Resolving to Hear the Voice of Women in the Church

Last updated on: April 1, 2017 at 7:34 am by Chuck McKnight

Resolving to Hear the Voice of Women in the Church 2017-04-01T07:34:27-07:00 Chuck McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I may be a few days late, but that’s okay. I have a new goal for the year.

I recently posted a list of some good books I read last year. When I shared the post on Twitter, I tagged some of the authors, including Wm. Paul Young, whose book The Shack I had recently read for the first time. He responded:

@bradjersak @ChuckMcKnight @therebelgod @BrianZahnd @brianmclaren @peteenns @greg_boyd Thx…read Marilynne Robinson, too much testosterone.

— Wm Paul Young (@wmpaulyoung) January 2, 2016

He had a point. Of the 31 books I listed, 4 included contributions from women, and 1 was coauthored by a woman. The remaining 84% were entirely from men.

Nonetheless, without giving it too much initial thought, I tweeted back:

@wmpaulyoung Agreed. Problem is finding female authors who write about stuff I'm interested in. Not many that I've found. :/

— Chuck McKnight (@ChuckMcKnight) January 2, 2016

I consider myself to be an egalitarian. I believe women should be given the same opportunities as men. And I don’t intentionally avoid hearing from women. I just tend not to come across their writings all that often. Or so I thought.

Despite my hasty reply, the tweet stuck in my mind for the afternoon. That evening, my wife and I had some friends over, and the topic of feminism came up. I mentioned the tweet and my reply. Is it my job as a male egalitarian Christian to read books I’m not really interested in just because they’re written by women? The response I got back went something like this:

There are women out there who have written books you’d like. But due to the male bias in publishing, you’re going to have to work a little harder to find them. Maybe it is your job to put forth that extra effort.

Maybe so. That night after our friends left, I looked through my bookshelves and my Kindle library, curious to see what female-authored books I already had and just hadn’t gotten around to reading.

I was shocked. And a little ashamed. I had stacks of books—some really interesting titles too! Books from Diana Butler Bass, Sarah Bessey, Joy Davidman, Rachel Held Evans, Mandy Steward, Phyllis Tickle, and a bunch of others.

Why haven’t I actually read any of these yet? Have I been making excuses?

I don’t know. Self examination is tricky. But that’s why it’s so important to listen to others and heed the advice they give. So I’m going to try to listen to Wm. Paul Young, listen to my friends, and listen to all the women whose books I’ve put off for too long.

This year, for every male-authored book I read, I’m going to try to match it with a female-authored book.

I think I’ll start with Sarah Bessey’s much-acclaimed Jesus Feminist. And the other books I forgot I had should keep me going for a while. But I’d love to hear your suggestions as well. What other female authors should I be reading?

Church

Personal

Social Justice

Previous Post

January 1, 2016

Some Good Books I Read in 2015

Next Post

January 4, 2016 How One Church Reacted to the Threat of Violence—and the Questions It Forces Us to Ask

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Church Personal Reviews Scripture Social Justice Theology

Select a Month August 2021 September 2020 August 2020 July 2019 March 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 July 2016 June 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which prophet was told not to marry or have children as a sign?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Isaiah Jeremiah Ezra Micah