A Joint Series Through Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
This post is part of a larger series of posts by Dwayne Forehand and Mark Tubbs on the book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (RBMW). The entire book is available online for free here or buy it on Amazon. Click here for a complete list of posts in the series.
About 2 weeks ago Mark Tubbs asked if I would be interested in doing a joint blogging series through a book. After some prayer and encouragement from my wife I’ve decided to do it.
The Book
The book is Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. This book was a group effort to say the least. Among those contributing are: John Piper, Wayne Grudem, J. Ligon Duncan III, Randy Stinson, John Frame and D. A. Carson.
The book is broken into 26 chapters or articles written by various authors. Each chapter/article can stand on its own in that one can read it separately from the rest of the book and have it still make sense.
There are numerous issues that relate to gender and the Bible that this book tackles. As a father, husband and brother I need to have a robust understanding of what God says to these topics so that I can first of all obey Him myself and then be able to encourage and correct those that I love around me.
The Format
Mark and I will be working through the book cover to cover. Each week we will both post our separate thoughts on the same chapter. We will take turns with one of us posting on Monday and the other on Wednesday.
What Do We Want From You?
Part of the reason Mark said he wanted to do this book with someone else was for the purpose of challenging each other to be faithful to the Scriptures. I’d simply ask for you to help with that as well.
Also this will be a long series (at least 6 months!) and so the encouragement of interacting with you can go a long way in keeping the endurance going. The entire book is available online for free, so if you’d like to read along for all or just part of the series then you can – for free!
February 9th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Considering the title and the topic of the book, I hope you fellows will encourage commenting from women as well (perhaps your wives, or others?). I’ve been working through it with my women’s group, and I think there are many points that, if coming from the ladies, would add veracity and an enriching facet to the discussion. Plus, it will keep us women following along more closely.
February 9th, 2009 at 8:40 am
I’d love to read along. This is such an important topic that needs to be studied and discussed among Christian men and women. Thanks for taking the time to do this!
Xandra
February 9th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Terry consider yourself encouraged! Good idea though. I should be actively seeking participation from women. Thanks!
February 13th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Be prepared for what I hope will be some irenic and constructive pushback on this topic. A growing number of evangelicals think that Piper, Grudem et al’s “plain meaning” of Scripture is anything but plain, and that it’s time to right 2000 years of wrongful oppression of women in the church, just as there came a time to oppose slavery (which also was considered “biblical” for centuries).
Looking forward to your series!
February 13th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Now that is what I am talking about Mark! I desire to pledge no ultimate allegiance to anyone but God and, to that end, His word. Anyone who wants to help me maintain that desire is welcome and encouraged to participate.
February 24th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Have fun – look forward to seeing your posts. I read a couple of chapters and wasn’t overly impressed. I think that Grudem/Piper are too strict and if they had a Reformed (3-office, mind you) understanding of offices/ordination their book would be very different. At least my book would be!
The seminary professor who I had on Gender & Ministry was a firm egalitarian of the “redemptive movement hermeneutic” school. If you want to read some work from the egalitarian side – I commend Webb’s “Slaves, Women and Homosexuals” and the work of CBE to you. You can get a number of CBE articles free here: http://www.cbeinternational.org/new/free_articles/free_articles.shtml
That recommendation said – I think that women have amazing gifts to offer the church and should be released to pretty much every kind of ministry out there, but I do stop short of full egalitarianism because I don’t see it in the Word of God. The exegesis I see from CBE & Webb is stretched. I think the reality is in between Webb & Grudem and as such I guess I’m comfortable calling myself a complimentarian.
February 24th, 2009 at 11:49 am
You clearly read my mind. I was hoping you would do a blog series on this book. I am a complimentarian, but I think there is much to discuss within and understand. Defining myself as a complimentarian it is often assumed that I’m ready to cover my head and scrub bathrooms:)
I too desire to be faithful to scripture as our ultimate authority. Now we just have to figure out what scripture means – no easy task.
Looking forward to the next couple of weeks.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Jonathan, THREE office? Enlighten me.
Chris, I do have to say that am particularly looking forward to your thoughts on this!
February 24th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
To add to Jonathan’s bibliography, another excellent resource from the egalitarian side is John Stackhouse’s Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender (Baker, 2005). (BTW, the “feminist” in the title does NOT refer to political feminism).
Stackhouse takes the redemptive-historical approach: full equality is God’s ideal, but he has allowed patriarchy when it fit his redemptive purpose (e.g., not hindering the spread of the gospel in the patriarchal Roman culture). Stackhouse argues that the church should move into the egalitarian ideal wherever possible, wherever NOT doing so would now hinder the proclamation of the gospel.
February 24th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Pastor, Elder, Deacon – where Pastor is not just an Elder who does different stuff and has a degree. Some see the Pastor as the Episkopos/Overseer.
In the PCA many claim to be 2-office, but in reality we function as 3-office (otherwise, why would we ordain a man who has already been ordained as an Elder when he becomes a Pastor?). If I understand A29 polity, though – you guys are legit two-office, straight up?
Short explanation of two/three-office: http://www.opc.org/qa.html?question_id=309
It actually has nothing to do with the number of offices, I guess – but I always like to sneak it in there.
I think I over-stated a disagreement with Grudem/Piper as well. I remember thinking that I agreed with much of their principles, but differed in application.
February 24th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Yes Acts 29 (and myself) do not differentiate between the tiltles\offices of Pastor, Elder or Bishop. After this series on gender I have been thinking about doing another one on “the church.” Not sure yet though…
February 24th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Read Edmund Clowney on “The Church”.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
One side of me says, “Yes, yes, Clowney on the Church!!” The other side of me says, “Whoa, guys, let’s take one series at a time!” :)