Jesus and the Feminists

"Dr. Kostenberger gives us a here a solid, sad, scrupulously fair case study of ideology deflecting exegesis over an entire generation. She shows conclusively that the attempts of a long series of scholars to find Jesus affirming women's leadership in some way have entirely failed. Surely this is an important cautionary tale for our times." -J. I. Packer, Board of Governors' Professor of Theology, Regent College "Who is Jesus? Was he a chauvinist? A feminist crusader? Or an egalitarian emancipator of women? In this significant work, Marny Kostenberger investigates whether the portraits of Jesus painted by proponents of women's equality truly fit the Gospel narrative. Her analysis of underlying hermeneutics is careful and concise. Her conclusions, balanced and well-reasoned. Is Jesus who they say he is? This is a valuable resource for all who seek to answer this all-important question." -Mary A. Kassian, Professor of Women's Studies, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild "Feminism has left its imprint on virtually every aspect of Western culture, including the Christian faith and the interpretation of the Scriptures. Margaret Kostenberger expertly surveys the scholarly work of feminists on the person of Jesus Christ. We are treated to the entire landscape of feminist scholarship on Jesus, from radical feminists to egalitarian evangelicals. Most important, Kostenberger subjects the claims of feminist scholarship to critical scrutiny, showing that they fail to measure up with the teaching of Scripture. Kostenberger's criticisms are irenic, but at the same time they show the deficiencies of the feminist paradigm." -Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Professor of Biblical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky "All interested in the development of feminism in the 20th century will greatly appreciate the excellent scholarship and fair descriptive analysis offered by Margaret Kostenberger. Evangelicals in particular will applaud the effort to set the record straight on Jesus. Numerous feminist distortions of Jesus and his own understanding and treatment of women are discussed with care, while showing them to be far from the gospels' own portrayal, rightly understood. The role of hermeneutics is central in this discussion, and Jesus and the Feminists provides an excellent case-study on just why a correct hermeneutic matters. Even more to the point: getting Jesus right matters! Kostenberger should be commended for winsome and scholarly dismantling of feminist distortions of Jesus thus providing assistance toward this goal." -Bruce A. Ware, T. Rupert and Lucille Coleman Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary "Margaret Kostenberger succeeds at bringing historical perspective to bear on feminist understanding of Scripture and Christ. Her analyses of radical, reformist, and evangelical wings of this movement are methodical, clear, thorough, and mature. Her findings are highly significant. They force the question: Is Jesus Lord over Western culture's ideologies or their servant? Today a new generation stands poised to replace the aging leaders who ushered feminism into our churches. Kostenberger points the way to honor their concerns while avoiding their unjustified concessions." -Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary "Margaret Elizabeth Kostenberger has done a remarkable job in linking carefully documented scholarly research with very practical conclusions in such a way as to enable students and scholars to explore what interpretations feminists are peddling in the marketplace of ideas. Even lay women who have questions and personal struggles with the bombardment of post-modernism will be able to profit from Kostenberger's readable style and practical approach to issues of the day. Her clear and concise charts are a ready and easily understood tool for satisfying a reader's curiosity about the feminists whose works are reviewed as well as presenting in a graphic format that aids in personal understanding and teaching others a synopsis of the issues feminists are bringing to the forefront for discussion. Her table of contents is almost an index at the beginning to help the reader 'scratch where it itches.' The bibliography is comprehensive, and the footnotes are explicit and clear documentation of the material she presents. I am grateful to have such a resource to use as textbook and supplementary reading for my classes in women's studies and for recommendation on questions that come through my website and women in the churches." -Dorothy Kelley Patterson, Professor, Theology in Women's Studies, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary "Karl Barth spoke of finding a 'strange new world' in the Bible. Nothing could seem stranger or newer to the ambient culture than a biblical understanding of manhood and womanhood. In this insightful and winsome book, Margaret Elizabeth Kostenberger shows that the debate over feminism is not, first of all, about whose name has 'Reverend' in front of it. It is, first of all, and last of all, 'about Jesus.' Those wishing to engage the feminist culture all around us will find an excellent resource in this volume." -Russell D. Moore, president, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention "This book is an exceptionally valuable guide to feminist writings about Jesus. It summaries the entire history of feminist interpretation, summarizing each author fairly and then providing a thoughtful critique. Kostenberger's patient, clear argument shows that the multiple feminist re-interpretations of Jesus are inconsistent with the actual text of the Gospels. She also provides excellent summary charts throughout. A very useful, readable resource for those who want to understand how feminism has continually reinterpreted the Bible to advance its own agenda." -Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary "This book is a helpful resource for every woman who has a genuine desire to more thoroughly understand the theological implications of feminism and what the Bible actually says about Jesus. This meaty material is well worth the time to read and consider, as no question is more important than who Jesus is." -Carolyn McCulley, filmmaker; speaker; author, The Measure of Success, Radical Womanhood, and Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? "Jesus and the Feminists is a highly useful work which canvasses both the non-evangelical and evangelical feminists. It is carefully written, easy to read, and provides a much needed resource for understanding the hermeneutics of various feminist works. Anyone who seeks to understand the feminist movement in the church and the complex arguments concerning the role of women in the church would benefit from this volume." -M. Sydney Park, Assistant Professor of Divinity (New Testament), Beeson Divinity School "This is an outstanding, comprehensive study of Feminist hermeneutic. It extensively deals with the historical development of feminism, the variety of feminist positions, and the development within each position. It shows that the results one gets from the Bible heavily depend on the view one holds on the Bible. It also makes meaningful use of internal feminist critique, and shows that mainly because of views taken on the Bible, it is impossible for conservative evangelical theology ever to accept any of the variety of views held within feminism." -Adrio Konig, Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology, University of South Africa "The strength of this manuscript lies in the way it surveys the main figures of English-language theological feminism, carefully noting developments, differences, and trends. I know of no survey to compare with it. The hermeneutical analysis at each step is introductory, accessible, and sensible. Highly recommended." -D. A. Carson, research professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; cofounder, The Gospel Coalition

Jesus and the Feminists helps you better understand the feminist movement by critiquing the various feminist interpretations of Jesus and providing a biblical view of the woman's role in the church and the home.

Jesus and the Feminists helps you better understand the feminist movement by critiquing the various feminist interpretations of Jesus and providing a biblical view of the woman's role in the church and the home.