Resources by Renée Sproles:
Pretty Little Lies: Real Life Theology with Renée Sproles
Renée Sproles kicks off her Real Life Theology series discussing the pretty little lies we are told by culture every day. She is joined by David Hunzicker of North Boulevard Church of Christ, as together they explore how damaging these…
Complementarian Versus Egalitarian: 10 Questions for Egalitarian Church Leaders
When it comes to the complementarian versus egalitarian debate in the church and home, there are 10 questions to consider which get at the heart of egalitarianism and its implications. These 10 questions will help you delve into important areas…
Complementarian VS Egalitarian: 10 Questions for Egalitarian Church Leaders
When it comes to the complementarian vs egalitarian debate in the church and home, here are 10 questions to think about for egalitarian leaders. For an ebook form of this article, click here. If you are a church leader leaning toward an egalitarian approach to men and women in church leadership, we want to engage...
The Key to Understanding the Bible: A Story of Two Brave Women
What is the key to understanding the Bible? Although there are helpful tools for understanding the Bible, understanding has more to do with practicing obedience than just learning information. In this article, Renee Sproles tells the story of two Iranian Christians who learned through persecution that “it’s more important to learn just one verse every...
Renée Sproles
On Gender and the Bible: A Summary (Part 12)
This post is a summary of what Scripture teaches about gender in leadership roles, specifically within the Christian home and the church. It is a recap of the multi-part series that has been written by scholars and practitioners at Renew.org (here are Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11). We have included relevant links to the more in-depth...
On Gender and the Bible: What Does It Mean to Be a Man or Woman? (Part 10)
This is Part 10 in our series exploring what the Bible says about gender. Here are Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. There is likely no more loaded question these days than this: What does it mean to be a man or a woman? As Peter Kreeft aptly noted, masculinity and femininity have been reduced from...
Renée Sproles
On Gender and the Bible: Where Does Egalitarianism Lead? (Part 9)
Books which propose a “third way,” whether Christian or secular, can easily come across with a bit of arrogance. Many of you are too liberal and the rest of you are too conservative, but I’ve figured out the perfect balance between the two, they seem to say. However, with secular philosophies like Critical Theory and...
How Can We Treat the Bible like Jesus Did?
In times of increasing skepticism about the Bible’s authority, we need to return to who Jesus is and how he viewed the Bible. (See articles 1 and 2 here.) How can we treat the Bible like Jesus did? We respond as Jesus did: We submit to Scripture by believing and acting on it. Believing It...
Renée Sproles
What Did Jesus Believe about the Bible?
In light of increasing skepticism about the Bible’s authority in our lives (see article one here), we should take a fresh look at why we claim that Scripture is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and instructing us. By looking at who Jesus Christ is and what He says about Scripture, we can have confidence and...
Renée Sproles
Are We Turning into Skeptics of the Bible?
In May of 2017 the satirical Christian website, The Babylon Bee, published this headline: “Man Sitting Literally Three Feet Away From Bible Asks God To Speak To Him.” The article began, According to sources, local man Steve Harrison fervently prayed Thursday that the Lord would speak to him and make His will for the man’s life...
Renée Sproles
On Gender and the Bible: Practical Advice by Complementarian Women for Local Churches (Part 7)
“Change is at the heart of leadership because a leader’s job is to take people from where they are to where they need to be. You can’t do that without ushering in change.” –Carey Nieuwhof. For those who have followed this series of articles over the past weeks, you know that Renew upholds gender complementarity...
On Gender and the Bible: What about Husbands and Wives? (Part 6)
This is the sixth in a series of articles dealing with gender and the church. Previously, we engaged with John Mark Hicks’s book, Women Serving God, and Scot McKnight’s, Blue Parakeet. (See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.) This article focuses specifically on gender and marriage. While Paul honors and...
Book Review: Jen Hatmaker’s Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” So wrote Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, in a scholarly article about the funeral sermons of Christian women. When she penned that phrase in the 1970’s, I bet she never imagined it would capture the imagination of generations to come. Do a quick Google search and...
Renée Sproles
On Gender and the Bible: Can Women Be Elders? (Part 5)
“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” —Margaret Thatcher. “Women have discovered that they cannot rely on men’s chivalry to give them justice.” —Helen Keller. “It’s time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through, no right, no wrong, no rules...
On Gender and the Bible: Does God Allow Women Preachers in 1 Timothy 2? (Part 4)
This is another in-depth post where we examine what the Word of God teaches about men and women in the church. This the fourth installment and it is focused on the vitally important teaching of 1 Timothy 2. We will continue to engage with John Mark Hicks’s book, Women Serving God: My Journey in Understanding...
On Gender and the Bible: Why Do Women Stay Silent in 1 Corinthians 14? (Part 3)
This will be another in-depth post where we examine what the Word of God teaches about men and women in the church. It is the third installment in a series engaging with John Mark Hicks’s book, Women Serving God: My Journey in Understanding Their Story, and Scot McKnight’s book, Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read...