Virginia Ramey Mollenkott (1932–2020)

I hate pulling the rating down further, because I understand where the author is coming from. On the other hand reading this 30 tears after it was written, I have to recognize that it has not aged well. What she writes is true, is still true, but the fighting tone doesn't come over well, and I would prefer reading something more modern, more theological, and less overtly feminist.

(Read in German translation. Many places the translator struggled with the two languages.)

I have not yet finished this book, but I think I can gauge my ultimate reaction. The first part of this book is excellent ( I would like to give a 4 star rating). This contains an attempt to outline the range of gender variants that is very awakening. I will seek to read more of this type of material--both non-fiction and fiction--hoping to gain a widening appreciation of human variation.
The second part is less useful; trying to justify a positive attitude to this variation by appeal to show more ancient texts like the bible. I think this attempt fails. Yes. the bible paints a more complex picture of religious development that any orthodoxy can recognize, but there are reasons--findable in the bible--why certain negative attitudes to human variations are inevitable when appeal is made to the bible. The Deuteronomization of ancient palestinian religion--and the trend toward the orthodox christian interpretation of the Jesus experience that is found in the new testament itself (Bart Ehrman's discerning the emerging victory of the "proto-orthodox" position in the development of the new testament). There is no amount of hermeneutical high jinx that can compel assent to tolerance--and a much easier hermeneutical task to achieve intolerance.
Mollenkott does poorly when she appeals to the way god made individuals in arguing against the pathologizing of gender variants. She gives credit to god where gender variations occur, but does not give credit to god where these gender variations do in fact cause health issues (i.e. osteoporosis). The line between when we treat and correct the natural results of gender variations is fluid, and cannot be determined in advance by some appeal to god or human nature. It is a political decision made on the basis of concrete results--harms and benefits. show less

This wide-ranging Bible study makes an eloquent case for the Christ-inspired act and attitude of "mutual submission" between persons. It advocates abandonment of the destructive tendency of some men and women to value females only as wives, mothers, and servants.

Lord, I don't care who does what with what with whom unless I'm involved. Amen!