I pray that Fuller offers this course many more times in the future.

Shari Monson, M.Div., Fuller Seminary Northwest

Thank you for a great class this quarter.

Laura Terasaki, M.Div. student, Fuller Seminary Northwest

Enjoyed and learned so much through your teaching and class discussions!! Thank you for a wonderful quarter!

Gina Yejin Kim, MA in Theololgy student, Fuller Seminary Northwest

I just wanted to thank you again for such a wonderful class.I’m not sure I have even fully been able to process all that has occurred–that may take some time. But what I do know is that this class and your book have been the missing puzzle piece to what I believed in my heart was true: that the Bible is univocal on the issue of the equality of women and the practical output in the life and ministry of the church that equality assumes and indeed provides. I believe with all my heart that we are at the crux of something huge and unpacking this issue will allow us to revisit as Gordon Fee’s great book says, “how to read the Bible for all it’s worth.” And it is worth so much. I have so many ideas of how your book can be used to reach people who desperately want to follow Jesus with their whole lives and not have to ignore or gloss over certain parts of Scripture. So, thank you for being courageous and telling the truth, even when I know it hasn’t been easy from some of those who are too afraid to admit where they’ve gone wrong. I’m only sorry that with no prior knowledge of Greek and the often overwhelming demands of life with two young children and my church responsibilities that I wasn’t able to engage even further with some of this material. I know, however, that I will look back at the class as truly life-changing. Thanks so much!!

Marisa Gulbranson Gronholz, MA in Theololgy student, Fuller Seminary Northwest

Dr. Payne: Thank you so much for offering Women, the Bible, and the Church at Fuller Seminary Northwest this past quarter. The class was an important academic and spiritual experience in a variety of ways.

1. You shared with us your 38+ years of research and exegesis into the Pauline passages in the NT that seem at first glance to limit the roles of women in the church, home, and society. Your careful work shows us that what we have known in our spirits and in our practices is valid scripturally as well: that God is a God of freedom, and that he desires all believers, regardless of gender, to fully employ their gifts and callings to further his kingdom.

2. You demonstrated to us an appropriate posture of scholarship, willing to be challenged and corrected by others, but also to challenge and correct others, all for the purpose of bringing us all into full kingdom membership and function. You modeled both humility and courage, and as a result we will be better pastors and leaders ourselves.

3. You shared with us your vast collection of original historical documents, and allowed us to study and handle them. Besides showing us the importance of textual criticism and demonstrating some of the methods by which you arrived at your conclusions, you also inspired in us a profound respect for our heritage, especially for the dedication and sacrifice of so many scholars, scribes, exegetes, theologians, and other ecclesiastical leaders who have gone before us.

4. You did not spare us from the uglier side of our heritage, where there has been deliberate deception and clouding of issues by those with an ungodly agenda or genuine fear for the reputation of the gospel. We learned that if we hold to the truth, the “slippery slope” disappears and God is glorified.

I am grateful for the experience, for the training, and the exposure to a wide variety of viewpoints and methods. God bless you as you continue to serve our God.

Debbie Montzingo, M.Div. student, Fuller Seminary Northwest

Your scholarship and study into the topic of women in ministry is setting me free! Thank you, Dr. Payne, for writing the book and, therefore, sharing with me and others what you have ferreted out in God’s word. I no longer feel I have to apologize to explain that God has called me to teach and preach the Gospel. Thank you again!

Carol N. Springs, M.A., Fuller Seminary Northwest