Ungodly Women

As regards both academic historians and popular understandings since the rise of the Religious Right in the 1980s, analysis of American fundamentalism has neglected a large body of literature about gender roles and social conventions. Betty A. DeBerg's groundbreaking study fills that important gap, analyzing the roots and character of fundamentalism in light of rapid changes and severe disruptions in gender-role ideology and actual social behavior in America between 1880 and 1930. Unlike interpreters such as George Marsden -- who has seen the contemporary Religious Right's concerns over feminism, abortion, and the breakdown of the family as recent developments -- DeBerg convincingly argues that these concerns were central in the "first wave of American fundamentalism."--Back cover.

Why Does Marriage Today Seem To Be Such a Far Cry From Paradise? Let's face it. Our culture's version of marriage is not as God designed it to be. With a lot more emphasis on individualism and consumerism, today's married couples tend to lose sight of God's original purpose for marriage--a call for his people to take Jesus' message to the heart of everyday life. Marriage Made in Eden provides a radical alternative to today's view of marriage, giving a glimpse into the historical and cultural aspects that have shaped marriage in America. With this insightful analysis you'll learn how marriage has come to be in the state we now find it and about God's model and purpose for a sacred Christian union.

“This book walks each of us through the reality checks we need in order to have the marriage we want!” —Shaunti Feldhahn, social researcher and best-selling author of For Women Only In today’s workplace, women are often rewarded for having type A personalities: driven, demanding, ambitious, and strong. Yet when it comes to their marriages, those same traits can backfire. After all, no one goes into marriage hoping for a promotion. What is a wife to do? April Cassidy knows this struggle firsthand. She thought she was a great Christian wife and begged God to make her passive husband into a more loving, involved, godly leader. Instead, God opened her eyes to changes that she needed to make, such as laying down her desire for control and offering genuine, unconditional respect—not just love—to her husband. Cassidy’s conclusions may be as startling to readers as they were to her, but The Peaceful Wife shares how she and many others have learned to reorient their lives to biblical commands—resulting in healthier, happier marriages. In the end, you’ll find The Peaceful Wife a powerful path to God’s design for women to live in full submission to Christ as Lord.

The church in America is part of a changing culture, and today's preachers must be prepared to engage the unique issues of our postmodern age. Editor Scott M. Gibson has skillfully combined the works of many well-known preachers, including Haddon Robinson and Bryan Chapell, into one practical guide written for present and future church leaders. Including questions for reflection and suggestions for further reading, this helpful resource addresses important topics such as preaching to a postmodern audience, pluralism, and the intersection of preaching and psychology. "Preaching to a Shifting Culture is a must-read for preachers. It intensified my passion to preach Scripture, it clarified for me some critical issues related to preaching, and it triggered some ideas and strategies I will biild into my preaching."--Steve Mathewson, author of The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative "A stimulating potpourri of evangelical insights for changing times."--Michael Quicke, Charles Koller Professor of Preaching and Communications, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary "Timely and relevant, this collection of essays thoughtfully explores the issues facing today's preacher and calls today's preacher to thoughtfully face the issues."--Patricia Batten, pastor, Village Baptist Church, Kennebunkport, Maine "Those who are called to proclaim the Word in a contemporary setting will benefit from the analysis and suggestions offered in this outstanding collection."--Michael Duduit, editor, Preaching magazine

This ground-breaking volume assesses the contemporary epidemic of intimate partner violence and explores how and why cultural and religious beliefs serve to excuse battering and to work against survivors’ attempts to find safety. Theological interpretations of sacred texts have been used for centuries to justify or minimize violence against women. The authors recover historical and especially medieval narratives whose protagonists endure violence that is framed by religious texts or arguments. The medieval theological themes that redeem battering in saints’ lives—suffering, obedience, ownership and power—continue today in most religious traditions. This insightful book emphasizes Christian history and theology, but the authors signal contributions from interfaith studies to efforts against partner violence. Examining medieval attitudes and themes sharpens the readers’ understanding of contemporary violence against women. Analyzing both historical and contemporary narratives from a religious perspective grounds the unique approach of Nienhuis and Kienzle, one that forges a new path in grappling with partner violence. Medieval and contemporary narratives alike demonstrate that women in abusive relationships feel the burden of religious beliefs that enjoin wives to endure suffering and to maintain stable marriages. Religious leaders have reminded women of wives’ responsibility for obedience to husbands, even in the face of abuse. In some narratives, however, women create safe places for themselves. Moreover, some exemplary communities call upon religious belief to support their opposition to violence. Such models of historical resistance reveal precedents for response through intervention or protection.

A New Testament commentary written by women with theological training for women with an emphasis on passages of importance to women.

A New Gospel for Women tells the story of Katharine Bushnell (1855-1946), author of God's Word to Women, one of the most innovative and comprehensive feminist theologies ever written. An internationally-known social reformer and women's rights activist, Bushnell rose to prominence through her highly publicized campaigns against prostitution and the trafficking of women in America, in colonial India, and throughout East Asia. In each of these cases, the intrepid reformer struggled to come to terms with the fact that it was Christian men who were guilty of committing acts of appalling cruelty against women. Ultimately, Bushnell concluded that Christianity itself - or rather, the patriarchal distortion of true Christianity - must be to blame. A work of history, biography, and historical theology, Kristin Kobes DuMez's book provides a vivid account of Bushnell's life. It maps a concise introduction to her fascinating theology, revealing, for example, Bushnell's belief that gender bias tainted both the King James and the Revised Versions of the English Bible. As Du Mez demonstrates, Bushnell insisted that God created women to be strong and independent, that Adam, not Eve, bore responsibility for the Fall, and that it was through Christ, "the great emancipator of women," that women would achieve spiritual and social redemption. A New Gospel for Women restores Bushnell to her rightful place in history. It illuminates the dynamic and often thorny relationship between faith and feminism in modern America by mapping Bushnell's story and her subsequent disappearance from the historical record. Most pointedly, the book reveals the challenges confronting Christian feminists today who wish to construct a sexual ethic that is both Christian and feminist, one rooted not in the Victorian era, but rather one suited to the modern world.

Six key scholars present a feminist critique of the theory of human rights. The title of this volume, Womens’ Voices, Womens’ Rights, might be taken innocently to indicate its contents: a set of lectures given by women on the rights of women, on the failure to achieve those rights, and on the reasons and remedies for those failures. However, it also implies that womens’ rights are not simply the extension to all members of the community of the agreed-upon rights of men. Is to speak in a woman’s voice to speak in a different voice? Each lecture explores the values of Western societies, and the sources of the oppression of women within them, while many also provide a political contribution to the argument over the international context in which womens’ status seems to be under constant threat. The lectures rest on a shared commitment to the dignity, humanity, and unique individuality of each human persona tenet that underpins the human rights movement, provides the moral impetus for feminism and, indeed, is the motivating force behind Amnesty International’s campaigning on behalf of political prisoners world-wide. Ultimately, the contributors show us that to speak from the perspective of women, to adopt a woman’s voice, is to enrich our understanding of the rights of all.