The Handmaidens Conspiracy: How Erroneous Bible Translations Obscured the Women’s Empowerment Movement STARTED by JESUS CHRIST by D. L. Howell
I have not read this book, but I have listened to a few interviews the author, Howell, gave on a podcast (the part 1, part 2 podcast below, and I watched three of the You Tube videos below).
I’m not yet able to grasp exactly where Howell falls on the spectrum of complementarian to egalitarian. In some places in the interview, she hints at holding egalitarian views, but in other portions, she sounds as though she may be a very soft complementarian.
In yet one other portion of the podcast, Howell sounds as though she does not completely understand secular feminism(?) (as neither do most Christians or secular conservatives). But there are many points I agree with in these podcasts and videos. It looks to be an interesting book.
Book sites:
Google Books:
Books A Million:
Please note that these podcasts and the videos farther below contain long advertisements in the middle, and after the ads end, the author comes back to discuss her book more:
(Edit, Update, October 2021 – looks like all the “SkyWatch” podcasts and other materials have been deleted):
Podcast, interview with book’s author, Howell:
SkyWatchTV Podcast: The Handmaidens Conspiracy with Donna Howell (Part 1) -now removed; no longer available
(The other podcasts and videos formerly in this blog pos t have all been removed by their owners)
This text comes from Amazon’s site about the book:
The veil was not the only thing that Christ s arrival on earth tore asunder. Social and religious barriers, serving to draw lines between specific people groups for thousands of years before His arrival, were suddenly in light of His Great Commission transformed.
Never would a tax collector, a zealot, and a traditional Jew share a meal together in peace…but following just a short time in Jesus presence, these barriers crumbled.
The influence that Christ had on the men in His day has been celebrated for two thousand years. The overlooked question within mainstream Christianity remains to be: What influence did He have upon women, and what statements did His words and actions make in relation to gender equality? Is it possible that while Jesus Christ, Himself, recognized appropriate gender roles, He also intentionally began the first Women s Liberation Movement?
As sensational as this may sound, the proof is in the Word of God, and in the proper contextual analysis of it. IN THE HANDMAIDEN CONSPIRACY, YOU WILL: Follow the cultural and historic backdrop behind Paul s words in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy the trouble verses in relation to the issue of women leadership in the Church and understand more properly what he was responding to when the epistles were written.
Observe the Principal of Internal Consistency at play throughout repeated accounts of Scripture openly describing women preaching, teaching, prophesying, and leading with powerful voices in the Body of Christ and Saint Peter s acknowledgment that this very activity, foretold in Joel 2:28, began on the Day of Pentecost.
Discover what the original Greek nouns and adjectives meant in Paul’s greeting orders, the women that he was both commissioning and commending as fellow ministers of his own circle (Phoebe, Priscilla, Junia, and several others who were suddenly equal to men in ministerial commission), and the misleading translational and interpretational errors that continuously assist in perpetuating an erroneous concept that women should always remain silent in the work of Christ.
Reflect upon the women Jesus knew, both from Scripture as well as in person, and the groundbreaking, permanent changes He made regarding their rights, their value, and their role in delivering His message to the world.
Revisit and refine some ancient, yet inaccurate, ideas the Body of Christ has had regarding the Bible s most talked-about women, such as Eve, Mary (the mother of Christ), Mary Magdalene, Judge Deborah, Prophetess Huldah, and others. Understand why the prohibition of women as equals in leadership is not only unbiblical, it is actually doing harm to the Church today.
Conservatives Are Wrong to Dismiss Feminism by S. Quinlan
Three Sexist Myths About the Brain, Debunked, by Murali Doraiswamy and Tara Swart
The Biggest Myth About Our Brains is That They are “Male” or “Female” Lila MacLellan
Rare ‘Slave Bible’ Used to ‘Legitimize Slavery’ Goes on Display in Dutch Museum
Deconstructing the ESV: A Historian’s Response to Kevin DeYoung
Let’s Say Good-Bye To The Straw-Feminist by Cordelia Fine
The Anti-Feminism Conservative Bias – (written by a Conservative)
Let’s Say Good-Bye To The Straw-Feminist by Cordelia Fine
You Say You’re Against Victimhood Culture Yet You Depict All Men As Victims
Are Schools or Pedagogical Systems Designed to Favor Girls Over Boys? No, Not By and Large
Miss Daisy Flower 