A Biblical Case for Women Leading in the Church

Review by Jill Firth

Graham Joseph Hill
Holding Up Half the Sky: A Biblical Case for Women Leading and Teaching in the Church.
Eugene: Cascade, 2020.

Review by Dr. Jill Firth

Graham Hill’s book on women in the church is a response to many requests for a summary of the case for biblical equality. It is intentionally short and readable. A list of scholarly books is available at the end of the book for further reading and study.

A key plus of the book is Hill’s desire to be respectful both to complementarian and egalitarian views. He notes that there is a spectrum of views, citing Mike Bird who describes Christian Feminism, Evangelical Egalitarianism, Moderate Complementarianism, and Hierarchical Complementarianism. While some in the debate infer that their opponents have a low regard for the authority of the Bible, others may judge that their opponents have a low view of women. Hill recognises that ‘egalitarian evangelicals and complementarian evangelicals are both seeking to be faithful to the Bible and to the gospel’ (page 5), and invites us all to understand the cultural and historical underlays of our positions. The book is an invitation to give congregations and young people a chance to consider different approaches, and to examine the Scriptures (Acts 17:11).

The book is divided into three sections,

1.       Setting the Scene for Biblical Equality

2.       Presenting the Scriptural Case for Biblical Equality

3.       Embracing the Practices of Biblical Equality

The first section raises issues which make the topic important. Hill addresses three misconceptions about the debate, building on Kyle Snodgrass. Some consider support for women in ministry to be a result of feminism, and as an assault on traditional values. Some argue that support for women in ministry is based on a low view of the authority of the Bible. Some claim that support for women in ministry is linked to support for LGBTI issues. Any internet user can easily recognise expressions of these popular critiques. Hill helpfully focuses his response on the Scriptures, which are the foundation for any evangelical’s beliefs, in his second section, which begins with Jesus’ attitude to women, then examines Genesis 1-3, before a detailed consideration of Paul. This section is too long to summarise, but is well worth reading for its clarity.

The final section outlines some practices of biblical equality. Some churches theoretically affirm women in leadership or teaching roles, but do little to support women or to take initiatives that help women to rise to leadership roles. Hill invites men to treat women with honour, and to confront injustice and abuse. He offers his own public apology to women (pages 85-86). Hill challenges hierarchical and domineering leadership patterns, and invites us in an adventure in imagination: ‘Imagine how the church’s mission and public witness would be enhanced if we recognized, honored, resourced, and further emboldened Junia’s sisters!’ (page 92). He invites reflection on a ministry where men and women serve together, like Junia and Andronicus, and offers several pages of practical suggestions on amplifying the voices and honoring the gifts of women.

Included in the volume are forewords by Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Margaret Mowczko, and an afterword by Lynn H. Cohick. Grace Ji-Sun Kim is Associate Professor of Theology, Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, Indiana, and co-author of Healing our Broken Humanity with Graham Hill. She expresses her appreciation of men like Graham Hill who speak up for the ministry of women in the church. Margaret Mowczko is a Sydney writer and speaker. She appreciates Graham’s presentation of context around well-known verses, but especially likes the practical suggestions in the final section. Lynn H. Cohick is currently Provost, Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary, Lisle, Illinois. She proposes that three outcomes of following Hill’s suggestions would be: ‘The local church would model best practices for women in the workplace and family, would highlight the beauty of God’s creation including humans as male and female, and would offer a better vision for masculinity that embraces Jesus’s own example.’

Because of its brevity and clarity, this book is an ideal starting point for examining the issue of women’s leadership and teaching in church. It would be useful for congregation member, students, and young people. I enjoyed reading this book, and thank Graham for writing it.

Dr. Jill Firth is Lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament at Ridley College in Melbourne. She is co-editor with Denise Cooper-Clarke of Grounded in the Body, in Time and Place, in Scripture: Papers by Australian Women Scholars in the Evangelical Tradition.