Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 34:1 (Oct 2022)
Article: Book Review: "The Ministry Of Women In The New Testament: Reclaiming The Biblical Vision For Church Leadership."
Author: Anna-Marie Lockard

Conspectus 34:1 (October 2022) p. 69

Book Review: The Ministry Of Women In The New Testament: Reclaiming The Biblical Vision For Church Leadership.

Anna-Marie Lockard

Lee, Dorothy A. 2021. The Ministry of Women in the New Testament: Reclaiming the Biblical Vision for Church Leadership. Grand Rapids: Baker. 1–191 pp. ISBN: 978–1–5409–6308–6. Approx. 350 ZAR (29 USD). Paperback.

1. Introduction

Research professor Dorothy Lee presents a scholarly study of Christian traditions surrounding the ministry of women in the NT. Her expertise as a biblical scholar is evident as she interacts with Christian traditions surrounding the ministry of women through reflections on biblical passages and profiles of women in the NT who encountered the Lord and engaged in his mission at various levels. Her analysis leads her to affirm convincingly that “baptism is the primary symbol that draws women and men into a relationship with Christ that transcends all human barriers” (Moloney, p. ix). Her thesis is that all Christians have the capacity to communicate Christ to others and to share his life in multiple forms of ministry. This book makes a valuable contribution to the theological debate of women in contemporary ministry.

2. Summary Of The Book

The purpose of Lee’s book is to highlight new research that has emerged from different theological traditions across the church. Research which focuses on the role of women in leadership in the early centuries of the church’s life, and demonstrates the significant place women held within and beyond the ministry of Jesus (p. 2). She posits a theological discussion of women in ministry and whether they are capable of being icons of Christ— that is, representatives of Christ who can embody his living presence (p. 173). She carefully examines these arguments through tradition and Scripture.

Convincingly, Lee revisits the current arguments against women’s full participation in ministry and leadership within the church. Her study explores two points for arguments against women’s leadership: On one hand, some claims are based on Scripture—that the Bible itself does not endorse women’s leadership, except in relation to other women and children. The second argument arises from tradition—that church teaching has never endorsed women’s ministry at the level of ordination. Therefore, the purpose of Lee’s study is to revisit the arguments against women’s participation in ministry and church leadership (p. 10).

She does so from a clearly biblical and theological point of view. For example, she notes a key theological argument that claims the Twelve apostles are the inheritors of Christ’s ministry and thatno woman is included among them and therefore cannot function in formal min...