Reviewed Book: Hayter, Mary E. The New Eve in Christ: The Use of the Bible in the Debate about Women in the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans; London: SPCK, 1987

Airhart, Phyllis D.

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The New Eve in Christ: The Use of the Bible in the Debate about Women in the Church

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ConsensusVolume 15Issue 2 Theology of the Cross: Theory and Practice Article 1111-1-1989The New Eve in Christ: The Use of the Bible in theDebate about Women in the ChurchPhyllis D. AirhartFollow 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 CitationAirhart, Phyllis D. (1989) "The New Eve in Christ: The Use of the Bible in the Debate about Women in the Church," Consensus: Vol.15 : Iss. 2 , Article 11.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol15/iss2/11122 ConsensusThe New Eve in Christ: The Use and Abuse of theBible in the Debate about Women in the ChurchMary HayterGrand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1987In this very thoughtful study of what the Bible says (and does not say)about women’s ordination, Mary Hayter presents a constructive analysis ofan issue which continues to divide large numbers of Christians. One of thestriking features of her study is that she is as critical of the approach ofradical feminists to Scripture as she is of conservative traditionalist writers.Noting that the two parties disagree about the value of biblical teachingabout women, she argues that they share common assumptions about itscontent: a male God and a patriarchal priesthood.It is those assumptions about the content of biblical teaching whichHayter challenges by raising three questions: Is it true to say that the Godof the Bible is a male deity who demands to be served by a male priest-hood? Is the patriarchal ordering of church, society and family absolutelyconcomitant with the expression of biblical faith? Is it correct to assumethat the Bible clearly and consistently casts woman in the role of subordi-nate partner and permanently excludes her from the exercise of ministerialauthority?Drawing on her own exegesis and a thorough reading of the work ofother scholars, Hayter focuses on Old Testament texts to examine a numberof issues related to gender, sexuality and woman’s place, including idecisof God and Goddess; feminine, musculine, and androgynous images forthe divine; priesthood and patriarchy; the theological status of woman eis“Imago Dei”; and the implications of the Fall. One chapter deals with therelation of the New Testament to the Old Testament texts. A final chapterpresents her proposal for a way of distinguishing between the culturally-conditioned teaching of the Bible and the trans-cultural: what she calls theculture-critical method.This is a thought-provoking book that defies easy summarization. Onthe question of the ordination of women, her conclusion is that a properlycritical examination of the New Testament discloses no “normative” tra-dition that excludes women permanently from priesthood. But to look tothe book simply for her answer to that immediate question only scratchesthe surface. Her confidence in culture as an interpretive guide, with theaffirmation that God not only speaks to the world through the church butalso speaks to the church through the world, is intriguing.There is also much to consider in the three principles which she offers asthe basis for her approach to biblical interpretation: that the church shouldbe ordered in a way that will glorify God and edify the whole congregation;that everything in the life of the church should be designed to promotethe proclamation of the Gospel; and that christology puts anthropologyin its proper perspective. Not all will be satisfied with her insistence thatBook Reviews 123what is best for “the whole congregation” take precedence over the rights ofindividual persons; history is replete with examples of injustices defendedin the name of a Christian majority. On the matter of how the churchdecides what is best she gives little direction, yet polity can be as divisivean issue as doctrine of practice.Those who are still wondering about God’s gender will find this a help-ful book not only in considering the question of women’s ordination butin thinking about the use of inclusive language in the church. The verycomplete bibliography provides an excellent resource for pursuing issues atgreater depth. Even for those who have resolved the problems related towomen’s ordination and inclusive language the book may be worthwhile,for it has something to say to anyone who has wondered how to make senseof those biblical texts which to the twentieth-century reader appear to beirrelevant, unjust or even contradictory. Suffice it to say that the bookraises many questions to spark a lively debate.Phyllis D. AirhartEmmanuel College, University of TorontoToronto, OntarioA Promise of Hope—A Call to Obedience, A Commen-tary on the Books of Joel and Malachi. InternationalTheological CommentaryGraham S. Ogden and Richard R. DeutschGrand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans; Edinburgh: The HandselPress, 1987120 pp.The goal of the International Theological Commentary series, say itseditors, George A.F. Knight and Frederick Holmgren, is to help “ministersand Christian educators” make the Old Testament come alive in the churchtoday. They write that they hope to accomplish this by producing com-mentaries that will move beyond “the usual critical-historical approach” toa more careful consideration of the underlying theological significance of thebooks of the Hebrew Bible and their relevance for the New Testament andthe church. At the same time they want these commentaries to reflect theneeds and challenges of the worldwide international church, not just thechurch of the West, and to be sensitive as well to the fact that these Scrip-tures are important not only for Christians but for Jews—and importanttoo for an understanding of the Jewish origins and roots of Christianity.How well do the two commentaries on Joel and Malachi in this slendervolume measure up to these laudable goals and ideals? Far from moving

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The New Eve in Christ: The Use of the Bible in the Debate about Women in the Church

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