Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: How the Church Needs to Rediscover Her Purpose

By: Aimee Byrd

Narrated by: Charity Spencer

This book dismantles every mistruth that you've heard about the role of women in the Bible, her place in the church, and the patriarchal lie of so-called “biblical manhood and womanhood.” In its place, Aimee Byrd details a truly biblical vision of women as equal partners in Christ's church and kingdom.

The church is the school of Christ, commissioned to discipleship. The responsibility of every believer—men and women together—is being active and equal participants in and witnesses to the faith. And yet many women are trying to figure out what their place is in the church, fighting to have their voices heard and filled with questions:

• Do men and women benefit equally from God's word?
• Are we equally responsible in sharpening one another in the faith and passing it down to the next generation?
• Do we really need men's Bibles and women's Bibles, or can the one Holy Bible guide us all?

The answers lie neither with radical feminists, who claim that the Bible is hopelessly patriarchal, nor with the defenders of “biblical manhood,” whose understanding of Scripture is captive to the culture they claim to distance themselves from.

Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood presents a more biblical account of gender, marriage, and ministry. It explores the feminine voice in Scripture as synergistic with the dominant male voice. It fortifies churches in a biblical understanding of brotherhood and sisterhood in God's household and the necessity of learning from one another in studying God's word.

Until both men and women grow in their understanding of their relationship to Scripture, there will continue to be tension between the sexes in the church. Church leaders can be engaged in thoughtful critique of the biblical manhood and womanhood movement, the effects it has on their congregation, and the homage it ironically pays to the culture of individualism that works against church, family, and a Christ-like vision of community.

Discussion questions and accompanying charts are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Christians should read this, especially leaders

It took me years of getting the message that women are second class humans from society and the church before starting to understand the underlying assumptions the patriarchal establishment has imposed since the beginning of time. This book sheds light on how this all came about and is a must read for many women who feel alienated from fully engaging in the church. I wish I had read this earlier in my life and I applaud Aimee Byrd for having the courage and smarts to present a very well researched treatise on this subject. Highly recommend this book for people in the church and especially leaders.

Thought provoking

Well worth the time even if you don’t agree with the author’s view. It never hurts to dig in deeper when seeking to understand Scripture.

thoughtful and honest

This book takes a hard look at modern teachings on gender compared to scripture. Recommend!

Excellent, necessary, intelligent

I'm sending it to three other people right now. A gracious word to a church in need.

Almost all the questions that need to be asked

relieved to finally hear a public exhortation to reevaluate male and female from biblical bare bones. disappointed at the lack of discussion of original language translation decisions and somewhat short shrift given to Christian definition of authority in the family and the church as springing from servanthood not power.