Selected Egalitarian Theological Resources

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I believe the Bible's message is that women and men are fundamentally equal and jointly called to ministry without limitations by gender. Further, my conviction is that God's mission will advance in greater measure if our communities of faith can equip and empower women alongside men, as together we pursue the Biblical model of becoming sisters and brothers in Christ. The following theological resources align with this way of reading the Biblical text.

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On the topic of a theology of women/men in leadership, for me the core book is InterVarsity Press' Discovering Biblical Equality. It can be a bit academic in tone, but I like it because it is a collection of articles, allowing people to pick and choose what would be helpful for them. 

 

A more recent and cohesive option that I’ve appreciated is Gender Roles and the People of God, here. Though it also includes a bit of historical and sociological reflection, the theological sections are very solid. This book would be excellent for a book group discussion.

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For a closer look at Paul's epistles, I recommend Man and Woman, One in Christ, by Philip Payne, and Paul, Women, and Wives by Craig Keener.

 

For shorter articles, I’m a fan of three blogs that help with a theology of gender equality: the Junia Project, CBE International, and Marg Mowczko. Each one has a search function, so that readers can seek out the particular topics you are interested in.

 

For a short, comprehensive yet academic piece, find an article by Fuller Seminary's David Scholer here.

 

And then I appreciate the collection of videos on this page.

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Selected Resources on Women & Men in Ministry Partnership

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Two particular books form the foundation for thinking about women and men in ministry partnership. Equal to the Task by Ruth Haley Barton was published in 1998, and Becoming Colleagues by Carol Becker came out in 2001. Both are out of print, but they are each terrific.

 

More recent additions to the literature in this area include Better Together by Danielle Strickland and Beyond Awkward Side Hugs by Bronwyn Lea.  

 

Selected Resources on Male Allyship

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I'm invested in the project of developing more men into more effective allies to women in our faith communities. Several years ago, when I couldn't find allyship resources from a Christian point-of-view, I conducted some research and articulated an allyship development pathway in an article entitled Raising Up Allies; find it here.

 

Beyond my article, I'll recommend two general books on allyship: Better Allies by Karin Catlin and Becoming an Ally by Anne Bishop. For a book that specifically addresses the topic of male allyship, I highly recommend Good Guys by Smith and Johnson.
 

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