Book Review: Recovering from Biblical Manhood & Womanhood by Aimee Byrd
By Caren Lee
Questions come from the editor of Reclaim magazine (check out the review — link below):
https://www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com/article/more-than-biblical-manhood-and-womanhood
What are a few “a-ha” or “wow” moments you had when reading this book?
*My favorite chapter was 6 — “The Great Divorce that You Didn’t See Coming.” I think the author’s analysis about parachurches is astute. Similar to how we are just seeing the effects of how technology is shaping our culture and our behavior, I think technology is also having an effect on how we behave as Christians. For instance when she writes that “we must not confuse parachurch organizations with the church,” she makes a really good point about how because of the use of technology, we are able to listen to pastors not within our community and to connect with others that we were unable to prior to the burgeoning of social media. Her subtopic on “Friend Turned Lover?” highlighted how we need to keep connected with our community, and to connect with those around us. I thought it was poignant when she noted that “many leaders in parachurch organizations” do not even belong to a church. Her question, “How did discipleship become so associated with parachurch,” is a good question, and I think we as Christians should start thinking about the dangers of blindly following any particular organization or pastor who do not belong in our community because as Ms. Byrd reminded us that “[c]hurch is our home base.”
What resonated most with you and your experiences surrounding gender roles and discussion in church spaces?
*What resonated most with me was the author’s journey of realizing that women are equally important as men in the Bible, and that Jesus came to rescue not only men, but also women. In one of the reviews, Rev. Dr. Bird writes, “What if I told you that ‘biblical manhood and womanhood’ was in fact an artificial construct of white, suburban, affluent, middle-class culture in the post-World War II era with its weird marriage of consumerism and patriarchy.” I think what the author is describing is more than an artificial construct from one particular race or one particular culture — it’s a world-wide phenomenon. In Asian cultures, Middle-Eastern cultures, South Asian cultures, South African cultures, South American cultures and North American cultures — many cultures in the world are patriarchal, and therefore, many Christians around the world understand the Bible similar to how Ms. Byrd lays out in her book: women should submit to men (but not the other way around like how Jesus laid down his life for his bride, the church). So growing up with 1st generation Korean American parents, I also had to navigate this journey of finding value in myself as a Christian wife, mom and daughter who loves Jesus and learning to be the woman God molded me to be. Similar to the author, I learned that my focus should be on how Jesus values me more than how society values me as a woman.
What was most different in how the book’s treatment of gender roles and discussion in church spaces than from your own experience?
*I think I was a little surprised that women from my generation (Generation X and millennials) may still hold onto this school of thought that women cannot have a significant role in the church other than in women’s ministry. Also, I was a little surprised at the length the author had to explain how the Bible shows that God values women and that women were not mere servants of men. I thought it was interesting that she even had to say “[n]owhere does Scripture state that all women submit to all men.” For me, it was the Bible that showed me that I don’t necessarily need to adhere to the patriarchal structure of society and it was the Bible that helped me understand my value as a woman, so unlike how the author was attempting to peel away the layers of misperception that God expects women to only serve men in the church (and not become leaders), that layer was never there for me to peel away. And it’s most likely because I did not grow up with religious parents: the Bible was not a cultural book in my family, but it was something new to read and study as I started my Christian journey.
How has this book informed or revealed about how White evangelical discussion of gender has shaped if not distorted similar conversations in Asian American church spaces?
*I am not sure if White evangelical discussion distorted conversations in Asian American church spaces. At least in my experience, I think many Asian American churches also interpret the Bible through its own lens of Asian culture (which tends to be more patriarchal). Having attended Korean/Korean American churches, I don’t think the author’s discussion about gender roles was much different than what I had observed in 1st generation Korean American churches. In other words, I do not think these concepts of differentiating between sexes, women not serving in the church as leaders were rooted in white American churches but I think it is a common interpretation of the Bible in many cultures and churches (especially the older generation).
What aspects of the specific ways that gender roles and discussions play out in Asian American churches is missing from the book / what is a chapter you wish was there (though no fault of the author as Asian American Christians are not centered in the book)?
* I think I would have enjoyed the book more if she started with Chapter 6 about parachurches and discussed more about how we should not be idolizing any one organization or pastor in our Christian walk. Honestly, I am not sure what chapter the author could have added to focus on gender roles within Asian American churches. I have yet to attend an Asian American church — the ones I’ve seen are usually subcategorized by ethnicity (Korean, Chinese, Filipino, etc). I’ve also attended a couple of churches that were more racially diverse but I have never attended a church that identified itself as solely Asian American. I think that’s a good question in itself — what is an Asian American church and would addressing the different cultures/ethnicities within the Asian American Christian community require different chapters?
What’s a sentence or two why Asian American Christians should read this book?
*Asian American Christians should read this book because the author provides some good examples about how God created women to actively partake in His story, and ultimately, the Bible shows that all people (male and female) should love and submit to one another.
