones that truly ‘value’ women.
The authors have egalitarian convictions that men and women are equal in status and so must have the same function. They criticise complementarian theology (which teaches that men and women are equal in value but have different and complementary roles) throughout the book.
Other egalitarians try to make that case with suspect teaching. Elyse Fitzpatrick, in her book Worthy, argues that Adam ‘abused’ Eve by failing to protect her from the temptation of Satan. The authors use ‘scare’ stories to sow the seeds of doubt in mothers’ minds (little is said positively about husbands, fathers or men in general) – are their daughters in danger because their churches do not value them as they should?
