The main evangelical organizations formed to support particular views on women in family and ministry are good sources of references and information. The complementarian organization is the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. The egalitarian organization is Christians for Biblical Equality. Both of these organizations are God-honoring and Bible-honoring.
There are many books and articles on the topics of women in ministry and marriage, here is a list of some resources that I have found most helpful to explain the contrasting perspectives that prevail in evangelical Christianity today.
- Fee, Gordon, Listening to the Spirit of the Text, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000. In chapter six, Fee gives historical context and then considers how to understand Paul’s writing in Ephesians and other letters. Extremely helpful from an egalitarian perspective.
- Gupta, Nijay K., Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church, IVP Academic, 2023. In this highly readable and well-researched book, Gupta at brings attention to how the New Testament scriptures demonstrate that women were active participants in and trusted leaders in the early church.
- Hancock, Maxine, ed., Christian Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality, and Community, Regent College Publishing (2003). Covers the topic from just about every angle in chapter contributions from the Regent College faculty. Egalitarian perspective.
- Fee, Gordon, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (New International Commentary on the New Testament), Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1st edition, 1987. This commentary on First Corinthians by Gordon Fee is very thorough and fairly academic. No other commentary on First Corinthians has been so helpful to me.
- Winter, Bruce, After Paul left Corinth, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2001. This is an excellent resource for understanding the historical context of Roman Corinth in the time of Paul.
- Wright, N.T., Women’s Service in the Church, N.T. Wright, 2004. This is a conference paper giving an egalitarian perspective.
- Brauch, Manfred, The Hard Sayings of Paul, IVP Academic, 1989.This commentary on selected passages in Paul’s letters is also included in the larger work Hard Sayings of the Bible.
- Swartley, Willard, Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women: Case Issues in Biblical Interpretation, Herald Press, 1983. This fairly academic resource presents a very interesting and thorough historical discussion of biblical interpretation of four topics, including views of women.
- Winter, Bruce, Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003. This book covers the historical context of Paul’s letters as it relates to women in the culture of Paul’s time.
- Sumner, Sarah. Men and Women in the Church: Building Consensus on Christian Leadership, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003. I appreciated Sarah Sumner’s historical perspective and personal experience as a woman who teaches. The consideration of biblical passages is less helpful at times.
- Stackhouse, John G.Jr., Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2005. An eminently reasonable treatment of the subject from an egalitarian perspective. The title is intentionally provocative. That’s Stackhouse.
- Grudem, Wayne. Evangelical Feminism & Biblical Truth, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Oregon, 2012. Wayne Grudem presents a complete complementarian perspective. The publisher’s info for this new edition says: “Grudem carefully responds to 118 arguments often levied against complementarianism, helping readers to engage with today’s most crucial questions on the topic of gender. Grudem counters egalitarian and feminist critiques with clarity and precision, showing God’s equal value in men and women while arguing for complementary roles.” This text is no longer available online, as far as I can tell.
- Webb, William J., Slaves, Women & Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001.
- Ronald W. Pierce, Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, and Gordon D. Fee, Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004.
- Fox, Margaret Fell, Women’s Speaking Justified , Proved, and Allowed of by the Scriptures, All such as speak by the Spirit and Power of the Lord Jesus, with A further Addition, in Answer to the Objection concerning Women keeping silent in the Church, ca. 1667. This is Quaker leader Margaret Fell Fox’s classic defense of women speaking in worship, in its original form. The theology is classic Quaker theology of fallen creation vs. new creation.
- Fox, Margaret Fell, Women’s Speaking Justified, ca. 1666. This is an abridged version of Margaret Fell Fox’s classic Quaker defense of women speaking in worship.
- Du Mez, Kristin Kobes, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2021. In this remarkable book, Du Mez writes as a scholar carefully evaluating the negative influences of popular American culture on the church over the past 70 years, particularly in its depictions of and expectations of masculinity. She details a “cult of masculinity” that often protected abusers and even predators in positions of leadership in the church.
- Barr, Beth Allison, The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth, Brazos Press, 2021. Barr shows that “biblical womanhood” is anything but biblical, employing careful historical examples that undermine complementarian arguments decisively.
- Witherington III, Ben, Priscilla: The Life of an Early Christian, Witherington has written an engaging work of historical fiction intended to explicate the life of Priscilla. He combines biblical scholarship, historical background, and excellent storytelling to draw the reader into a deeper understanding and appreciation of Priscilla, a partner in ministry to the apostle Paul.