Every year, Pastor Rich Villodas posts the following statement, “I used to argue with others who didn’t believe women could preach and pastor. So much energy wasted. Nowadays, I just train and provide opportunities for women to preach in our congregation. And when they do, hearts are changed, Jesus is glorified and the church is edified.”
For years I held a certain limited view of women. I read authors like John Piper, Wayne Grudem, Mary Kassian, and Al Mohler. All of which are respected by many. In later years, as I allowed myself permission to look at and study a different viewpoint, I was encouraged, and there’s no turning back to the other way of thinking now. I changed my mind. I can’t do the work for you, but I can give you some resources as a starting place for you to study on your own. You might come to a different conclusion. You might not.
Books
The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr
THE VERY GOOD GOSPEL by Lisa Sharon Harper
THE BLUE PARAKEET by Scot McKnight
HALF THE CHURCH by Carolyn Custis James
40 Questions about Women in Ministry by Sue Edwards and Kelly Matthews
PAUL, WOMEN & WIVES: Marriage and Women’s Ministry in the Letters of Paul by Craig Keener
Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church by Nijay Gupta
WOMEN IN THE CHURCH: A Biblical Theology of Women in Ministry by Stanly Grenz
Men and Women in Christ by Andrew Bartlett
Podcasts
The Resilient Pastor with Glenn Packiam, Rich Villodas, and Sharon Hodde Miller
Tish Harrison Warren and her husband Jonathan on how they came to their decision about Tish becoming a priest in the Anglican church. https://www.missioalliance.org/podcasts/tishharrisonwarrenjonathanwarren/