Jesus, Justice, and Gender Roles: A Case for Gender Roles in Ministry (Fresh Perspectives on Women in Ministry)

I like the Keller duo and I should be candid and upfront that I may have a slight bias since I really loved the book, The Meaning of a Marriage. I am a complementarian in the sense that this book and what I have seen from Grudem and Piper are, but not in the Mark Driscoll traditionalist sense. I really enjoyed Kathy's contribution in that book as well.I thought this book did a good job of taking us through a balanced look at these issues from a Biblically faithful perspective without compromising. I feel that we too often end up on the far polarizing end of two extremes rather than looking at the heart and thrust of the Scriptures on these issues. I think that this book's perspective coming from an obviously capable, intellectual and intelligent woman gives more clout to the arguments.The Meaning of Marriage has been one of my all time favorites on marriage and this little book by Kathy is another great, easy read.

Keller maintains a high view of scripture and treats both the the exegetical process and the real world application of gender roles in the church.Tons of great references to both sides of the argument.QUICK read, but dense/meaty as well. I think she can easily write more on this, but chose to keep it short to help rapidly.

I went into reading this book prepared to disagree with it at every turn. As a woman who is gifted and called to lead in the context of the local church, and as a believer who holds to a high view of scripture, this issue has been a difficult and personal one to navigate.I am uncomfortable calling myself an egalitarian because I do believe that gender differences (and the roles associated with them) are part of the Divine design revealing the fullness of God's glory. However, in most overtly complementarian books and congregations that I have read/experienced, the expression of the gifts and calling on the female half of the church are so limited and constricting that "equal but different" seems suspiciously akin to the "separate but equal" mantra of the Jim Crow era.However, I was surprised and delighted by Keller's nuanced articulation of her viewpoint. In this book she affirms the call on women to lead and and even to speak in the general gathering within certain boundaries. At the same time, she calls the believer to uncompromising obedience to the scriptures in the most faithful way possible in our present age.Keller does a superb job of defending her hermeneutical method and theological stance on this issue in an intellectually rigorous and emotionally safe tone. She speaks as one who has stood on both sides of the debate and can speak authentically from both perspectives.The reason I gave this an "almost perfect" four stars is because I wish she had given more attention the second half of her book, which seemed intended to focus the personal experiences of women who have found themselves walking in the tension between a strong sense of personal calling and a high view of scripture and what it means to be faithful to the truths therein. I wish she had given as much attention and devotion to showing us -- modeling -- what some journeys might look like. It seems as if that was her original intent but it just didn't happen.In her bibliographical notes at the end of her book, Keller rightly advises that one author with egalitarian leanings would have made his argument more persuasive by adding theological exegesis to support the already compelling stories of abuse and mistreatment in the name "biblical complementarianism." The audience he wishes to address will not be swayed by experience and empathy, but by theological and hermeneutical rigor.In the same vein, the audience Keller wishes to address will not be swayed by water tight hermeneutics and theological rigor alone, but by story, personal experience, and empathy. I hoped to find a robust combination of both in the book, but it fell just short.All in all I do strongly recommend this book for addressing this issue in a compassionate, theologically sound way that remains faithful to a high view of scripture.

It is a breath of fresh air to read an intelligent, researched, and Biblical look at complementarianism. I appreciate how Keller is willing to take the heat from both sides - some egalitarians will believe she is too conservative while many complementarians and conservatives will believe she is far too liberal. I respect her willingness to truly research what Scripture has to say, while many complementarians only believe the way they do because it was the teaching that was handed down to them. In this book, Keller respects, empowers, and encourages women to teach, lead, and be a part of various ministries in the church, while still arguing that there is room for gender roles within the church. All in all, this is a wonderful and short read that I enjoyed reading with the Kindle Cloud reader.

Kathy writes in a very understandable way. She makes her points clear by the use of common sense and hermeneutics. She's not stuck on complementarian or egalitarian terminology or their concepts. She clearly answers "what does the Bible say?"

I thought her husband was the smartest man on earth. Not anymore! This is a body slam of a book to the egalitarian view. Much respect to Kathy and her solid work here.

I found it to be a succinct explanation of the primary objections to the plain stating of scripture on the topic, and a very helpful (and again, succinct) response to those objections. A surprising depth and thoroughness given the shortness of book, probably possible because the author stayed so focussed. The heart issues are not left out, and the "where to go and what to do with those heart issues" is not left out either. And all from the perspective and experience of a mature woman of Christ, who submitted herself bravely to Jesus and God's word, and has not had reason to regret that choice.It's the kind of book that might be a good fit for sharing with those who don't practice complementarianism, and then discussing. That is, if you can find someone willing to have their boat rocked should they find the book creates some waves for them.

I thought this was a great and easy read and would be a good book for someone who wanted to know a bit more about complimentary roles. I did find that Keller did make a large assumption about the text in 1 Timothy and I wished she would have explored that more. I am willing to look at the possibility the teaching and authority mentioned in Timothy are describing one thing but I am not at all convinced from this book, I really was hoping for something a little more developed in the way of argument. Overall a good read.

Excellent book for all women who know our creator is loving, merciful, just and that the Bible is true. We know that if there is scripture that hits is wrong we must do the hard work of studying to determine what God is saying. Using the entirety of scripture to back up the particular part we are looking into. Kathy has done an excellent job of that and in the end we love and cherish the word of God as given to us in the Bible. Thank you God.

Sofar that's the best book i read on the subject. Here you have solid exegesis and personal experience. A must read

very helpful book taking 2 key texts on the topic and be open about own journey. helped me to think through the issue biblically., setting own perceptions aside.

This was a great position from a brilliant mind. Quite balanced and considered, this book helps remind us to adhere to God’s commands and design amidst the weight and noise of society and culture in the west today

Really helpful book. Biblically sound arguments which give clarification to a complimentarian who struggles to articulate their understanding of things like women's roles in the church