Good News for Women: A Biblical Picture of Gender Equality, by Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997. 272 pages.
Around the mid-twentieth century, the church began to re-examine its traditional patriarchal stance on the nature and role of women in family, church, and life. For centuries, the church believed women were inherently inferior – physically, mentally, and emotionally – and therefore needed to be ruled.
But science has proven that human females are, actually, ontologically equal in kind to human males. In other words, though male bodies statistically may be physically larger and stronger among humans, and female bodies typically designed to bear and nurse infants, male and female human beings are, on balance, exactly similar in terms of physical, mental, and emotional capacities and capabilities.
This created a quandary for the church. Why, then, are women to be ruled? In the mid 1980’s, two theologies emerged. One theology reads the Bible as saying it is God’s will that men lead and women obey. The other theology reads the Bible as saying God has placed no such limitations on men or women, but rather calls women and men to every area of leadership and ministry.
Published early in the debate, Rebecca Groothuis reads the Bible through the lens of equality, dividing her book into two parts: “The Biblical Case for Gender Equality” and “Assessing the Traditionalist Proof Texts.”
The Biblical Case for Gender Equality
Four chapters outline Groothuis’s train of thought.
One in Christ and Heirs of God
Groothuis speaks early in this section on Jesus’s interactions with women, then acknowledges that his precedent was not followed by the church for cultural, not spiritual reasons.
“Some of Jesus’ most theologically rich statements were spoken only to women…. Religious patriarchy had been vanquished by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Societal patriarchy, however, remained intact.”
Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, Good News for Women: A Biblical Picture of Gender Equality, 23.
It is in the author’s opinion that Paul and the other writers of the Christian testament were seeking to “modulate and moderate” the customs of their first-century, Greco-Roman world so as to protect the message of the Gospel. Nevertheless, Paul—and Groothuis—set the tone for teaching on the quality of all believers in the Kingdom of God.
“Rather, the spirit and intent of Galatians 3:26–28 is that different races differences of race, social class, and gender should no longer determine differences of status and privilege within the religious community. As F.F. Bruce succinctly states, “It is not their distinctiveness, but their inequality of religious role, that is abolished ‘in Christ Jesus.’ … In other spheres, indeed, the distinctions which ceased to be relevant in church fellowship might continue to be observed.”
Groothuis, 28.
Equal in Being, Unequal in Function?
After establishing women’s full equality with men, according to God’s design and Jesus’s redemptive acts, Groothuis goes on to question the strange logic of complementarian logic. Patriarchal theology is eminently logical. Of course if women are inferior and not be trusted, then men must not only be the leaders but also women need tending. Complementarian theology tries to put forward the argument that despite their full equality, God has still ordained inequality in roles and relationships. Is that a right interpretation of God’s intent?
“Regardless of how hierarchicalists try to explain the situation, the idea that women are equal in their being, yet unequal by virtue of their being, is contradictory and ultimately nonsensical. If you cannot help but be what you are, and if inferiority and function follows inexorably from what you are, then you are inferior in your essential being….
“A permanent and comprehensive subordination based on a person’s essence is an essential (not merely a functional) subordination. In the final analysis gender hierarchy allows for no meaningful distinction between the person and the position.”
Groothuis, 55.
Groothuis goes on to give a detailed rebuttal to the complementarian theology of the trinity which proposes the eternal subordination of the Son to the Father as a demonstration of the legitimacy of male authority over female.
Issues in Inequality
The tacit complementarian view underscores that female roles are inferior to male’s, and to be a woman is inferior to being a man.
Sexuality in God and in the Image of God
This section ends with a frank discussion of the pitfalls of “gendered imagery” of God. Once God’s “essential nature” is envisioned as male, there is confusion as to what it means to be created in the image of God, for femaleness now becomes derivative of maleness, made a “less complete” divine image of God.
Yet, God is transcendent, neither male nor female, so to be made in God’s image must transcend the earthly designation of male or female.
Assessing the Traditionalist Proof Texts
This second section examines the several texts that often are found in the center of gender debates.
In the Beginning
Every discussion concerning the nature and roles of men and women seems to begin here, in Genesis 1–3. Groothuis does a serviceable job of exposing the flaws in complementarian interpretation. Of particular note is the proper definitions of Hebrew words, such as the weak and inaccurate English term “helper” and the correct understanding of the word “desire.”
The Husband is the Head of The Wife
First Corinthians 11:2-16 is a much-debated text, not so much as what it has to do with the actual heads of those who prophecy, but what Paul must have meant when he claimed the man (or husband) is the “head” of the woman (or wife).
Paul revisits “head” language in Ephesians 5:2-23, and again, there are questions as to what this means. Groothuis analyzes the various ways the word “head” was used in Paul’s day, and how crucial the context of each text, as well as the prevailing cultural understanding of Greek, must be taken into account.
Marriage and Mutual Submission
A natural progression brings the book to this topic of marital roles and relationship. Does the Christian testament teach mutual submission, or does it teach a hierarchy of authority and subordination, particularly in marriage? Careful scholarship reveals,
“Submission, deference, obedience, and self-sacrifice should flow back and forth in a marriage from one partner to the other as love takes its God-given, God-blessed course.”
Groothuis, 175
The Bible and Women in Leadership
Unsurprisingly, women who filled every kind of leadership role in the Hebrew Bible and Christian testament are discussed, showing that the exception disproves the rule.
I Do Not Permit a Woman …
Though certainly worth reading, this chapter illustrates how difficult it is to understand 1 Timothy 2, for both sides of the discourse. Rare words, and unusual phraseology challenge expositors, even when context is taken into account.
Ending the Stalemate
The disaccord remains among Christians, so Groothuis proposes this food for thought,
“Both God’s natural revelation and God’s written revelation are legitimate sources of truth, and both require that they be interpreted in order to be understood. … If there seems to be a conflict between the two sources of revelation, we should consider the possibility that our interpretations of either source are incorrect.”
Groothuis, 233.
What I Liked
This book may be twenty-five years old, but it is anything but anachronistic. Both scholarly and approachable, the argumentation is impeccable and the citations good. I gained insights all along the way, and appreciate how the book is structured. For someone just beginning to look into these matters, this is an excellent first book to read.
What I Did Not Like
Nevertheless, there has been a lot of academic study since Groothuis opened the door with her “Good News.” More evidence has been unearthed concerning rare and contested words. Excellent books have been written on each of the Biblical passages this book takes summary looks at. I do not agree with all of Groothuis’s conclusions.
But, then again, when will you or I agree with every single thing we read?
This book is worth it, and I recommend it.
