Why Not Women?: A Fresh Look at Scripture on Women in Missions, Ministry, and Leadership

Why Not Women? confronts one of the most persistent and divisive debates within modern Christianity: the role of women in ecclesiastical authority. Written from a theologically conservative standpoint, the book deliberately sidesteps the familiar trenches of culture-war rhetoric to mount a case rooted exclusively in scriptural exegesis. Its premise is that the Bible, properly understood in its linguistic and historical context, does not support the categorical exclusion of women from leadership, teaching, or missional authority.

The analytical heart of the work is a granular, chapter-by-chapter dissection of the New Testament passages most frequently cited to restrict women's roles—primarily 1 Corinthians 11, 14, and 1 Timothy 2. The authors, including founder of Youth With A Mission Loren Cunningham and biblical scholar David Joel Hamilton, employ rigorous philological analysis of the Greek text. They examine grammatical constructions, word meanings, and literary structures, such as identifying a chiasm in 1 Corinthians 14, to argue that traditional interpretations have often been flattened by translation and doctrinal presupposition. This technical study is framed not as a rebellion against orthodoxy, but as a deeper pursuit of it.

Beyond textual analysis, the book widens the lens to incorporate two compelling lines of evidence. It surveys the historical and global landscape of the church, documenting the indispensable and Spirit-empowered contributions of women in missions and ministry from the apostolic era to the present. This empirical 'fruit' is presented as a theological datum in itself. Simultaneously, it explores the profound consequences of the debate, arguing that stifling women's callings cripples the church's evangelistic reach and corrupts the relational dynamics intended for both men and women.

Ultimately, Why Not Women? is a targeted polemic for an evangelical audience skeptical of secular feminist frameworks. It seeks to move the conversation from a defensive posture about permissible exceptions to a positive, biblically saturated vision for full partnership. The book's legacy is its challenge to a significant segment of the church to reconcile its professed commitment to biblical authority with a practice that, the authors contend, may inadvertently undermine it.

The reader consensus hails this as a definitive, intellectually formidable work within evangelical egalitarian literature. It is praised for its scholarly depth, meticulous documentation, and persuasive power, particularly for those from restrictive backgrounds who find its scriptural grounding liberating. The primary critique is an isolated, dismissive comment about homosexuality in the introduction, which readers note as an unfortunate but minor distraction in an otherwise focused and transformative argument.