Book Review: "Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Ninety-Five Theses Which Dispute The Church’s Conviction Against Women" By T. Scott Womble (Xulon Press, 2008) -- By: Jennifer Creamer

Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 24:4 (Autumn 2010)
Article: Book Review: "Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Ninety-Five Theses Which Dispute The Church’s Conviction Against Women" By T. Scott Womble (Xulon Press, 2008)
Author: Jennifer Creamer


Book Review: Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Ninety-Five Theses Which Dispute The Church’s Conviction Against Women By T. Scott Womble (Xulon Press, 2008)

Jennifer Creamer

Jennifer Creamer, a graduate student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, has taught with the School of Biblical Studies program at the University of the Nations on three continents.

Building on the premise that the verdict against women in ministry has been reached prematurely, T. Scott Womble asks for a retrial. By taking the role of a defense attorney, the author makes it his aim to lay out a comprehensive argument in favor of women serving in positions of ministry in the church. Womble’s desire is for leaders of local churches to have an opportunity to hear the defense that is often overlooked. This should lead to further study as well as healthy discussion rather than “heated arguments that cause wounds which lead to church splits” (20). The aim of the book is to present theological and biblical arguments in such a way that the reader would be convinced, as in a court of law, “beyond a reasonable doubt” (22), of the validity of the egalitarian perspective.

Womble is professor of biblical studies at Saint Louis Christian College. He served as a full-time minister prior to his academic career and continues to preach in churches on a regular basis. Although an egalitarian, Womble serves in a denomination that has yet to release women fully to use their gifts.

The text is structured around an extended courtroom metaphor that includes the intentional numbering of theses—as the books title suggests, echoing Martin Luther. After establishing the parties involved and the facts of the case in section 1, Womble presents his opening statement. In the second section, the hermeneutical and theological foundations for the rest of the book are laid. With the thought that many of the differences of opinion within the body of Christ today originate from differing interpretations of biblical texts, Womble carefully begins his discussion in earnest with an overview of “sound interpretive method” (27-28). Although he then moves on to discuss points related to sound theology, the outline of his basic hermeneutical method does provide an important platform upon which he builds later in the book. In the third section, the author begins cross-examination. Laid out on the table are the kinds of things that women hear today, such as, “they are equal in worth only” (thesis 11, p. 75ff). The cross-examination continues by exploring common excuses for ignoring the issue and gains momentum with an expose of the inconsistencies of the patriarchal view. For instance, some churches that allow men to preach may also allow women to do the same, yet the terminology is different: She is merely “speaking” or “sharing her thoughts” (98). Oth...

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