About this item
Most women in the church don't aspire to "lord it" over men, nor do they want to scramble for position. Instead, they want to be accepted as full participants in God's work, sharing in kingdom tasks in ways that use their gifts appropriately.In Gender Roles and the People of God, author, radio host, and professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Alice Mathews surveys the roles women have played in the Bible and throughout church history, demonstrating both the inspiring contributions of women and the many hurdles that have been placed in their path. Along the way, she investigates the difficult passages often used to preclude women from certain areas of service, pointing to better and more faithful understandings of those verses.Encouraging and hopeful, Mathews aims for an "egalitarian complementarity" in which men and women use all of their gifts in the church together, in partnership, for the glory of God.
About the Author
Alice M. Mathews is the author of "The Shooting of Nancy Howard: A Journey back to Shore." Dr. Mathews is a retired professor from the University of North Texas, located in Denton, Texas, where the two trials resulting from the shooting took place. During her career, Mathews edited an academic journal and taught courses in nonfiction and technical writing, technical editing, British literature, and most often an advanced course on the works of John Milton. She especially enjoyed the opportunity to engage young adults in spirited discussion of theological issues, which often centered on Milton's Paradise Lost. Although she has published academic and feature essays in various publications, this is her first book, inspired by her friendship with Nancy Howard. That friendship was fostered by their common faith and their membership in the First Baptist Church of Carrollton, especially in the church choir. In addition, Dr. Mathews and Nancy experienced several similar surgeries, Nancy's resulting from a shooting and Alice's from a blow to the face, likely linked to the "knock-out game," which was popular in 2014. Mathews and her husband, Bill, are long-time residents of Carrollton, Texas, a suburb of Dallas and the city where Nancy's shooting took place. The Mathews have two adult daughters, Allison and Meredith, and always at least one cat. They spend many summers in Colorado visiting their daughter Meredith and her family and hiking the mountains near Estes Park.
