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Half The Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision For Women (2011)

by Carolyn Custis James(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0310325560 (ISBN13: 9780310325567)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Zondervan

review 1: I enjoyed interacting with James' argument for men and women to honor a robust, creative, true, equal partnership in the task of serving as God's image bearers. I don't think her argument will sway anyone who has bought the classic complimentarian argument or the usual egalitarian argument, but it does serve as a provocation to think and wrestle with the current deficiencies in gender relations found in churches today. A good quote that captures her convictions: "Much deeper kingdom issues are at stake than resolving debates over disputed passages, deciding who's in charge, resolving conflict, defining his and her roles, and dividing the proverbial pie so everyone gets their fair share. God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." This statement means our brot... morehers cannot be the men God created them to be or do the job God is calling them to do without their sisters. Together, we are God's preferred method of getting things done in the world. He created his image bearers male and female, blessed them, and spread before them the global mandate to build his kingdom." (p139) To some that quote can be answered, "So, get to work being a good helper to the men." To others, "So, ignore the texts that suggest a distinction of roles, based on gender." James provides a challenging alternative to both.My greatest disappointment with the book is that the author does not go on to argue her case (that the image of God being both male and female, and therefore the genders are called to the same tasks, with equal access to leadership, etc.) in a biblically compelling manner, as I believe she could. To fail to provide a biblically compelling argument, considering that it is primarily fundamentalist-conservative bible scholars who hold fast to complimentarianism, makes me suspect that this book will make little impact in their thinking, and their churches will continue to be dominated by exhausted men! All in all, a good start in considering the different approaches to gender relations in the contexts of contemporary ministry in America.
review 2: A must-read book for every Christian woman. Two things I especially appreciated about this book:1) Custis James does an excellent job of laying out a broad, expansive, exciting vision for the possibility of women's contributions to the church and the world without getting bogged down in the controversy that often bogs down these conversations. Whatever your view on women's roles, you'll be inspired by her vision of who you as a woman are called to be.2) The book works hard to avoid the narrow American-dream sort of vision for women and tries to make sure the picture it presents is more biblical than cultural. Over and over again, Custis James looks to the rest of the world (especially Latin America, Africa, Asia) to see what we can learn about womanhood from believers there. It's a breathtaking ride! less

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