An extended review of a 2023 book by Joseph Lee Dutko
Note: Our print issue contains a shorter version of this review. Faith Today welcomes your thoughts on any of our reviews. We also welcome suggestions of other Canadian Christian books to review: Contact us.
Bloomsbury Academic, 2023. 312 pages. $151 (e-book $120).
Joseph Lee Dutko is pastor of Oceanside Community Church in Parksville, B.C., a congregation of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. In his book he examines the topic of women in ministry within the PAOC, reflecting on what it was, considering what it is and looking forward to what it could be.
Dutko offers both historical analysis of women in leadership and a meticulous examination of the scriptural and eschatological methodology which saw several female leaders rise to the forefront in the early days of the movement, including Amy Semple McPherson, Zelma Argue and Ellen Hebden.
These and other women were not recognized merely for their giftings, according to Dutko, but also for their place in fulfilling Bible prophecy in the Last Days – they were seen as forerunners of the utopia to come which would be made manifest at the return of Jesus.
He shows how during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Scripture passages such as Joel 2 and Galatians 3 (as well as Genesis 1 and Acts 2) served as lynchpins for women in leadership.
But today, he argues, there are fewer women in the forefront of ministry as there were during the early stages of classic Pentecostalism. If the presence of women in leadership is indeed a fulfilment of Bible prophecy, the logical conclusions is that the current drift is at least grievous and at most a crisis.
Dutko identifies the key moment where the presence of women deteriorated – coinciding with the movement’s turn away from focusing on the imminent return of Jesus and evangelistic endeavours, and particularly its turn toward dispensationalism.
Did dispensationalism cause Pentecostal minds to become too preoccupied with life in the here and now and therefore lose their fervour and concern about the life to come and the allotment of time God had allowed before the return of His Son? This is left for the reader to consider, but it expands the importance of women’s roles to a theological importance that many readers may not have considered deeply.
Dutko’s presentation for the consideration of an egalitarian approach in giving women opportunity to follow the call of God today is based on an eschatological argument as opposed to simply encouraging a shift for the sake of societal trends, which should make anyone who wishes to apply intellect and scholarship to his point raise their awareness to the depth of his claims.
Thankfully the author chooses to present solutions to the dilemmas that he raises, so as to not simply kick up dust without offering a means of cleaning it up. He points towards a future where women serve in all areas of Christian leadership.
His proposed solutions will evoke a range of responses among Pentecostals, some finding them difficult to accept while others are already open to adopting them and carrying them out within their sphere of leadership. His goalposts for change are accessible to all, however they arrive there.
One of the areas the author invites his fellow Pentecostals to consider is feminist theology. I found this thought provoking – feminist theology is currently not embraced among the Pentecostal ministers I know. However, I suspect most can admit it would be potentially helpful if we allowed our practices to be scrutinized (as it were) by comparing them to other belief systems.
Dutko’s approach is thoroughly researched – the book reads more like a textbook as opposed to a casual read. There are a great number of references readers can explore at leisure, perhaps opening themselves to ideas they may have previously never touched upon.
Overall this book is a valuable resource for those who wish to reflect on the history of the Pentecostal movement and consider what its future could be should it once again value the handmaidens in its midst who are ready and willing to serve their Lord.
The author offers blog posts and more at TheGenderParadox.com. The book’s $100-plus hardcover and e-book editions will be joined by a more affordable paperback in June.
Editor's note: We love our reviewers, but we don’t always agree. You won’t either, maybe especially in the Bestsellers and Roundup sections. Do let us know what you think. Sample chapters of most books can be viewed at Books.Google.ca and Amazon.ca. Faith Today earns a small commission when people make purchases using our links to Amazon.ca.