History, as we know, is written by the victors so it comes as no surprise that notable Christian women of centuries gone by have been given been little more than token acknowledgements and the rest forgotten almost entirely in our current Christian culture.
Barr as a historian and biblical scholar brings to bear her courage and knowledge acquired throughout both her personal and academic experiences to illuminate both scripture but also a sadly neglected past that few ever hear of and even fewer give real consideration.
This is an invaluable book for our current era as the Christian church in America. This is not merely a woman’s book written by a woman to women. Interweaving her story as a Baptist pastor's wife, Barr sheds light on the #ChurchToo movement and abuse scandals in Southern Baptist circles and the broader evangelical world, helping listeners understand why biblical womanhood is more about human power structures than the message of Christ. Barr's historical insights provide context for contemporary teachings about women's roles in the church and help move the conversation forward. This book moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history - ancient, medieval, and modern - to show that this belief is not divinely ordained but a product of human civilization that continues to creep into the church.
It was born in a series of clearly definable historical moments.
Yet biblical womanhood isn't biblical, says Baylor University historian Beth Allison Barr. From choices about careers to roles in local churches to relationship dynamics, this belief shapes the everyday lives of evangelical women. Biblical womanhood - the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers - pervades North-American Christianity.