[.ca] Good News for Women: A Biblical Picture of Gender Equality (ISBN 0801057205)

hoists non-egalitarians on their own petard:
I have just finished part 1 and it is a very insightful and useful summary of the overall idea that the Bible and especially the new covenant teaches equality across the spectrum of races and ethnicity, wealth and poverty, and gender, with an emphasis on the latter, as most everyone accepts the former 2. It is very enjoyable to see the phrases of non-egalitarians shown to be self-contradictory but still in a respectful way; the author has a sharp wit to cut thru the fog and yet respect the other's viewpoint. I learned from her on that and also on the genderless property of God. I am looking forward to finishing this book.

almost a 5:
I devoured this book. It did so much to strengthen my faith and convictions and answer hard questions to which the traditionalist reply fell flat. The information she shared so eloquently and with such clarity set me on the road to freedom from bondage to sexist legalism. Her arguments were logical and convincing. Her treatment of traditionalist arguements were devastating without dishonoring her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who stand on the other side of the theological divide. She presented a picture of gender equality in marriage that was sublimely beautiful and God-glorifying. Her love for Christ and desire to see others experience all that He has for them echoed through every word. My only complaints, and boy do I wish I didn't have to share these, were that she did not affirm the value of motherhood and homemaker enough and she made a brief comment about how she believes the theory of progressive creationism is more plausible than the new Earth creationism theory. Traditionalists already view her as a heretic and by inserting her thought on creation and by not firmly stating the value of motherhood and fulfillment many women find in that role she may well have confirmed that notion in their minds. Read this book and allow any assumptions you may hold to be challenged.

It was a 5 until the last chapter.:
I hate not to give it a five; but the last chapter brought up a second heavily controversial topic, and traditionalists would use that to discredit the book and the author even though the rest of the book is doctrinally solid. More about that shortly. The rest of the book gave a lot of solid defense of core Christian doctrines as it defended women. Groothuis pays a lot of attention to historical and cultural details that we 21st century readers wouldn't have known. She got deep into topics without being too difficult to read. In some cases, she presents multiple theories about difficult Bible passages and lets the readers draw their own conclusions. I loved reading the book; and if I hadn't had to do things like work or sleep, I would have been finished with it much sooner because I didn't want to put it down. Oh yeah, her demolition of hierarchist logic by using the core doctrines of Scripture wasn't bad, either. The big weakness: I loved seeing how Groothuis was able to defend equality in the Creation account and link the beginning of gender hierarchy to the Fall. Unfortunately, in the last chapter she gave props to progressive creationism. Many traditionalists, especially the ones I deal with, are also six-day creationists who see progressive creationism as just another way to undermine the authority of Scripture. All of her arguments up to that last chapter were perfect to use with six-day creationists because they fit exactly with a literal creation framework and did not diminish it in any way. The section mentioning progressive creation could have been left out without interrupting the flow of the book, and would have made the book useful for a much wider audience. The rest of the book is great, but that one section undermines its effectiveness for many of the people who need it most.

Good comprehensive book on controversial subject:
Excellent book on a controversial topic among Christians. Regardless of how you feel about Christianity and gender roles it's a good book which explains what those controversial verses really mean. The only complaint I have is that the writing is a bit complex at times. It takes the author a while to get to the point in some chapters but the examples are worth it. A must read for all Christians, especially pastors and the conservative segment of the church. Be prepared though, it will challenge your opinions.

A bunch of mumbo jumbo:
This book is as bad as reading a publication from any common cult that draws on the intellect in an attempt to intellectualize away the clear, precise meaning understood by any reader who has not been spoon-fed a different explanation of biblical passages. Though the writer appears to have studied well, her methods of biblical interpretation are awful, and her conclusions are not really logical interpretations at all, but only an attempt to thrust her bias upon the pages of scripture even in the face of a clear meaning of the passage. The whole purpose of her book is to validate her opinion rather than any real attempt to understand God's word. Anyone who can honesty insist that 1 Tim. 3:11 is best interpreted as "woman" rather than "wife" has no business teaching scripture. She also introduces some rather bizarre possibilities in scripture such as that Adam was neither male nor female before Eve was created. It seems the author is willing to go any length necessary to find justification for her unscriptural teachings. If you're someone looking for more validation to support your desire to consider women equal with men in all senses including function, then this book will certainly provide you more self-justification. If you are someone really looking for the truth, you're much better off reading the Bible itself with sincere prayer for revelation from God. Due to the awful method of biblical interpretation, and the blantant bias, this book should not be considered a serious study tool for any serious Bible student, scholar or theologian.