Reviewed Book: Norén, Carol M. The Woman in the Pulpit. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991

Riegert, Eduard R.

English

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 19
Issue 1 Martin Luther and Spirituality Article 21
5-1-1993
The Woman in the Pulpit
Eduard R. Riegert
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Riegert, Eduard R. (1993) "The Woman in the Pulpit," Consensus: Vol. 19 : Iss. 1 , Article 21.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol19/iss1/21
188 Consensus
The Woman in the Pulpit
Carol M. Noren
Nashville: Abingdon, 1991
175 pages
The right book at the right time doing the right job!
Every once in a while a book that is much needed appears; one receives
it with joy, yet one also wonders whether it in fact does the job needing to
be done. Well, pull out the trumpets! Noren not only has done the right
thing at the right time, she is surely the right one to do the job!
Noren is Assistant Professor of Homiletics at The Divinity School, Duke
University, and has spent at least a decade reading literature pertaining to
women and the church, listening to women preach and preaching herself,
teaching homiletics (Duke, Iliff, and Princeton), and constantly probing
—
through questionnaires, interviews, conversations, and discussion papers
what is going on when women stand in the pulpit. A United Methodist, she
nevertheless brings an ecumenical consciousness to her studies and draws
upon the experiences of women preachers from the whole spectrum of de-
nominations and traditions. The bibliography cited in the endnotes is a
gold mine of women’s research in homiletically related areas.
If she is the right person to discuss the woman in the pulpit, this is
surely the right time for a comprehensive discussion. It would have been
advantageous to have had this book some years ago, of course, but first
the necessary time for research had to elapse so that hypotheses could be
tested, concrete data could accumulate, and a sufficient body of studies by
women (e.g., in hermeneutics, theology, communication, liturgy, women’s
history) had been done. A major contribution of Noren’s is simply that of
assembling the data regarding women preaching, organizing it, and drawing
out its implications.
She writes:
My goal is to equip women students and clergy for intentional, effec-
tive, and faithful communication of the gospel. Rather than merely
presenting sermons and liturgies by women, the chapters that follow
describe how they are likely to work or not work in a local church
context, and the reasons for this. My purpose is not to present a
lone paradigm for women’s preaching, but to make women sensi-
tive to underlying issues in their own theology and communication.
A secondary goal is to enhance homiletics classes’ and churches’
awareness of their gender-related expectations of preachers, so that
what has operated often unconsciously can be examined, and in
some cases, discarded as invalid (11).
Chapter 1, “The Call to Preach”, compares contemporary and nine-
teenth and early twentieth century testimonies regarding vocational convic-
tions, and draws out recurrent themes and theological issues (e.g., to some
extent, language about “rights” is replacing language about “call”). Chap-
ter 2, “Role Models and the Woman Preacher”, surveys the role models
Book Reviews 189
commonly named by women preachers, examines what they do for women
preachers, and what effect the lack of certain role models may have. For ex-
ample, a significant role model is simply seeing and hearing another woman
preach
—
yet how seldom is there opportunity for this! Chapter 3, “Claiming
and Exercising Authority”
,
reveals that women identify and claim authority
“more readily in the ministries of word and sacrament than in the ministry
of ‘order’ (parish leadership and administration)” (49). After analyzing why
this is so, Noren suggests strategies to help the woman preacher develop
competence and confidence in this latter area. Chapter 4, “Self-Disclosure
in Women’s Preaching”, examines self-disclosure in the two areas of illustra-
tion and biographical reference, and nonverbal communication. The fact of
the matter is that communication disturbances in women’s preaching tend
to be blamed on her gender, thus reinforcing societal stereotypes. Chap-
ter 5, “Women Preachers and Biblical Interpretation”, demonstrates that
features of liberation and/or feminist hermeneutics appear in women’s ser-
mons even when the preacher does not share these perspectives. Chapter 6,
“Theology in Metaphor and Grammar”, considers the matters of theologi-
cal language, “intuitive” versus “directive” language in communication, and
the ways in which syntax “reinforces or undermines authority and credibil-
ity in the pulpit” (115). Chapter 7, “Women Preachers and Liturgy”, notes
that while women leaders of worship generally adopt the worship patterns
of their church, their creative “liturgies for women” (normally not designed
for main Sunday services) “are vulnerable to faddism, the oppression of
individual idiosyncracy, and unwitting heresy” (163).
I deeply appreciate this book on several counts. It allows me to overhear
women speaking about all the tasks and dynamics involved in preaching.
I need to listen not only because I teach homiletics, but because when I
preach over half of my listeners are listening to me differently from the
rest and “reading” me differently from the rest. Secondly, I am impressed
by her theological and biblical faithfulness. In speaking about inclusive
language, for example, she insists that “trinitarian dogma, christological
centrality, and biblical warrant take precedence over gender issues” (124);
again, she worries about vague or truncated Christology in women’s litur-
gies and prayers (161); she is aware that the tendency of women preachers
to focus on the dynamics of relationship evidenced in a text can seriously
narrow the interpretive spectrum and avoid other or more difficult issues in
the text (107, 112-113). Thirdly, Noren does an outstanding job of main-
taining a balanced stance. It would be easy to slide into an ideological
frame, say that of liberation or feminist theology, or to be overwhelmed by
the sense of injustice (well, why shouldn’t a woman preacher put her hand
on her hip and sound like mother? After all, men have long been fatherly!).
I suppose ardent feminists will find her over-cautious, but she stands firmly
in the Christian tradition (vis-a-vis so much contemporary individualism),
she remains profoundly aware that preaching happens in a community, and
(no doubt ruefully at times!) knows that communication is not only difficult
at all times but often doubly difficult for women because even though the
190 Consensus
presence of a woman in the pulpit breaks female stereotypes, what she says
and how she says it may in fact reinforce those stereotypes. Fourthly, the
book is wonderfully well organized, with appropriate summaries and sub-
headings. Each chapter poses the problem, analyzes its several dimensions
in practical ways, and draws out implications. (Only in the last chapter
did I have difficulty following her, and I’m still not sure why I get six char-
acteristics of “liberation feminist liturgies” to her stated five nor why they
are sometimes called “assumptions”.)
Should men read this book? YES! YES! YES! Though the book is in-
tentionally addressed to women preachers, I found myself again and again
reflecting on my own call, my own hermeneutics, my use of language, my
concepts of authority, my metaphors for God, and, yes, my world of stereo-
types of women.
I hope the book gets the widest possible circulation, not only among
preachers, but discussion groups and pulpit committees as well. Thank
you. Professor Noren!
Eduard R. Riegert
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Ministry Burnout
John A. Sanford
Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992
XII + 117 pages U.S. $8.99
This edition of Ministry Burnout is a reprint of the book first published
in 1982. However, its topic is by no means outdated, and neither is the
book. In the foreword to this edition, Morton Kelsey says that “John
Sanford gives us tools that enable us to be faithful and yet avoid the disaster
of hopelessness and burnout.” This is indeed an apt description of what
Sanford does in the book. In fact, Sanford himself describes the book as
“a kind of cookbook: a list of recipes that have [sic] proved useful to some
people” (115).
The format that Sanford uses is easy to grasp and simple to follow. He
begins by laying out the “ground rules”, as it were, and gives the intended
audience of the book as those “whose profession it is to minister to other
people through the Church” (1). He then proceeds to point out nine special
difficulties that ministering persons face which can contribute to burnout.
Each of the succeeding chapters, then, addresses one of these difficulties.
The difficulties include having a job that is never done, seeing a lack of
tangible results from one’s work, and being involved in repetitive work.
Dealing with people’s expectations, working with the same people year
after year, and the drain on one’s energy from working with people in need


The Woman in the Pulpit

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 19Issue 1 Martin Luther and Spirituality Article 215-1-1993The Woman in the PulpitEduard R. RiegertFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationRiegert, Eduard R. (1993) "The Woman in the Pulpit," Consensus: Vol. 19 : Iss. 1 , Article 21.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol19/iss1/21188 ConsensusThe Woman in the PulpitCarol M. NorenNashville: Abingdon, 1991175 pagesThe right book at the right time doing the right job!Every once in a while a book that is much needed appears; one receivesit with joy, yet one also wonders whether it in fact does the job needing tobe done. Well, pull out the trumpets! Noren not only has done the rightthing at the right time, she is surely the right one to do the job!Noren is Assistant Professor of Homiletics at The Divinity School, DukeUniversity, and has spent at least a decade reading literature pertaining towomen and the church, listening to women preach and preaching herself,teaching homiletics (Duke, Iliff, and Princeton), and constantly probing—through questionnaires, interviews, conversations, and discussion paperswhat is going on when women stand in the pulpit. A United Methodist, shenevertheless brings an ecumenical consciousness to her studies and drawsupon the experiences of women preachers from the whole spectrum of de-nominations and traditions. The bibliography cited in the endnotes is agold mine of women’s research in homiletically related areas.If she is the right person to discuss the woman in the pulpit, this issurely the right time for a comprehensive discussion. It would have beenadvantageous to have had this book some years ago, of course, but firstthe necessary time for research had to elapse so that hypotheses could betested, concrete data could accumulate, and a sufficient body of studies bywomen (e.g., in hermeneutics, theology, communication, liturgy, women’shistory) had been done. A major contribution of Noren’s is simply that ofassembling the data regarding women preaching, organizing it, and drawingout its implications.She writes:My goal is to equip women students and clergy for intentional, effec-tive, and faithful communication of the gospel. Rather than merelypresenting sermons and liturgies by women, the chapters that followdescribe how they are likely to work or not work in a local churchcontext, and the reasons for this. My purpose is not to present alone paradigm for women’s preaching, but to make women sensi-tive to underlying issues in their own theology and communication.A secondary goal is to enhance homiletics classes’ and churches’awareness of their gender-related expectations of preachers, so thatwhat has operated often unconsciously can be examined, and insome cases, discarded as invalid (11).Chapter 1, “The Call to Preach”, compares contemporary and nine-teenth and early twentieth century testimonies regarding vocational convic-tions, and draws out recurrent themes and theological issues (e.g., to someextent, language about “rights” is replacing language about “call”). Chap-ter 2, “Role Models and the Woman Preacher”, surveys the role modelsBook Reviews 189commonly named by women preachers, examines what they do for womenpreachers, and what effect the lack of certain role models may have. For ex-ample, a significant role model is simply seeing and hearing another womanpreach—yet how seldom is there opportunity for this! Chapter 3, “Claimingand Exercising Authority”,reveals that women identify and claim authority“more readily in the ministries of word and sacrament than in the ministryof ‘order’ (parish leadership and administration)” (49). After analyzing whythis is so, Noren suggests strategies to help the woman preacher developcompetence and confidence in this latter area. Chapter 4, “Self-Disclosurein Women’s Preaching”, examines self-disclosure in the two areas of illustra-tion and biographical reference, and nonverbal communication. The fact ofthe matter is that communication disturbances in women’s preaching tendto be blamed on her gender, thus reinforcing societal stereotypes. Chap-ter 5, “Women Preachers and Biblical Interpretation”, demonstrates thatfeatures of liberation and/or feminist hermeneutics appear in women’s ser-mons even when the preacher does not share these perspectives. Chapter 6,“Theology in Metaphor and Grammar”, considers the matters of theologi-cal language, “intuitive” versus “directive” language in communication, andthe ways in which syntax “reinforces or undermines authority and credibil-ity in the pulpit” (115). Chapter 7, “Women Preachers and Liturgy”, notesthat while women leaders of worship generally adopt the worship patternsof their church, their creative “liturgies for women” (normally not designedfor main Sunday services) “are vulnerable to faddism, the oppression ofindividual idiosyncracy, and unwitting heresy” (163).I deeply appreciate this book on several counts. It allows me to overhearwomen speaking about all the tasks and dynamics involved in preaching.I need to listen not only because I teach homiletics, but because when Ipreach over half of my listeners are listening to me differently from therest and “reading” me differently from the rest. Secondly, I am impressedby her theological and biblical faithfulness. In speaking about inclusivelanguage, for example, she insists that “trinitarian dogma, christologicalcentrality, and biblical warrant take precedence over gender issues” (124);again, she worries about vague or truncated Christology in women’s litur-gies and prayers (161); she is aware that the tendency of women preachersto focus on the dynamics of relationship evidenced in a text can seriouslynarrow the interpretive spectrum and avoid other or more difficult issues inthe text (107, 112-113). Thirdly, Noren does an outstanding job of main-taining a balanced stance. It would be easy to slide into an ideologicalframe, say that of liberation or feminist theology, or to be overwhelmed bythe sense of injustice (well, why shouldn’t a woman preacher put her handon her hip and sound like mother? After all, men have long been fatherly!).I suppose ardent feminists will find her over-cautious, but she stands firmlyin the Christian tradition (vis-a-vis so much contemporary individualism),she remains profoundly aware that preaching happens in a community, and(no doubt ruefully at times!) knows that communication is not only difficultat all times but often doubly difficult for women because even though the190 Consensuspresence of a woman in the pulpit breaks female stereotypes, what she saysand how she says it may in fact reinforce those stereotypes. Fourthly, thebook is wonderfully well organized, with appropriate summaries and sub-headings. Each chapter poses the problem, analyzes its several dimensionsin practical ways, and draws out implications. (Only in the last chapterdid I have difficulty following her, and I’m still not sure why I get six char-acteristics of “liberation feminist liturgies” to her stated five nor why theyare sometimes called “assumptions”.)Should men read this book? YES! YES! YES! Though the book is in-tentionally addressed to women preachers, I found myself again and againreflecting on my own call, my own hermeneutics, my use of language, myconcepts of authority, my metaphors for God, and, yes, my world of stereo-types of women.I hope the book gets the widest possible circulation, not only amongpreachers, but discussion groups and pulpit committees as well. Thankyou. Professor Noren!Eduard R. RiegertWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryMinistry BurnoutJohn A. SanfordLouisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992XII + 117 pages U.S. $8.99This edition of Ministry Burnout is a reprint of the book first publishedin 1982. However, its topic is by no means outdated, and neither is thebook. In the foreword to this edition, Morton Kelsey says that “JohnSanford gives us tools that enable us to be faithful and yet avoid the disasterof hopelessness and burnout.” This is indeed an apt description of whatSanford does in the book. In fact, Sanford himself describes the book as“a kind of cookbook: a list of recipes that have [sic] proved useful to somepeople” (115).The format that Sanford uses is easy to grasp and simple to follow. Hebegins by laying out the “ground rules”, as it were, and gives the intendedaudience of the book as those “whose profession it is to minister to otherpeople through the Church” (1). He then proceeds to point out nine specialdifficulties that ministering persons face which can contribute to burnout.Each of the succeeding chapters, then, addresses one of these difficulties.The difficulties include having a job that is never done, seeing a lack oftangible results from one’s work, and being involved in repetitive work.Dealing with people’s expectations, working with the same people yearafter year, and the drain on one’s energy from working with people in need

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