Simon Vibert Online

John Piper Book Reviews

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism

Edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem
Crossway Books, 1991

This book, edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem, contains articles by 22 male and female authors committed to recovering a Biblical view of role relationships between men and women. The essays are wisely distributed between : Exegetical and Theological Studies; Related insights from history, biology, psychology, sociology and law; and Applications to Church life, Family life and Society today.

The strength of this book is that it encourages men and women who hold to a classical biblical position on gender role relationships that they are a) not alone in this position; and b) that the view of headship held by conservative Evangelicals has been the dominant view historically.

The book also challenges ecclesiological cultural blindness which cannot differentiate between negative sociological trends and abiding biblical principles. It encourages all Christians to be thoroughly biblical in their approach to this issue.

However I think it would be fair to say that this book would be unlikely to convert anyone to a classical position who did not already begin there. The tone is polemical (and very refreshing to the already converted!) but it will do little to satisfy the Feminist who is already convinced that Evangelical Conservatives are wrong. To be fair, such a task is probably outside of the scope of the book.

The book has encouraged me to be less defensive in my teaching on biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and to try to model biblical headship in my family and in the household of the Church, and at the same time encourage women to fulfil their God-given complementary roles in their ministry.

"If I were to put my finger on one devastating sin today, it would not be the so-called women’s movement, but the lack of spiritual leadership by men at home and in the church. Satan has achieved an amazing tactical victory by disseminating the notion that the summons for male leadership is born of pride and fallenness, when in fact pride is precisely what prevents spiritual leadership." John Piper, (p.53).