Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #440753 in Books
• Published on: 1992-05
• Binding: Paperback
• 570 pages

Synopsis
A response to evangelical feminism. Implications for family, society and church life.

Customer Reviews

awesoem book
The person who wrote the first review is on drugs. The second reviewer is MUCH more balanced. You might not agree with everything Piper and Grundem say but you certainly will find the info well laid out, their arguements articule and (cuase I also agree with them) in my opinion this book is authoritatively the best for this view on the subject hands down.

Faulty hermeneutics reduce this sandcastle...to sand
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics (1982), which was drawn up under the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, contains guidelines of principles of interpretation to which most scholars who hold a high view of Scripture adhere.

I believe Piper and Grudem, as evangelicals, would agree to these principles. What is unfortunate is that they have not applied a basic principle of hermeneutics to their own book, thus undermining the study from the word 'go'. This principle they fail to apply is that of the inductive approach to Bible study, where one gathers all evidence on a subject before formulating a thesis.

Instead, Piper and Grudem state in Chapter One that the essence of masculinity is to lead women and the essence of feminity is to submit to men. The rest of the book is then a development of this thesis. The danger of such an approach is that the writers' culture or their personnal preference become the starting point rather than the Word of God. The question of this book's approach to Scriptures is thus, by no means, a secondary issue!

The approach widely upheld by evangelical scholars is not this deductive method but an inductive method that searches all of Scriptures. On the issue of women, this inductive approach would cause the student of the Bible to research and analyse EVERY PLACE IN THE BIBLE that speaks of an exercise of authority to see if women are ever permitted in the Bible to be in authority over a man, and if so, how and when. Piper and Grudem fail to produce this kind of work.

I do not claim to have unearthed this major flaw myself. Rather, I read this book called "RECOVERING BIBLICAL MINISTRY BY WOMEN" by George and Dora Winston (Xulon Press, available here on AMAZON). As the title indicates, it is a direct response to Piper and Grudem's book; it offers a comprehensive AND harmonious view of women in all spheres of authority (State, workplace, nature, marriage, family, Church), what one would call a biblical theology on the subject.

The Winstons do just that and by comparison, in my opinion, Piper and Grudem fail to give Scripture a chance. By adopting a deductive approach they simply superimposed their grid on the Bible and in fact let tradition and their male ego lead the way.

A forgotten topic, well discussed
This is a very well structured, well thought out and well collected selection of essays on a topic of great importance to todays church. Piper and Grudem, in my opinion, take a highly biblical standpoint, and the quality of their own thinking and writing as well as the other contributors in inspiring without being manipulative. You are given plenty of opportunity to form your own opinions from the evidence laid before you - something which I find truly helpful in this sort of book.
Clearly it is written from a particular standpoint, but even if you don't share this with the authors, it commands your attention and thought very well indeed.