I published a book this month. It is a hardcover with 120 pages, a table of contents, six chapters, and an index. Every one of those pages is blank, and I did that on purpose.
The book is called The Biblical Case Against Women in Leadership: Read in Context. The joke is in the last three words.
Where the idea came from
I wanted a lighthearted book for the coffee table, something that brings a little humor into a conversation that usually has none. I believe humor is important. It lowers our guard and lets us talk about hard things without bracing for a fight.
For years I have heard the same handful of verses used to settle the question of whether God calls women to lead. A line from 1 Timothy, a line from 1 Corinthians, and the conversation is declared over.
But a verse is not a fortune cookie. It sits inside a letter, written to a real church, facing a real problem, in a real city. When I started reading those letters from beginning to end, the tidy case I had been handed began to come apart.
Why a blank book and not an essay
I could have written three hundred pages of commentary. Better scholars than me already have.
What I wanted was a way to start the conversation, and a laugh opens doors that an argument closes. When someone picks up a serious-looking book, flips it open, and finds nothing, they usually ask a question. That question is the whole point.
A word to those who disagree
This site is about being guided by grace and grounded in truth, and I mean both halves.
Faithful, Bible-loving people read these passages differently than I do. I know many of them, and I love them. This book is not meant to mock anyone. It is a playful way of saying what I believe: that when you read the whole story, the pages that forbid women to lead are harder to find than we were told.
If you see it another way, I would love to hear why. Bring your Bible and we can read the whole chapter together.
What to do with a blank book
- Give it to your pastor, your Bible study leader, or the friend who has sat through this debate at Thanksgiving.
- Use it as a journal for sermon notes and prayers. There is plenty of room.
- Leave it on the coffee table and wait for someone to open it.
You can find it here: The Biblical Case Against Women in Leadership: Read in Context.
See you Sunday.