Ep. 45: Rethinking Biblical Womanhood w/ Dr. Beth Allison Barr
Show Notes
Episode Summary
Men are in charge and women submit. Men lead and women follow. Men have a biblical mandate from God to lead the Church and the home while women are ordained by God to be silent and submissive not only to their husbands, but every other male leader they encounter in the Church.
These are the lies many of us grew up believing. These are the lies keeping so many women in abusive relationships the world over. These are the lies "theobros" want you to believe. Well, thank God for Dr. Beth Allison Barr and her historical and theological understanding of the New Testament world.
Author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood, Dr. Barr joins us today to discuss a more accurate and historical look at some of the “texts of terror” that have been used against women for almost 1,700 years. Instead of Scripture supporting patriarchy and misogyny, the New Testament actually proves that from the very beginning, women had equal footing in the Church. However, due to dominator theology and the men who created it, we’ve all but lost the sort of revolutionary gender equality espoused by the Early Church. If you've always wanted an apologetic for female equality in the church and home, this episode is for you!
Bio
Beth Allison Barr received her B.A. in History (with a minor in Classics) from Baylor University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author of The Pastoral Care of Women in Late Medieval England, co-editor of The Acts of the Apostles: Four Centuries of Baptist Interpretation, co-editor of Faith and History: A Devotional, and—most recently—the author of the best selling The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. Dr. Barr writes regularly on The Anxious Bench, a religious history blog on Patheos, and has contributed to Religion News Service, The Washington Post, Christianity Today, The Dallas Morning News, Sojourners, Baptist News Global, etc. Her work has been featured by NPR and The New Yorker, and she is actively sought as an academic speaker. You can find more about her public writings, interviews, and podcasts on her website http://bethallisonbarr.com. Since receiving tenure in the History department in 2014, Dr. Barr has served as Graduate Program Director in History (2016-2019), received a Centennial Professor Award (2018), received appointment as a Faculty-in-Residence for the LEAD Living and Learning Community in Allen/Dawson Residential Hall (where she has lived and served since 2018), and served as an Associate Dean in the Baylor Graduate School (2019-2022). She is also a Baptist pastor’s wife and mom of two great kids.
Timestamps and References
[06:15]—Dr. Barr discusses the impact her book has made on her own personal journey
[11:20]—The “Theobro” affect
[13:46]—How gender equality cost Dr. Barr her own church community
[19:18]—How Medieval women had more freedom than modern women in Southern Baptist Churches
[23:47]—The biblical apologetic for gender equality in the church
[30:17]—How Jesus treated women
[34:00]—Why white evangelicals are fighting against gender equality due to their power structures
[39:48]—How women play a part in their own subjugation and why some white women continue to support patriarchy
[46:50]—Practical suggestions that create a more equitable world for gender inclusion in the church and home.
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Credits
This episode was produced by The Sophia Society. Music is by Faith in Foxholes.
Don’t just reconstruct your faith, ReWild your faith by trading in certainty for wonder and literalism for mystery. This episode with Holy Heretics host Gary Alan Taylor is an introduction to spiritual rewilding through the re-introduction of indigenous spirituality and Creation-centered Christianity.