Gary T. Burke

This abbreviation of the original book is written for the general reader who is not interested in all the detailed documentation.  At about 150 pages, it mirrors the first book in containing the gist of the arguments and much of the evidence for them without burdening the reader with too much detail.  With discussion questions at the end of each chapter it is designed to serve as a resource for adult Bible classes and small groups at church or for congregational leadership teams as they begin their joint study of the topic.

Since the birth of their faith, Christians have struggled with how to remain faithful to the ancient biblical text while applying it to their modern cultural setting.  Renewed interest in the involvement of women in the worship and affairs of the church is a prime example.  Longstanding interpretations of a few verses in the Pauline letters have been called into question by those who seek a wider role for women in the church.  In his books, Burke brings the heart of a pastor and the skills of a trained biblical interpreter to a fresh look at the old but ever relevant texts.  If your beliefs about women in the church begin or even end with a few lines in Paul, this book challenges you to look again and even to broaden your field of view to the whole Bible.  The results may surprise you.

The first three chapters lay the foundation for the study, especially in proposing a healthier methodology than has been common in many treatments of this topic.  It then examines the Genesis creation narrative, both in its own right and as interpreted in the New Testament.  Finally, because the Christian faith begins with Jesus, not Paul, the book treats Jesus and women in two chapters before concluding with four on Paul.

This indexed original version of the book of about 350 pages contains over 500 footnotes and a 300-page bibliography and is written for the reader who has a serious interest in the topic.