Women Deacons and Deaconesses: 400 Years of Baptist Service.

Women Deacons and Deaconesses: 400 Years of Baptist Service. By Charles W. Deweese. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, and Brentwood, TN: Baptist History and Heritage Society, 2005. 259 pp.

In Women Deacons and Deaconesses, Charles W. Deweese has written a sound apology for the acceptance of women deacons in Baptist churches. The author does an excellent job of delineating the differences between a woman deacon and a deaconess as well as pointing out the radical differences taken by several Baptist bodies concerning women in the diaconate. This eight-chapter book begins with the General Baptists of the seventeenth century and closes with an examination of women deacon trends in the twenty-first century. The text is rounded out with an appendix of "Selected Baptist Churches with Women Deacon Chairs."

Deweese's examination of Baptist exegetical scholars leads him to the belief that those who oppose the ordination of women deacons do so by exclusively employing selected writings of the apostle Paul and by interpreting his writings in a literalistic manner without taking into account the ancient paternalistic world in which they were written. While often quoting 1 Timothy 2:12, Titus 2:1-10, and other contextual statements made by Paul, Deweese points out that opponents of the ordination of women rarely quote Paul's "Freedom Manifesto" found in Galatians 3:28. Deweese also notes that Baptist exegetes who favor the ordination of women deacons employ the teachings of Jesus. The author does his best work in comparing the various exegetical interpretation of Romans 16:1 and 1 Timothy 3:11.

Deweese also examines the implementation of deaconesses throughout Baptist history. The author makes it clear that the first General Baptists (1609) accepted women deacons, but with the later rise of the Calvinistic Particular Baptists, this office virtually disappeared from Baptist life. Deweese argues that as long as Calvinism dominated Baptist ecclesiology women were perceived as second-class congregants and, as the descendants of Eve, not worthy of ordination. As Calvinism began to wane in the twentieth century, Deweese believes that a greater sense of freedom encapsulated Baptist life, and the ordination of women became more prominent. With the resurgence of Calvinism in current Baptist life, he fears that women's rights may be further limited.

Deweese's final sections are composed of an examination of women deacons and deaconesses in other countries and the stories of triumph and tribulation of women who have been ordained to the diaconate. These chapters demonstrate that women deacons can provide a great ministry and service to the church.

In the conclusion, Deweese argues for the implementation of women deacons. Most of his arguments are based on research that may be found in the text, although some arguments are based more on his personal experience.

Women Deacons and Deaconesses is a good read. The research and argumentation are stellar. Deweese's biliography and footnotes alone are worth the purchase of the book. The reader should be aware that Deweese is in favor of women deacons and he argues hard to make his case. The book may come across as biased, but the author states in the Introduction that he "advocates without apology women's rights to serve as deacons." (ix). Deweese could have striven for more balance and some sections are redundant, but these are the only drawbacks to an excellent text.--Joe Early, Jr, assistant professor of religion, University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, Kentucky.