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ritten in an engagingly clear and irenic style, the Called and

available today on the subject of women’s roles in the church. Created specifically to help facilitate group discussions, the nine sessions move participants through a systematic study of the various positions on this imSimple, readable, yet thorough, it provides a first look at the issues involved, and provokes readers to rethink issues they may have thought were settled. Whether you are contemplating individual or group study of this subject,

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the Called and Gifted Study Guide is an ideal starting point for those who The Called and Gifted Study Guide is a companion to the statement published by the Commission on Biblical Gender Equality of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) in a booklet entitled Called and Gifted.

Sharon Cairns Mann

want to study the subject but don’t know where to begin.

SHARON CAIRNS MANN is a writer, speaker, and business owner. A member of Christ Community Covenant Church in Arvada, Colorado, she has served on the boards of a variety of ECC institutions, and is currently a member of the ECC’s Commission on Biblical Gender Equality.

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Covenant Publications CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

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portant subject in an even-handed way, while still being clearly egalitarian.

CALLED

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Study Guide FOR STUDENTS

CALLED

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C A L L E D

& G I F T E D Study Guide FOR STUDENTS

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Covenant Publications CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Covenant Publications 5101 North Francisco Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60625 (773) 907-3328 www.covchurch.org Copyright © 2005 by Covenant Publications. Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved. 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Unit One: Building Community Session One Asking Honest Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Session Two How Do We Interpret the Bible?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Unit Two: History of Men and Women in the Bible and in the Church Session Three Starting at the Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Session Four Women in the Bible: Separating Fact from Myth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Unit Three: What Does Paul Really Teach? Session Five The Meaning of Kephalē. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

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Contents

Session Six Paul’s Instructions for the Church in Corinth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Session Seven Paul’s Instructions for the Church in Ephesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Unit Four: A New Vision for Ministry Session Eight The New Testament Model for Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Session Nine Applying the Liberating Message of the Gospel in the Local Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Recommended Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

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mpressive scholarship on the subject of the biblical perspective on the role of women in the church, home, and