I can just close my eyes and remember church business meetings of my childhood, in which the idea of women becoming deacons was shot down as some angry middle-aged man, who clearly had control issues, reading passages from the writings of the Apostle Paul on why women should remain silent, not teach, and certainly submit to their husbands. 

For those of us who grew up in the conservative church tradition, we heard those token verses used to justify the exclusion of women in church leadership, let alone a religiously-motivated practice of gender inequality.

“This was my understanding of biblical womanhood,” said Beth Allison Barr, “I believed that this gender hierarchy was divinely ordained.  Women surrender, help, and respond while husbands provide, protect, and initiate. A biblical woman is a submissive woman.” 

Beyond attempting to hold a “Biblical Worldview,” there is something else going on in this legacy of gender exclusion within many faith traditions. Unfortunately, these traditions are still active today. And for those that live through, both past and present, these ideologies have left scars on and within 

We sat down with the author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood,” Dr. Beth Allison Barr, along with the executive director of the Baptist Woman in Ministry, Rev. Dr. Meredith Stone, to discuss the legacy of toxic patriarchy. 

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Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following eight years as the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton and five years as CBF’s church start specialist. Follow on Twitter @haleandy