Table Of ContentTO REBECCA MERRILL GROOTHUIS (1954–2018):
original coeditor, dear friend, and colleague,
and beloved sister in Christ
Her unwavering commitment to
the inspiration and authority of Scripture,
her keen editorial eye, her razor-sharp mind,
and her deep love for Jesus laid the firm
foundation for this third edition of
Discovering Biblical Equality.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABBREVIATIONS
INTRODUCTION
Ronald W. Pierce, Cynthia Long Westfall, and Christa L. McKirland
1 History Matters: Evangelicals and Women
Mimi Haddad
PART I LOOKING TO SCRIPTURE
The Biblical Texts
2 Gender in Creation and Fall: Genesis 1–3
Mary L. Conway
3 The Treatment of Women Under the Mosaic Law
Ronald W. Pierce and Mary L. Conway
4 Women Leaders in the Bible
Linda L. Belleville
5 Jesus' Treatment of Women in the Gospels
Aída Besançon Spencer
6 Mutuality in Marriage and Singleness: 1 Corinthians 7:1-40
Ronald W. Pierce and Elizabeth A. Kay
7 Praying and Prophesying in the Assemblies: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16
Gordon D. Fee
8 Learning in the Assemblies: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Craig S. Keener
9 Male and Female, One in Christ: Galatians 3:26-29
Cynthia Long Westfall
10 Loving and Submitting to One Another in Marriage: Ephesians 5:21-33 and Colossians
3:18-19
Lynn H. Cohick
11 Teaching and Usurping Authority: 1 Timothy 2:11-15
Linda L. Belleville
12 A Silent Witness in Marriage: 1 Peter 3:1-7
Peter H. Davids
PART II THINKING IT THROUGH Theological and Logical Perspectives
13 The Priority of Spirit Gifting for Church Ministry
Gordon D. Fee
14 The Nature of Authority in the New Testament
Walter L. Liefeld
15 Image of God and Divine Presence: A Critique of Gender Essentialism
Christa L. McKirland
16 Biblical Priesthood and Women in Ministry
Stanley J. Grenz
17 Gender Equality and the Analogy of Slavery
Stanley E. Porter
18 The Trinity Argument for Women's Subordination: The Story of Its Rise, Ascendancy,
and Fall
Kevin Giles
19 Biblical Images of God as Mother and Spiritual Formation
Ronald W. Pierce and Erin M. Heim
20 “Equal in Being, Unequal in Role”: Challenging the Logic of Women's Subordination
Rebecca Merrill Groothuis
PART III ADDRESSING THE ISSUES INTERPRETIVE AND CULTURAL
PERSPECTIVES
21 Interpretive Methods and the Gender Debate
Cynthia Long Westfall
22 Gender Differences and Biblical Interpretation: A View from the Social Sciences
M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall
23 A Defense of Gender-Accurate Bible Translation
Jeffrey D. Miller
24 Biblical Equality and Same-Sex Marriage
Ronald W. Pierce
25 Gender Equality and the Sanctity of Life
Heidi R. Unruh and Ronald J. Sider
PART IV LIVING IT OUT Practical Applications
26 Helping the Church Understand Biblical Gender Equality
Mimi Haddad
27 Marriage as a Partnership of Equals
Judith K. Balswick and Jack O. Balswick
28 Complementarianism and Domestic Abuse: A Social-Scientific Perspective on Whether
“Equal but Different” Is Really Equal at All
Kylie Maddox Pidgeon
29 When We Were Not Women: Race and Discourses on Womanhood
Juliany González Nieves
30 Human Flourishing: Global Perspectives
Mimi Haddad
31 Toward Reconciliation: Healing the Schism
Alice P. Mathews
CONCLUSION
Ronald W. Pierce, Cynthia Long Westfall, and Christa L. McKirland
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
NAME INDEX
SUBJECT INDEX
SCRIPTURE INDEX
NOTES
PRAISE FOR DISCOVERING BIBLICAL EQUALITY
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
MORE TITLES FROM INTERVARSITY PRESS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AS IT WAS IN THE EARLIER EDITIONS OF Discovering Biblical Equality, so now this third
edition is the result of the collaborative effort of a diverse group of evangelical scholars, men
and women from a wide range of disciplines who are united here by two convictions: that the
Bible is the fully inspired and authoritative Word of God, and that it teaches a holistic
theology of gender equality in both status and function in the home, church, and society.
Original coeditors Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis had independently
contemplated a volume like this for several years before God brought them together in 2000
to begin work on the first edition, after which Gordon D. Fee was asked to join them as
contributing editor. Now more than twenty years later, it is time for a substantive revision of
this resource to properly address the many new questions, arguments, and scholarly
contributions that have arisen. Because of the loss of our friend Becky Groothuis through her
homegoing in 2018, Ron asked Cynthia Long Westfall to join him as the new coeditor, after
which they invited Christa L. McKirland to come on board as associate editor.
On behalf of all those contributing to this third edition of Discovering Biblical Equality,
we would like to thank the following individuals and groups who, by God’s grace, have
made this work possible. Regrettably, space permits us to mention only a few by name.
First, we could not have accomplished this task without the sacrificial support of our
families, namely Ron’s wife, Pat; Cindy’s husband, Glenn; and Christa’s husband, Matt.
They, along with numerous children and grandchildren, deserve our sincere gratitude for
their patience and encouragement.
Second, the academic institutions where we serve have provided invaluable support, and
sometimes resources, to support our writing and editing: Ron as Old Testament professor in
Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology (California), Cindy as New Testament
professor at McMaster Divinity College (Ontario), and Christa as lecturer in systematic
theology at Carey Baptist College (Aotearoa New Zealand). Moreover, our appreciation does
not merely extend to our administrators, colleagues, and staff, but also to the many students
over our respective tenures who have asked hard questions without accepting easy answers
and offered fresh new ideas that give us great confidence in the next generation of leaders for
Christ’s church.
Third, we likewise are indebted to the leadership, staff, and members of CBE
International (www.cbeinternational.org), who have championed the cause of evangelical
gender equality since the organization’s inception in 1987. CBE International has contributed
to this book in many ways from its founder, Katherine Clark Kroeger (who originally
encouraged Ron to take on this project), to its current president, Mimi Haddad, who has
promoted this resource and contributed essays to it from the beginning—not to mention the
many other members of CBE International who have also contributed essays.
Finally, we very much appreciate the work of the InterVarsity Press editorial staff—
longtime advocates for gender equality—especially David McNutt, who readily accepted and
has since then skillfully overseen the present volume. His patience, guidance, and expertise
have been indispensable.
ABBREVIATIONS
MISHNAH, TALMUD, AND RABBINIC LITERATURE
b. Babylonian Talmud
B.Metz. Bava Metzi’a
B. Qam. Bava Qamma
Ber. Berakhot
Eruv. Eruvin
Git. Gittin
Hag. Hagigah
Ketub. Ketubbot
m. Mishnah
Ned. Nedarim
Qidd. Qiddushin
Rosh Hash. Rosh Hashanah
Sanh. Sanhedrin
Shabb. Shabbat
Shevu. Sheuvu’ot
t. Tosefta
Yevam. Yevamot
SECONDARY SOURCES
