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A review by leviofmichigan
The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr
5.0
Well, by now, you know I'm pretty fed up with White Evangelicalism in the United States. Evangelicals such as my father, who is a Baptist pastor, are so quick to counter any argument they disagree with by saying, "the plain words of the text..." and they truly believe any disagreement with the "truths" they have "gathered from the plain meaning of the text" is an attack on the inerrancy of Scripture. And if you know an Evangelical, you know they practically believe The Inerrancy Of Scripture Was Born Of A Virgin, Lived A Sinless Life, And Died On The Cross And Went To Heaven So That They Could, Too. Jesus who? (Before you call me a blasphemer, look in the mirror.)
I often say that for Evangelicals to see women as truly equal with men and able to discern truths of Scripture apart from and even for the benefit of men (ie in preaching to mixed groups), would be to pull out a block of wood far too low in the Jenga tower to hold up all the systems of oppression they have weaved into the very practice of their religion. Accept women as pastors, and you would be suggesting a woman could lead a group of both women and men. Sooner or later, couples would realize the harmony that comes with submitting equally to one another, and making decisions as a team. Once that happened, there would be no practical reason to explain why two women or two men couldn't have a perfectly functional marriage. And if you really think marriage is not gender-bound, then who is to say that trans people are not confined to the gender most commonly associated with their sex? And once LGBTQ people are accepted in the Evangelical church, and we've started to see FOX News as the repugnant filth that it is, we'd be a lot more likely to realize our inhibitions toward critical race theory stem from our own discomfort with raising up Black voices and experiences and admitting how deeply the talons of White supremacy have sunk themselves into the very flesh of the country. It truly is a slippery slope. Acknowledge one person is loved, accepted, and valued by G-d, and pretty soon, it just makes sense to acknowledge everyone is loved, accepted, and valued by G-d. This is not only against the tenets of modern Evangelicalism, it is deeply unAmerican and anti-capitalist. And that just won't do for any self-respecting, John Wayne-loving*,Blue Lives Matter flag-waving, Bible-thumping, White Evangelical.
But. If one book had the power to convince a person to DARE wiggle that one wooden block out of the lower reaches of the Jenga tower, this is that book. And I hope your tower comes tumbling down.
*For further reading, I recommend [b:Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation|53121662|Jesus and John Wayne How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation|Kristin Kobes Du Mez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611376522l/53121662._SY75_.jpg|73351359]
I often say that for Evangelicals to see women as truly equal with men and able to discern truths of Scripture apart from and even for the benefit of men (ie in preaching to mixed groups), would be to pull out a block of wood far too low in the Jenga tower to hold up all the systems of oppression they have weaved into the very practice of their religion. Accept women as pastors, and you would be suggesting a woman could lead a group of both women and men. Sooner or later, couples would realize the harmony that comes with submitting equally to one another, and making decisions as a team. Once that happened, there would be no practical reason to explain why two women or two men couldn't have a perfectly functional marriage. And if you really think marriage is not gender-bound, then who is to say that trans people are not confined to the gender most commonly associated with their sex? And once LGBTQ people are accepted in the Evangelical church, and we've started to see FOX News as the repugnant filth that it is, we'd be a lot more likely to realize our inhibitions toward critical race theory stem from our own discomfort with raising up Black voices and experiences and admitting how deeply the talons of White supremacy have sunk themselves into the very flesh of the country. It truly is a slippery slope. Acknowledge one person is loved, accepted, and valued by G-d, and pretty soon, it just makes sense to acknowledge everyone is loved, accepted, and valued by G-d. This is not only against the tenets of modern Evangelicalism, it is deeply unAmerican and anti-capitalist. And that just won't do for any self-respecting, John Wayne-loving*,
But. If one book had the power to convince a person to DARE wiggle that one wooden block out of the lower reaches of the Jenga tower, this is that book. And I hope your tower comes tumbling down.
*For further reading, I recommend [b:Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation|53121662|Jesus and John Wayne How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation|Kristin Kobes Du Mez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611376522l/53121662._SY75_.jpg|73351359]