Introduction
For as long as I can remember I have had difficulty appropriately placing personal
experiences in the context of my theology. At an early age I was aware that my experiences as a
female were different than those of my pastors and several of my spiritual role models but was
confused as to if I should affirm or minimize my unique circumstances. As I grew and conversed
with other females in the church, I realized that I was not alone in my questioning. Today it
remains true that work still needs to be done to clarify this impasse, the gulf between differing
experiences, for women in the evangelical world.
This paper is in part an effort to contribute to the growing discussion concerning evangelical
feminism by posing a preliminary question: Is an evangelical feminist theology possible? This type
of question is not unique to the realm of theology but actually derived from a broader one: Is an
evangelical genitive theology possible? In the following pages, I will attempt to argue in the
affirmative for both questions by exploring the roles of Scripture and experience in theological
development. The orientation of this work will be geared towards the latter, more general question
with most supporting examples pertaining to the topic of feminism. The paper will conclude by
revisiting the two questions posed above and drawing implications for evangelical feminist
theology.
Before continuing, it will be helpful to clarify the context in which I am working from by
defining six terms. First, this paper is written from an evangelical context. John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
gives significance to the term evangelical by identifying its five foremost qualities.
1
According to
Stackhouse, the theology of evangelicals is foremost founded in Christ. "Even more particularly,
evangelicals teach and delight in the incarnation of the Lord and in his inauguration of the kingdom
of God, but they pay special attention - as they believe the Bible does - to the death and resurrection