Women and Men in Scripture and the Church

The Lord Is Risen

The Authors

Introductory Notes For Group Leaders

The Opening Prayers

1 Women And Men In The Creation And Fall Stories – Jo Bailey Wells

2 Humanity Redeemed In Christ – Stephen Cotterell

3 The Women N The Early Church – Stephen Croft

4 Women Teaching And Authority – Ian Paul

5 Women And Men In Family Life – Joanne Grenfell

6 Women And Men In Ministry Today – Rosalyn Murphy

The Story Of The Recognition Of The Ministry Of Women In Ten Church Of England – Viv Faul

Frequently Asked Question – Emma Ineson

Further Reading

Afterword

Bishop Steven Croft: I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ and called to ministry and mission in the Church of England. I'm married to Ann. We have four children: Paul, Andy (married to Beth), Amy and Sarah. I have been Bishop of Sheffield since 2009 and love my work most days. I'm a Yorkshireman, originally from Halifax and it's a huge privilege to serve this city and region.

Dr Paula Gooder is a freelance writer and lecturer in Biblical Studies. Her research areas are the writings of Paul the Apostle (with a particular focus on 2 Corinthians), New Testament Interpretation and the development of Ministry in the New Testament Period.

She is Canon Theologian of Birmingham and Guildford Cathedrals, Lay Canon at Salisbury Cathedral, a Six preacher of Canterbury Cathedral, Vice president of the Bible Society, Visiting lecturer at King's College, London, and Associate lecturer at St Mellitus College, London. She is a Reader in the Church of England and a member of General Synod.

The recent vote on women bishops in the Church of England remains significant as it is about far more than whether or not women should exercise a particular ministry. It is about how we view one another as sisters and brothers within the Body of Christ, about the structuring of our family life, and about how we relate the wider world.

This accessible guide to the Bible's teaching on the roles of men and women in the creation accounts, in society and family life, in the Gospels and in the Early church will help the Church urgently recover a sense that the message of the Christian faith is good news - for men, for women and for society around. It can be used for individual reading, for group study or as the basis for a series of sermons.

Each chapter contains a Bible passage, an introduction that sets out the key issues, an invitation to reflect prayerfully on the biblical passage, insights based on current biblical scholarship and an exploration of contemporary application. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and for prayer.