• Skip to main content
  • Skip to main navigation
Baylor University
Women's and Gender Studies
  • About Us
  • Minor
    • Requirements & All Courses
    • Current Courses Offered
  • Faculty Research
    • Beth Allison Barr
    • Natalie Carnes
    • J. Lenore Wright
  • Events
    • Dr. Anne Boyd Rioux Lecture
    • Fim Screening of 'Suffragette' (2015)
    • Lucy Rider Meyer and the New Christian Woman”
    • Women's History Month Lecture
    • Women's History Month events
  • Women's Collections
Baylor BU Women's and Gender Studies Faculty Research Beth Allison Barr
  • Beth Allison Barr
  • Natalie Carnes
  • J. Lenore Wright

Beth Allison Barr

The Making of Biblical Womanhood (Brazos Press, 2021)

Image of book The Making of Biblical Womanhood and image of author Beth Allison Barr

Beth Allison Barr is Professor of History and Associate Dean of the Graduate School at Baylor University, where she specializes in medieval history, women's history, and church history. She is the president of the Conference on Faith and History and is a member of Christians for Biblical Equality. Barr has written for Christianity Today, the Washington Post, and Religion News Service, and is a regular contributor to The Anxious Bench, the popular Patheos website on Christian history.

Editorial Reviews

"Throughout this book, Barr talks about how her world was transformed. Readers should be ready to have their worlds transformed too. The Making of Biblical Womanhood is about unmaking the harmful patterns of patriarchy in the church, society, and our own hearts."
--Jemar Tisby, CEO of The Witness Inc.; New York Times bestselling author of The Color of Compromise

"This fervent, bold, and sweeping history of Christianity and patriarchy is an absolute game changer. Any future debates will need to reckon with Barr's contention that the subjugation of women has nothing to do with gospel truth."
--Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor, Calvin University; author of Jesus and John Wayne

"This book has the power to help Christians build a faith where 'there is neither male nor female,' to liberate women from patriarchal hierarchies, and to heal the pain inflicted by countless churches. I have waited my entire adult life for a book like this."
--Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic; author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch

"It's time--no, it's way past time--that we take a critical look at how complementarians have been leaving women leaders and teachers out of church history books and expose the movement of 'biblical womanhood' for what it is. Read this book and be challenged and encouraged."
--Aimee Byrd, author of Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and No Little Women

"Barr's careful historical examples drawn especially from medieval history hold together a brilliant, thunderous narrative that untells the complementarian narrative. I could not put this book down."
--Scot McKnight, professor, Northern Seminary

"A powerful work of skillful research and personal insight."--Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

Biblical womanhood--the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers--pervades North American Christianity. From choices about careers to roles in local churches to relationship dynamics, this belief shapes the everyday lives of evangelical women. Yet biblical womanhood isn't biblical, says Baylor University historian Beth Allison Barr. It arose from a series of clearly definable historical moments.

This book moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history--ancient, medieval, and modern--to show that this belief is not divinely ordained but a product of human civilization that continues to creep into the church. Barr's historical insights provide context for contemporary teachings about women's roles in the church and help move the conversation forward.

Interweaving her story as a Baptist pastor's wife, Barr sheds light on the #ChurchToo movement and abuse scandals in Southern Baptist circles and the broader evangelical world, helping readers understand why biblical womanhood is more about human power structures than the message of Christ.

Women's and Gender Studies

Dr. Theresa Varney Kennedy, Director of Women's and Gender Studies
Professor of French

theresa_kennedy@baylor.edu
Baylor BU Women's and Gender Studies Faculty Research Beth Allison Barr
  • About Us
  • Minor
    Back
    • Requirements & All Courses
    • Current Courses Offered
  • Faculty Research
    Back
    • Beth Allison Barr
    • Natalie Carnes
    • J. Lenore Wright
  • Events
    Back
    • Dr. Anne Boyd Rioux Lecture
    • Fim Screening of 'Suffragette' (2015)
    • Lucy Rider Meyer and the New Christian Woman”
    • Women's History Month Lecture
    • Women's History Month events
  • Women's Collections
  • General Information
  • Academics & Research
  • Administration
  • Admissions
  • Gateways for ...
  • About Baylor
  • Athletics
  • Ask Baylor
  • Bookstore
  • Calendar
  • Campus Map
  • Directory
  • Give Light
  • Give to Baylor
  • Illuminate
  • News
  • Pro Futuris
  • Search
  • Social Media
  • Baylor Libraries
  • College of Arts & Sciences
  • Diana R. Garland School of Social Work
  • George W. Truett Theological Seminary
  • Graduate School
  • Hankamer School of Business
  • Honors College
  • Law School
  • Louise Herrington School of Nursing
  • Research at Baylor University
  • Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences
  • School of Education
  • School of Engineering & Computer Science
  • School of Music
  • More Academics
  • Athletics
  • Human Resources
  • Marketing and Communications
  • Office of General Counsel
  • Office of the President
  • Office of the Provost
  • Operations, Finance & Administration
  • Senior Administration
  • Student Life
  • University Advancement
  • Undergraduate Admissions
  • goBAYLOR
  • Graduate Admissions
  • Baylor Law School Admissions
  • Social Work Graduate Programs
  • George W. Truett Theological Seminary Admissions
  • Online Graduate Professional Education
  • Virtual Tour
  • Visit Campus
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Online Graduate Professional Education
  • Parents
  • Prospective Faculty & Staff
  • Prospective Students
  • Students
  • Accessibility
  • Anonymous Reporting
  • Annual Fire Safety and Security Notice
  • Digital Privacy
  • Legal Disclosures
  • Mental Health Resources
  • Report It
  • Title IX
 
Baylor University
Copyright © Baylor® University. All rights reserved.
Baylor University • Waco, Texas 76798 • 1-800-229-5678