The Preacher's Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities

The Preacher's Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities

by Kate Bowler
The Preacher's Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities

The Preacher's Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities

by Kate Bowler

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Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved, a fascinating look at the world of Christian women celebrities

Since the 1970s, an important new figure has appeared on the center stage of American evangelicalism—the celebrity preacher's wife. Although most evangelical traditions bar women from ordained ministry, many women have carved out unofficial positions of power in their husbands' spiritual empires or their own ministries. The biggest stars—such as Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, and Victoria Osteen—write bestselling books, grab high ratings on Christian television, and even preach. In this engaging book, Kate Bowler offers a sympathetic and revealing portrait of megachurch women celebrities, showing how they must balance the demands of celebrity culture and conservative, male-dominated faiths.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780691209197
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 09/15/2020
Pages: 368
Sales rank: 315,321
Product dimensions: 5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

About The Author
Kate Bowler is the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel and the memoir Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved. She is associate professor at Duke Divinity School. Twitter @KatecBowler

Table of Contents

A Personal Note ix

Glossary of Important Terms xv

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Preacher 21

Chapter 2 The Homemaker 65

Chapter 3 The Talent 117

Chapter 4 The Counselor 153

Chapter 5 The Beauty 192

Conclusion 237

Appendix I Megachurches in the United States 253

Appendix II Researching Megachurch Pastors' Wives 257

Appendix III Some Demographics from the Profiles 264

Appendix IV Women in Conservative Seminaries 270

Appendix V Women on Staff at Megachurches 275

Appendix VI Highlights of the Timeline of Women's Ordination 279

Notes 283

Index 329

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Excellent. . . . [Bowler’s] wonderful work provocatively considers what women gain and lose in becoming 'market-ready' for evangelical communities.”—Publishers Weekly

“An eye-opener. . . . [Bowler] is a thorough researcher and witty writer.”—LaVonne Neff, Christian Century

"I cannot overstate the effect this book had on me. Whether you are a student of American religious history, a follower of popular Christian culture, or someone who has never thought twice about the women who grant legitimacy to the powerful men they marry, Kate Bowler will take you places you could not have gone on your own.”—Barbara Brown Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Learning to Walk in the Dark

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