by Beth Allison Barr
First sentence: “I never meant to be an activist.”
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Content: While this isn’t a true work of scholarship, there is scholarship there, and it might be a lot for some people. It’s in the Theology and Religion section of the bookstore.

Barr wrote this book after her husband was fired from his job as youth pastor at a Baptist church in Texas. The reason? Simply put, he supported having women in leadership/teaching roles. This book, on the evolution of the idea of “Biblical womanhood” and the “God-given” roles that men and women are supposed to have, is the result of that firing. Barr is a medieval Church historian, and as she shows time and time again, the way conservative Christians think things have always been is, in fact, not the case.

I found this fascinating and enlightening. Barr tackles the Pauline creeds, puts them in context, and explains that really it’s the combination of the Restoration and the current trend for Biblical inerrancy that has led to women needing to be silent, submissive to their husbands, and focused entirely on being a wife and mother above all else. Barr is a good writer, helping someone like me without much scriptural knowledge or historical background through the murky waters of history and theology.

Absolutely worth picking up.