Gender and Ministry: A Biblical and Historical Investigation of Women in Ministry

Should women preach, teach, or lead in today's Christian church?The Lord designed women to be intelligent, spiritually-led, and fully capable; and in every era, he used women to do exploits for his kingdom. In both the Old and New Testaments, women prayed, judged, led worship, prophesied, and explained the Word of God. Jesus counted women among his disciples, and Paul identified them as co-laborers able to teach, lead, and operate in the gifts of the Spirit.Women in ministry is not part of a progressive liberal agenda. Ministry is serving and should never be degraded by anyone demanding rights or attempting to dominate others. Followers of Jesus should, however, seek to discern the Lord's true intentions for his daughters. If there was a Deborah or Huldah in the Old Testament--or a Junia or Priscilla in the New Testament--can there be a Crystal or Lindsay ministering in the church today?Follow along with Lori as she tackles the most often debated passages and investigates the biblical and historical record of women in ministry.With a contribution from David K. Bernard, Dth, JD; General Superintendent, United Pentecostal Church International"I have met two sorts of people who don't believe in women ministers: those who simply have not met a woman effective in ministry and those who have biblical questions; specifically, questions as to whether the Bible prohibits a woman from pulpit ministry. In Gender & Ministry, Lori Wagner, a dynamic woman minister, tackles the subject head on, conversing with accepted scholars in the field. She digs deeply into the most relevant passages, even those difficult passages which, on the face of it, seem to be restrictive to women. I recommend this excellent study for any serious student of the Bible. It belongs in your library." -David S. Norris, PhD, Professor of Biblical Theology, Urshan Graduate School of Theology