Preaching that Speaks to Women

Anglican Theological Review, Spring 2004 by Hooke, Ruthanna B

Preaching that Speaks to Women. By Alice P. Mathews. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2003. 188 pp. $14.99 (paper).

Feminist homileticians have recently devoted attention to the particular voices of women preachers. Mathews s volume provides a counterpoint to this interest by considering issues faced by women who listen to sermons. This focus places Mathews within a growing trend in the field of homiletics toward considering listeners as a vital part of the preaching event. Mathews's contribution to this conversation is particularly notable in that she writes out of a conservative evangelical tradition.

Mathews argues that, although women make up sixty percent of all churchgoers, preachers habitually preach in ways that do not account for the particular concerns of women. She aims to make preachers aware of these concerns, so that they can preach in ways that include and empower women. Mathews contends that gender differences in areas such as moral decisionmaking, psychological health, ways of knowing, and views of power mean that women and men hear sermons differently. For instance, Mathews draws on the work of psychologist Carol Gilligan to argue that men make moral decisions based on abstract principles while women make decisions based on the specific situations in which ethical issues arise. In order to speak to women, therefore, preachers should offer both abstract principles and attention to context as criteria for moral decision-making. In discussing women's psychological health, Mathews notes that women are more likely than men to suffer from low self-esteem and depression, and that preachers should address this situation not only by avoiding gender stereotypes that demean women, but also by emphasizing the worth of human beings as well as their depravity.

The limitations of Mathews's argument arise partly from the assumptions underlying it. Her purpose is to educate preachers about the "alien point of view" of women (p. 157), a purpose which assumes that preachers are men. Mathews also assumes fairly traditional gender roles, even as she critiques them. These assumptions mean that women preachers, and preachers in more progressive environments, may find this volume less useful than will the conservative male preacher who is Mathews's implied audience. Mathews's argument is also prone to certain logical weaknesses: although Mathews warns against making generalizations about women's characteristics and concerns, the logic of her argument tends to lead her into such generalizations, as when she maintains that women in general make moral decisions differently from men. These universalizing claims risk reinforcing the veiy gender stereotyping that Mathews deplores. Finally, Mathews relies heavily on the Bible as a resource for women's wholeness, without acknowledging the patriarchal bent of much of Scripture and the ways that this text has been used to oppress rather than to empower women.

Mathews's argument is strongest where she expands it beyond questions of how women hear sermons to considerations of how women's characteristics and concerns challenge the church itself to become more Christ-like. She argues persuasively that "feminine styles of leadership" (p. 134) are more consonant with Christ's own use of power than are male models, an argument that has far-reaching implications for how Christian leadership is exercised. In her discussion of gender roles, Mathews makes the important point that Christian communities tend to make the family and motherhood into idols, whereas in Scripture these social arrangements and roles do not define a believers identity. The greatest value of Mathews s argument, however, lies in the passion with which she makes it; her deep desire to promote the flourishing of women in the church will convince a wide spectrum of readers that this goal should more deeply inform Christian preaching.

RUTHANNA B. HOOKE

Virginia Theological Seminary

Alexandria, Virginia