
Thinking Christian: Clear Theology for a Confusing World
James SpencerBeth Allison Barr | From Pulpit to Parsonage: Gender, Ordination, and the Pastor’s Wife
April 21, 2025 ● 49 minShare this episode
Historian and author Beth Allison Barr joins Thinking Christian to discuss her latest book, Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman’s Path to Ministry. We explore the medieval redefinitions of masculinity that reshaped church leadership, the rise of clerical celibacy, and how the Protestant Reformation unwittingly birthed a new ecclesial role: the pastor’s wife. Along the way, we talk ordination, authority, embodiment, cultural expectations, and the invisible burdens placed on ministry families. Whether you're a pastor, a pastor's spouse, or just trying to make sense of biblical manhood and womanhood in the 21st century, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.
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Today's Devotional
A Prayer to See and Show What’s on the Inside - Your Daily Prayer - March 23
Everyone you pass is carrying something you can’t see. This powerful prayer will open your eyes to hidden pain, and show you how to respond with real, healing compassion.
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