What does it say about the place of women in the Christian faith that, at a time when they had little social status, they were the first witnesses of the resurrection and the first to be commissioned by Jesus to carry the good news? Women went on to exercise a significant ministry in the early Church, but not without debate about the respective roles of women and men in society, church and family – a debate that continues to divide the Church today.

The heart of the question is not whether women should exercise a particular ministry. It is about how we view each other as sisters and brothers within the Body of Christ, how we structure our family lives, and how we relate to the wider world.

This accessible guide will enable readers to look again honestly and carefully at what the Bible says about the roles of men and women in family life, in ministry and in society. It will help the Church recover a sense that the message of the Christian faith is profoundly good news for the whole of humanity.

Ideal for individual reading, group study or as the basis for a series of sermons, each chapter contains a Bible study, insights from current biblical scholarship, an exploration of contemporary application, questions for reflections and prayers.