Can faithful women reject patriarchy? Beth Allison Barr’s book, The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth, suggests the answer is yes. Her book is a compelling ‘untelling’ of the story of patriarchy as divinely appointed truth. In Episode 141, Cynthia and Susan are joined by Dr. Barr for a conversation about historical forces that have shaped women’s roles in the world and at church. She offers insights not only into women’s roles in the Bible, but specific to the lives of women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.
Notes & Quotes:
The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth, by Beth Allison Barr
Getting Martha Out of the Kitchen: Luke 10:38-42 Again, by Warren Carter, JSTOR, The Catholic Bible Quarterly, Vol. 58 No. 2, April 1996 pp. 264-280
Christianity and Women: Beth Allison Barr with Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, Forum for Scholars and Publics at Duke University, November 2022
“Jesus had already given women the freedom to speak.” — Beth Allison Barr, p. 77
“Patriarchy exists in the Bible because the Bible was written in a patriarchal world. Historically speaking, there is nothing surprising about biblical stories and passages riddled with patriarchal attitudes and actions. What is surprising is how many biblical passages and stories undermine, rather than support, patriarchy.” — Beth Allison Barr, p. 36
“Instead of being a point of pride for Christians, shouldn’t the historical continuity of a practice that has caused women to fare much worse than men for thousands of years caused concern? Shouldn’t Christians, who are called to be different from the world, treat women differently?
What if patriarchy isn’t divinely ordained but is a result of human sin?” — Beth Allison Barr, p. 25
