Women and the Authority of Scripture: A Narrative Approach - Softcover

Lancaster, Sarah Heaner

Softcover

ISBN 10: 156338356X ISBN 13: 9781563383564

Publisher: Trinity Press International, 2002

Synopsis

The theological impact of accepting the absolute authority of biblical scripture is enormous-especially for women who attend and serve churches. But until now, few books have been willing to address this issue head on.

Sarah Lancaster looks at the way women in the church have dealt with the question of scriptural authority and how they can address it in the future. Some women, she says, accept the authority of the Bible without question and stay in church without change of attitude or action. Others deny that the Bible has any authority, completely leaving Christianity in the belief that the Bible and Christian tradition are irredeemably patriarchal. Still others recognize that while scripture is largely patriarchal, it is authoritative for their life of faith.

The Bible possesses a narrative coherence, its story resonating in our own lives. For women, the Bible can continue to "ring true" to their experience, letting them acknowledge scripture's authority in spite of its problems. The Bible is not about patriarchy; it is about how God is present to us and interacts with us in order to bring us to fullness of life.

Lancaster says that women can criticize those things in scripture that help maintain a patriarchal world without invalidating scripture's authority. Scripture, she argues, informs, forms, and transforms. With its combination of narrative and feminist theology, Women and the Authority of Scripture brings a powerful new perspective to the doctrine of biblical authority in the contemporary world.

Sarah Heaner Lancaster is Associate Professor of Theology, Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio. She is an ordained elder in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. She lives in Westerville, Ohio.

About this title

About the Author

Sarah Heaner Lancaster is Associate Professor of Theology, Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio. She is an ordained elder in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. She lives in Westerville, Ohio.

Reviews

In answering the question "How can women accept the absolute authority of the Bible?," Lancaster (Methodist Theological Sch.) offers a carefully reasoned theological treatise. She convincingly argues that women need to accept biblical authority because they believe its authority is legitimate and effective; likening the Scriptures to their own complex lives allows women to acknowledge that the purpose of Scripture is salvation, not its own authority over individuals. Although it is written from a narrow Reformed perspective, the book's scope, principles, and applicability to women of other religions, Christian and non-Christian alike, can be broadened considerably if "scripture" is understood to mean any sacred or holy book. An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, Lancaster understands feminist issues very well, preparing the reader by discussing current feminist theology and the Bible and offering an excellent summary on the authority of Scripture as taught by leading scholars and theologians. She offers some of the finest discussions of authority and revelation in any theological writing. This challenging, well-argued volume is recommended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate religion, theology, philosophy, and women's studies collections. Gary P. Gillum, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Trinity Press International
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 156338356X
• ISBN 13: 9781563383564
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208